| National Library of Scotland | |
|---|---|
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 National Library of Scotland building on George IV Bridge, Edinburgh | |
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| 55°56′55″N 3°11′31″W / 55.948554°N 3.191899°W | |
| Location | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Type | National library |
| Established | 1925 |
| Reference to legal mandate | National Library of Scotland Act 1925 & 2012 |
| Collection | |
| Size | 14 million printed items |
| Legal deposit | Yes, provided in law by:
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| Access and use | |
| Access requirements | Open to anyone with a need to use the collections and services |
| Other information | |
| Budget | £15.480 million (operating budget; 2018–19)[1] |
| Director | Amina Shah, National Librarian and Chief Executive |
| Employees | 340 |
| Website | www |
The National Library of Scotland (NLS; Scottish Gaelic: Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba; Scots: Naitional Leebrar o Scotland) is one of the country's National Collections. It is one of the largest libraries in the United Kingdom. As well as a public programme of exhibitions, events, workshops, and tours, the National Library of Scotland has reading rooms where visitors can access the collections. It is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is a member of Research Libraries UK (RLUK)[2] and the Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERL).[3]
There are over 24 million items held at the Library in various formats including books, annotated manuscripts and first-drafts, postcards, photographs, and newspapers. The library is also home to Scotland's Moving Image Archive,[4] a collection of over 46,000 videos and films. Notable items amongst the collection include copies of the Gutenberg Bible, Charles Darwin's letter with which he submitted the manuscript of On the Origin of Species, the First Folio of Shakespeare, the Glenriddell Manuscripts, and the last letter written by Mary Queen of Scots. It has the largest collection of Scottish Gaelic material of any library in the world.
- ^ "National Library of Scotland2018/19 Annual Audit Report" (PDF). Audit Scotland. 12 August 2019. p. 15. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ Cheung, Melanie. "Members". Research Libraries UK. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
- ^ "List of Members (292) [CERL]". cerl.org. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
- ^ "Moving Image Archive - Collections - National Library of Scotland". nls.uk. Archived from the original on 22 November 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2020.