National Librarian Amina Shah has announced plans to mark the National Library of Scotland’s 100th birthday with a year-long programme of events and initiatives. The National Library was established by an Act of Parliament in 1925, and since then has amassed and cared for a collection of more than 50 million items spanning many centuries on behalf of the people of Scotland – all of whom are entitled to free access to the collections.
National Librarian Amina Shah said: “A century ago, we were established in the spirit of egalitarianism, where our founders – including Sir Alexander Grant – held the firm belief that the people of Scotland deserved a national library to call their own, one which anyone living here could access. The Act of Parliament states that we exist to collect and preserve the national collections, and make them accessible to the public through our reading rooms, exhibitions and other means of engaging people with Scotland’s culture and heritage. We increased our efforts to reach more and new people with the collections in recent years with great success, and our intention is to accelerate this during the year of our 100th birthday by working in partnership with Scotland’s network of amazing libraries. And so, I’m delighted to announce our centenary programme – a nationwide libraries campaign, our major exhibition, our national tour – all of which have the potential to connect with every individual across the country. It is our ambition that the impact our centenary programme will have on communities throughout Scotland will continue far beyond 2025.”
When it was established, the National Library was endowed with the non-legal aspects of the Faculty of Advocates’ collections, ultimately making it the holder of the largest collection of antiquarian books north of Cambridge. The Library was also established as a ‘legal deposit’ library, meaning it has the right to claim a copy of everything published in the UK. This right remains today, and includes digital publications.
While the National Library was awaiting a home, it started life in the Faculty of Advocates building. Work began on the George IV Bridge site in the 1930s, but due to the Second World War, most of the building work took place in the 1950s. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the new National Library building in Edinburgh in July 1956.
A cornerstone of our nation’s cultural life for a century
Angus Robertson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, said: “The National Library of Scotland has been a cornerstone of our nation’s cultural life for a century, preserving and sharing Scotland’s remarkable and complex history. For 100 years, through successive Acts of Parliament and the continued support of the Scottish Government, it has safeguarded our written and recorded heritage, from ancient manuscripts to the digital content of today. With more than 50 million items in its expert care, freely accessible to everyone, the National Library is one of Scotland’s most precious national institutions. Supporting our languages, reflecting our communities, and protecting our past and present for all those who will come after us. As we mark this centenary, we celebrate not just a building or a collection, but a century of protecting our national library and sharing the knowledge, creativity, and memories of Scotland for generations to come.”
Now in its 100th year, the National Library will use its centenary as a platform to celebrate and promote libraries of all kinds, beginning with a nationwide campaign encouraging people to support and champion their local libraries. Speaking about the importance of libraries, author and Centenary Champion Val McDermid, said: “My parents couldn’t afford books but they understood they were the passport to better life chances than they’d had. But it’s not just writers who have their doors opened to the wider world by libraries. Engineers, lawyers, builders, artists, geographers, mathematicians, musicians… the list is endless. Libraries open windows that let us all fly.”
Outwith: National Library around Scotland
The National Library will be hosting celebrations at its Edinburgh home on George IV Bridge, beginning on 28 March 2025 with a Curtain Raiser event. To mark the Library’s centenary with communities around the country, selected treasures from the collections will be leaving Edinburgh to go on display outside of the central belt. ‘Outwith: National Library around Scotland’ will begin in Aberdeen Art Gallery in September 2025 with a loan of an early edition of Scottish secular music, John Forbes’ Songs and Fancies, published in Aberdeen in 1682. This display will coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Art Gallery’s concert venue, the Cowdray Hall. Celebratory events for both cultural centenarians are due to be announced in the summer, along with an engagement programme taking place in and around Aberdeen Central Library with National Library colleagues and partners.
Then in January 2026, Mary Queen of Scots’ last letter will leave the National Library for the first time in a generation to go on display in the heart of the new Perth Museum, close to the Stone of Destiny. Written by Mary Queen of Scots the night before her execution on 8 February 1587 to her brother-in-law, Henri III of France, this nationally prized item was last publicly exhibited at the Library’s George IV Bridge building in 2017 where queues formed to see the item during its one-day display. Shetland Museum and Archives will also be taking part in the ‘Outwith’ programme, with island-related loans and other activities taking place from late March 2026.
To find out more about what’s on at The National Library of Scotland in its centenary year, please visit: www.nls.uk