Intrepid explorers major focus for Library in 2020
The challenges that faced Scotland’s pioneering women mountaineers, a diplomatic mission to the Ottoman Empire during the Napoleonic Wars, and women’s experiences of major social change in 20th-century Scotland are just some of the captivating stories on offer to visitors at the National Library of Scotland in 2020.
A new exhibition gallery uncovering cherished items from the archive is due to open in July. Featuring items from the Middle Ages to the present day, it will include relics of the printed word, extremely rare recordings from the moving image and sound collections, and personal archives.
National Librarian Dr John Scally said:
“We are excited about the programme on offer for the year ahead. It’s the perfect result of everything we do: scholarly research, preservation and storytelling. Much of next year’s content tells the stories of people from various walks of life, going where no one has gone before.
“Scotland has an incredibly rich history, both domestically and internationally, and visitors to the Library will experience some of these stories brought to life in vivid detail. We look forward to welcoming everyone who comes to us seeking inspiration, a sense of place, and of course – our forte – knowledge of the world around us.”
The following programmes will take place in 2020:
Collections in Focus
Alan Ramsay: Writing the Scots Enlightenment
18 February – 16 May
Ramsay’s poetry, drama and music
Elizabeth Soutar Bookbinding Awards
28 May – 25 July
The finest of contemporary bookbinding on display
Engineering Scotland: the Stevenson Archive
28 July – 31 October
Exposing the archive of the renowned engineering and lighthouse family to coincide with the Year of Coasts and Waters
Henrietta Liston’s Travels
3 November – 2 February 2021
Marking 200 years since Liston’s return from the Ottoman Empire
Temporary Exhibition Gallery
Her Century: Scottish Women on Film
5 June – 29 August
A curated film of women’s experiences spanning the Edwardian era to the Thatcher years
Petticoats and Pinnacles: Scotland’s pioneering mountain women
2 October – 20 February 2021
The Scots women who overcame social convention to pursue their dreams of travel and exploration
Visitors to the Library early in the New Year can still catch the much-celebrated major exhibition on the Scottish Enlightenment, Northern Lights, which runs until 20 April. At the Water’s Edge – a sample of the MacKinnon Collection, a photography collection spanning 100 years of Scottish life – continues until 15 February 2020.
All exhibitions will take place at the National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.
Contact Information
Notes to editors
The National Library of Scotland
The National Library of Scotland is a major European research library and one of the world’s leading centres for the study of Scotland and the Scots – an information treasure trove for Scotland’s knowledge, history and culture.
The Library’s collections are of world-class importance. Key areas include rare books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, music, moving images, official publications, science and technology, and modern and foreign collections.
The Library holds more than 31 million physical items dating back over 1000 years in addition to a growing library of digital material. Every week the Library collects around 5,000 new items. Most of these are received in terms of Legal Deposit legislation, allowing the Library to claim a copy of everything published in the UK and Ireland (everything from children’s books to science journals, election leaflets to magazines and websites). www.nls.uk / @natlibscot / facebook