The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) was founded in 1783. Over two centuries its Library acquired a large collection of periodicals, many of which were received by means of exchange of the society's publications with those of learned institutions all over the world.
Over 5,000 titles
In 1981 the RSE transferred its foreign periodicals to the National Library of Scotland.
Since then we have maintained the collection, which now consists of over 5,000 different titles. The exchange policy of the RSE is still active and the collection is growing constantly, with well over 600 periodical titles currently received.
Not held elsewhere
The scope of the collection is very wide, covering all aspects of pure science. Although many titles are published in foreign languages, the majority are now in English, or at the very least have English abstracts.
Many of the titles are not held anywhere else in Scotland.
Some books and non-scientific titles are also received and these are incorporated into general Library stock. Any items we receive from a foreign government body are recorded and retained within our Official Publications collections.
Access
The collection arrived with an incomplete card catalogue which has now been incorporated into our main catalogue.
To find older material, it will sometimes be necessary to consult us to arrange for us to search other sources for you.
Further enquiries about the collection and its access are welcome: please contact us.