Collections

Main catalogue

Printed, moving image, digital, and archive and manuscript collections, plus eResources and databases.

A woman standing between two long runs of book shelves stares at the old leather bound books in awe.

Map images

Over 400,000 historic maps of the UK and Ireland and beyond, in zoomable high resolution, with tools to find, compare and annotate.

Archives and manuscripts

Unpublished materials, from personal and writer archives to business records.

Close-up of an intricately illustrated manuscript with rich colours.

Moving Image Archive

Moving images from home movies to documentaries and from industry to entertainment.

Black and white still of a man holding a super-8 camera up to his face.

Digital gallery

View a selection of digitised items from our world-class collections, including books, maps, films and more.

eResources

Access online resources to help you in work, research or leisure, wherever you live in Scotland. Find books, journals, newspapers, and much more.

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Find out all about our collections, our catalogues, and how to use them.

Sentenced and silenced: The criminalisation and transportation of queer lives

Discover how 19th-century Scottish law silenced queer voices and controlled identity through class, power, and punishment.

Historic photo of soldiers in uniform standing in formation before a castle, with people and horses nearby, overlaid with a soft rainbow gradient.

The last letter of Mary, Queen of Scots

Read about the emotional farewell from a queen who claimed martyrdom and a rightful crown.

Close-up of Mary's last letter, written in French and showing her signature.

Mary Shelley and the Scottish Gothic Tradition

Read about the profound impact Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' has had on literature and culture.

Black illustration of a simplified Frankestein's monster against a green background.

From morse code to Shirley Temple: Unboxing hidden collections

Why did 17th-century Royal Proclamations share a box with Foxy Grandpa comics? Uncover the mystery of the Library’s unusual ‘Series 7 collection’.

A collection of vintage items including comic books ("Pip," "Roisin," "Percy"), a vinyl record, a Shirley Temple book, "British Air Forces," and a "Moscow News" newspaper, all arranged together with other printed materials.

Discover endless stories and resources.

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