This blog post is about the bookplates collections in the National Library of Scotland and about what it can tell us about the types of people who owned books in eighteenth and nineteenth century Scotland. My name is Bryony Pillath and I am doing an MSc in Book History and Material Culture at the University […]
Automatically transcribing the Marjory Fleming Diaries
This blog post by Joe Nockels explores the creation of the first Library dataset to be generated using the Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology of Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR). As a result we now have an accurate semi-automatic transcription of the diaries of Scottish child author Marjory Fleming (1803-1811). Few historical texts voice the experience of […]
Zoom into Perth and Kinross
The county of Perth, formerly known as Perthshire, sits at the heart of Scotland, and its vast geographic size has seen it called ‘the big county.’ It existed as an administrative county from 1890 until 1930, when it was linked with Kinross-shire which, in direct contrast to its neighbour, is one of Scotland’s smallest counties. The county town is Perth, and a large number […]
Lost Piano Concerto Found, and an Unexpected Musical Connection
A year has passed since National Library of Scotland staff began remote working due to the COVID-19 crisis. The adaptability of the Library’s personnel to their new circumstances and the use of Microsoft Teams, Zoom video conferencing, and the accessing of files and databases through a VPN (virtual private network) has enabled the mission, work […]
ZOOM INTO DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY
The unitary region of Dumfries and Galloway was created in 1975, following a reorganisation of Local Government in Scotland. It brought together the historic counties of Dumfriesshire, Wigtownshire and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. Though now part of Scotland, the region was once part of the ancient Northern Brittonic Kingdom of Rheged and later the Kingdoms […]
Zoom into Dundee City
Collated by Lorna Black. Dundee is the fourth largest city in Scotland and lies on the north bank of the River Tay. Dundee is famous for three Js: Jute, Jam and Journalism. During the peak of jute production the city was nicknamed Juteolopis. It is also known for the Tay Bridge Disaster and RSS Discovery. […]
Bonner and his Bees: Historical Beekeeping in Scotland
In anticipation of Spring’s arrival I’ve recently been doing a little gardening to prepare plants, trees and soil for the coming warmer weather and its promise of rebirth after the dreich Scottish winter. The returning of birdsong and the anticipation of flowers and green leaves made me consider the importance of bees to the wellbeing […]
Women’s History Month Reading List
This blog post focuses on a selection of contemporary women writers in Scotland and their contribution to Scottish literature, society and history. Note: The links included in this blog are to the catalogue record for the books in the Library. Leila Aboulela is an Aberdeen-based playwright and poet. Leila Aboulela was born in Cairo, grew up in Khartoum and moved in her mid-twenties to Scotland. Leila’s work […]
Zoom Into North Ayrshire
Collated by Emma Boyd North Ayrshire is a council area in the south-west of Scotland. Set along the coast of the Firth of Clyde and with a population of over 135,000 at the last census; it is the most populous of the three Ayrshire regions. The area was formed in 1996 from the former Cunninghame district, and includes the Isle of […]
Zoom Into East Ayrshire
Collated by Emma Boyd East Ayrshire is a largely rural council area in the south-west of the country with a population of over 122,000 at the last census. The area was formed in 1996, from the former Kilmarnock and Loudoun, and Cumnock and Doon Valley districts; and the majority of people live in or around […]