This week is your last chance to see our 'Dear Library' exhibition - and get some knitting inspo 👀

Side by side view comparing Bo'ness on historic Ordnance Survey maps from 1855 and 1895

This #MapMonday explore historic Linlithgowshire in great detail 🔎

You can now view a georeferenced layer of Ordnance Survey 25-inch mapping from the 1850s on our maps website.

Explore the maps > maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/...

Dear Libraries, this is why you matter A reflection on what libraries make possible inspired by hundreds of letters shared by visitors to our 'Dear Library' exhibition.

📜 Read Dave's full article > www.nls.uk/collections/...
🎟️ Plan your visit to Dear Library > www.nls.uk/whats-on/dea...
👩🏼‍👧🏻‍👦🏽 Visiting with kids? Come to our Dear Library Story Sessions > www.nls.uk/whats-on/?f=...

Inspired by the letters on display, Dave writes about his first Scottish winter, his part-time job at the Scottish Poetry Library, and the letter-writers who described their local library as "home".

To mark the closing week, writer Dave Coates has published a beautiful, urgent reflection on the joy, refuge and possibility found in our public libraries.

Our exhibition Dear Library closes on 25 April.

If you haven't yet visited, this is your final chance to experience hundreds of love letters written by visitors to Scotland's libraries – and to leave your own. 💌

What's on filtered by where | National Library of Scotland Find out about our events and exhibitions in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and online.

Explore the full Fashion Revolution Week programme > www.nls.uk/whats-on/?l=...

Other dyes from the Highlands included yellow from heather and bracken, blue/green from woad (or imported indigo), and red from madder 💛🩵❤️

From 21–25 April, we're marking Fashion Revolution Week at Kelvin Hall with free talks, screenings, and workshops inspired by Scotland's textile heritage.

Crottle produces beautiful shades of brown, yellow, and red. It was often gathered in late summer (mid-August), when pigment concentrations are at their peak. The lichen was packed into large cast iron cauldrons with wool or fabric, then boiled over a peat fire 🔥

This clip from 'Island of the Big Cloth' (1971) shows traditional dyeing in the Highlands 🎨

At the beginning of the clip, you can see someone scraping crottle, a type of lichen, directly from rocks.

Dear Library: Family story sessions | National Library of Scotland Listen to two short readings from some of Scotland's contemporary children's authors or join in on some craft activities.

Afterwards, you'll have the chance to chat to the authors and get creative with a range of crafts inspired by that day's stories.

Book your tickets > www.nls.uk/whats-on/dea...

Dear Library Story Sessions are back! This time with a focus on stories for children aged 6 to 10 years old 📚🚀

Come along to hear stories from fantastic, contemporary children's authors. Meet a cast of unique characters, hear about some daring adventures, and be transported to new settings!

Screenshot showing historic Ordnance Survey mapping for Lanark comparing first and second edition maps in Side by Side viewer

The amazing, detailed Ordnance Survey 25-inch 1st edition mapping for Lanarkshire is now available as a georeferenced layer. maps.nls.uk/additions/#197 This allows you compare the 1850s maps with later editions in our Side by Side viewer. maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/... Now on to the next county...

Illustrations are used to evidence the range of animals in different areas of the world - such as this selection 🐰

Can you identify the creatures in this close-up? 🔎

(Hint: There's a jerboa, hare, mouse, rabbit, and porcupine in this illustration)

Can you spot the bunny in this 1848 zoological map? 🐇

Made by Alexander Keith Johnston, the map shows the distribution of 'rodentia' (animals with a single pair of incisors on the upper and lower jaw) and 'ruminantia' (grazing animals with a specific digestive systems) across the world.

#MapMonday

Poet Hugh MacDiarmid (pen name of Christopher Murray Grieve) and his wife Valda Grieve.

Learn more and plan your visit to 'Outwith: Valda, MacDiarmid and Whalsay' > www.nls.uk/whats-on/out...

Manuscript of 'Shags' Nests'

✍️ Featuring original manuscripts of the poems 'Shags' Nests' and 'In Dury Voe' which were written in Whalsay, and personal letters sent between Christopher and Valda in this period, all from our collections.

🗓️ Until 20 June 2026
⏰ Tuesday–Saturday, 10am–5pm
📍 Da Gadderie, Shetland Museum

Promotional poster for 'Outwith: Valda, MacDairmid and Whalsay'.

Tomorrow, 'Outwith: Valda, MacDiarmid and Whalsay' opens at Shetland Museum and Archives ⭐

This landmark exhibition explores the nine years that poet Hugh MacDiarmid and his wife Valda spent in Whalsay, and how the rugged landscape shaped their lives and work.

Initiatives include publications, and a host of fellowships, internships, collaborative PhDs, and roles undertaken by our staff at partner universities.

Read the review > www.nls.uk/media/pnnh1n...

Now online! Our research review 🔬📜

We have more than 50 research projects under way at any given time at the Library. For a taste of what we do, check out our Research Review 2024–25.

Our 'Treasures' exhibition is closed and will re-open with a refreshed look and new things to see on Monday 27 April.

We can't wait to welcome you back to the new space! In the meantime, the rest of our Visitor Centre remains open, including our cafe, 'Dear Library' exhibition, and shop.

Untold Stories - Women's Conversation Join host Taylor Dyson for a powerful and thought-provoking conversation, an inspiring panel of women dedicated to sharing Untold Stories.

🎙️ Featuring presentations from Rebecca Sharp, Ashley Dick, Erin Farley, and Dr Abi Roper, supported by BSL interpretation by Lisa Li.

🔗 Book your tickets > www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/untold-sto...

We are delighted to share that our Scots Scriever, Taylor Dyson, will be hosting 'Untold Stories: Women’s Conversations' at the Webster Memorial Theatre on Friday, 28 March.

This free event will celebrate the importance of amplifying unheard voices from Scotland through film, poetry, and speech.

A 1860s printing of an OS Six-inch map of Kilkenny, surveyed from 1839 to 1840.

This #MapMonday we're heading across the Irish Sea! ☘️

Our newly added OS Six-Inch maps of Ireland were printed around 1860. The 1,940 sheets update the original 1830s surveys, adding railways, new field boundaries, and more detailed place names.

🔗: maps.nls.uk/os/6inch-ire...

What's your favourite bedtime story? 💤

Today we're celebrating World Sleep Day by raiding our shelves for fairy tales! But be warned, the path to dreamland isn't always peaceful - especially for one fairy tale princess 🧵👑

Have a look at some depictions of 'Sleeping Beauty' from our collections.

Carbon Literacy for Libraries Shareable Course | National Library of Scotland A course for library professionals to learn climate science and cut carbon emissions. Get Carbon Literacy certification through this interactive training.

The best part? Once certified, you can run the course yourself and help to cascade the learning!

💻 Our next course is online, and still has spots left! Find out more and book your tickets > www.nls.uk/about-us/who...

Did you know that we run a Carbon Literacy for Libraries course? ♻️

The course is designed to provide librarians with an introduction to carbon literacy and empower them to support climate action. It celebrates the sustainable model of libraries and how they can support others to cut emissions.

detail from historic Ordnance Survey map of Dundee showing jute and flax mills off Overgate

This #MapMonday, book your place for our 'Maps for Family and Local History Workshop' to learn about different types of historic maps and how to view them on our maps website 🗺️

📌 Online
📆 Wednesday 11 March, 10-11am
🎟️ Free

Book your tickets > www.nls.uk/whats-on/map...

Hi Kathy! Our apologies for this, there seems to be an error on the Eventbrite side. This link should allow you to book, if you click on 'Check Availability' > www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/maps-for-f...