The Modern-day council area of Angus traces its name to an eighth century Pictish king, Óengus son of Fergus (ruled 732-761). Óengus (Angus) hailed from Circinn, one of the four principal Pictish kingdoms roughly coextensive with the modern county of Angus. The signing of the Declaration of Arbroath at Arbroath Abbey in 1320 marked Scotland’s establishment as an independent nation, and so Angus has become known as the birthplace of […]
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Zoom into South Ayrshire
Collated by Elaine Brown South Ayrshire came into existence as a unitary authority in 1996 and comprises the south western corner of the historical county of Ayrshire. It ranges from built-up in the north, where it is home to Glasgow International Airport at Prestwick, to rich agricultural land in the south. Where to find local collections: Scottish […]
Zoom Into East Lothian
East Lothian, known as Haddingtonshire until 1921, sits to the east of Edinburgh. Local Government Reorganisation in 1975 saw it gain the coastal burgh of Musselburgh from neighbouring Midlothian. That town is now the largest in the county, closely followed by Dunbar and its county town of Haddington. Its situation between Edinburgh and England has seen it witness some of Scotland’s most […]
Black History Month and eResources
As the creating content intern for the National Library, I’m working on creating an online media centre and expanding our media contacts. My work will focus on researching up-and-coming journalists, writers and art curators from a range of backgrounds across the UK and beyond. I aim to connect Black creators and journalists from across Scotland, […]
Don’t Have Nightmares… When archive films get scary
Dr Emily Munro, National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive Watch our Halloween video This compilation was made for Halloween and, inspired by the footage we have in the moving image archive, references American ‘B’ movies from the 1950s. The compilation includes extracts from many different films and, in particular, work by Wishaw filmmaker Enrico […]
Curators’ Favourites: Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Amateur Emigrant
The choice: Robert Louis Stevenson – The Amateur Emigrant (Edinburgh, 1895) Chosen by: Anette Hagan, Rare Books Curator (Early Printed Collections to 1700) Read or download this book from our Digital Gallery. Welcome to the latest of our new fortnightly series where we introduce you to some favourites from our collections for you to enjoy reading, all freely available online. This […]
Doors Open Day: Through ‘The Void’ to Libberton’s Wynd
During Doors Open Day, we try to take visitors to hitherto unknown parts of the National Library building at George IV Bridge. ‘The Void’ is the final destination of our tours on Doors Open Day – but what is ‘The Void’? ‘The Void’ is effectively a sub-street space between the structures of the Library building […]
Doors Open Day: The Staircase Window by Helen Monro Turner
Following his unfortunate death, to ensure continuity in the Library project, Reginald Fairlie was succeeded as the Library’s architect by one of the partners in his architectural practice, Alexander Ritchie Conlon. Conlon’s fledgling career had been interrupted by the Second World War, during which he served as an Officer with the Royal Engineers’ bomb disposal. […]
Doors Open Day: The Sculptors
“While he chips away with his chisel the rest of the work on the building goes on round him. The rickety noise of cranes. The sharp rattle of drills. The clattering of bricks. And the clang of steel girders…” – The Edinburgh Evening Dispatch, 14th July, 1954. For several months in 1954 and 1955, the […]
Zoom into Na h-Eileanan Siar
Time to step into the rich history and culture of Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles or Outer Hebrides). Na h-Eileanan Siar is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The inhabited islands of the Western Isles include: Lewis and Harris, South Uist, North Uist, Benbecula, Barra, Great Bernera, Berneray, Vatersay, Baleshare, North Grimsay, […]