Why your support matters

The National Library of Scotland exists to preserve and share Scotland's heritage. We collect, protect and share the nation's story as it is being written and for the future. Your support helps us do this with clarity, depth, and care.

From rare manuscripts to early films, and from Gaelic folklore to nightclub flyers, our collections are evidence of lives lived and moments that matter. What we preserve today shapes how Scotland is remembered tomorrow.

Thanks to recent support, we've been able to:

• Secure treasures, including Robert Burns's First Commonplace Book and the working manuscript of Walter Scott's Rob Roy

• Acquire the archives of former Makar Jackie Kay and national treasure Muriel Spark

• Catalogue Alasdair Gray, James Kelman and George Mackay Brown's rich literary archives

• Conserve and digitise thousands of local and national newspaper volumes

• Deliver exhibitions opening the collections up to new audiences

When you give, you:

• Make it possible for us to secure rare and significant items before they disappear into private hands

• Enable us to conserve and digitise fragile materials, making them widely accessible

• Fund new exhibitions, research, and outreach that bring untold Scottish stories to new audiences

Your support helps us shape a living, growing library — one that reflects the richness of Scotland's past while creating new ways to connect with its future. This is just the beginning, and we hope you'll be part of what comes next.

Fundraising priorities

The Library's fundraising priorities reflect our commitment to preservation, access, and innovation. Every gift supports one of the following areas.

Acquisition of rare and significant items

Helping us secure treasures of cultural and historic value before they are lost to private collections.

Digitisation and access

Enabling us to digitise fragile materials and make them freely available online, around the world.

Conservation and care

Supporting the preservation of delicate and at-risk items, from centuries-old manuscripts to modern audio recordings.

Outreach and education

Funding exhibitions, learning programmes and partnerships that bring the collections into schools, libraries and communities.

Inclusion and representation

Investing in collecting and sharing the stories of underrepresented voices in Scotland's history.

These priorities are shaped by the needs of the collections and the people we serve. Your support ensures that Scotland's story is not only safeguarded — it continues to grow and reach more people, everywhere.