Research tools
We have online resources that you can access with a National Library of Scotland (NLS) login. If your main address is in Scotland, you can use many of these from any computer.
To register for access, go to licensed digital collections.
There are also a number of resources there that you can use without having to register.
We recommend the following resources for:
- Teachers researching a topic
- Higher / Advanced Higher pupils carrying out independent research.
Credo Reference
Credo is an online reference tool with trusted content sourced
from academic publishers including full-text entries from:
- Encyclopaedias
- Dictionaries
- Reference works and more.
Contains image databases and topic pages giving overviews of hundreds of subject areas.
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Provides searchable access to the Complete Dictionary of
Scientific Biography, with information about the professional
lives, from antiquity to the modern day, of :
- Scientists
- Engineers
- Inventors
- Mathematicians.
JSTOR Plant Science
An online research tool for aggregating and exploring the world's
botanical resources, aimed at those researching, teaching or
studying botany, biology, ecology, environmental and conservation
studies.
Library video guides
Watch our video guides to find out how to access National Library of Scotland resources from home, school or in person.
Medical history of British India
Learn about the medical history of British India. Project manager Francine Millard introduces this fascinating project at NLS. Watch video.