William Kirk Dickson: Scotland's first National Librarian

William Kirk Dickson (1860 to 1949) was Keeper of the Advocates Library until 1925, when he became the first Librarian of the National Library of Scotland.

Almost 100 years after the day Dickson was made National Librarian, join Neil Mackenzie KC, the present Keeper of the Advocates Library, to learn about Dickson's professional life in Parliament House (where the Advocates Library is) and his essential role in the foundation of the National Library.

Dickson was a careful recorder of life in Parliament House during his time there from the late Victorian era to before World War One. He described the struggle to find the right home for the cherished collections that the Advocates could no longer afford to keep. Dickson understood the fragile and timeless nature of the collections. This informed his actions to preserve and develop them for the benefit of the nation and academia.

Dickson's enduring influence persists beneath the surface of both the Advocates Library and the National Library of Scotland.

About the speaker

Neil Mackenzie KC is Keeper of the Advocates Library. He was admitted as a member of Faculty in June 1999, took silk in 2019, and became Keeper in 2022. As Keeper, Neil is dedicated to preserving the Library’s best traditions while also meeting the contemporary needs of members to serve the administration of justice in Scotland.