Throughout April and May in our staircase exhibition space at Central Library we are showcasing one of our special collections’ books, Baby’s Own Aesop, by Walter Crane (1845- 1915). First published in 1887, it is a book for children which leads the reader, and the onlooker, through a series of beautifully elaborate pictures and rhymes. The wood-engraver William James Linton (Walter Crane first knew Linton as an apprentice in his workshop), wrote the verse in imitation of the ancient Greek fabulist Aesop, and the rest – the covers, the endpapers, the frontispiece, lettering, and layout – Walt ..read more

A recent addition to our Edinburgh Collected community archive is an online scrapbook of fabulous photos gathered together by the Living Memory Association from a collection from Dorothy Law and Christine Couper, two avid followers of the Edinburgh Monarchs speedway team in the 1960s. Meadowbank Speedway and Monarchs Supporters on a trip to London, 1967, shared by Living Memory Association on www.edinburghcollected.org Speedway was, and still is, a popular Friday evening family sport with clubs competing up and down the country. Our collection focuses on Edinburgh Monarchs which was founded in ..read more

As part of the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland’s Pomegranates 2024 festival of international traditional dance, a new exhibition, Dance Around the World, is on display at Central Library until 30 April 2024. Dance Around the World exhibition on the mezzanine at Central Library Dance Around the World displays over 100 items on loan from public and private collections of world traditional dance books and artefacts. It features items from over 20 different countries including Scotland, Greece, Estonia, Poland, Bali and Japan. Our collaboration with Edinburgh Central Libra ..read more

Phase 2 for the statutory consultation of the Scheme for Community Councils and their Boundaries has been extended until 3 May 2024. Phase 2 of the statutory consultation and review of the Scheme for Community Councils and their Boundaries is underway and we welcome your views on how Edinburgh’s scheme can be improved to best represent and support your community. To encourage participation and feedback, the timescale to provide views has been extended up till 3 May 2024. What are Community Councils? Community Councils are voluntary organisations set up by statute and by the Local Authority to ..read more

The Music Library dig into the past to highlight the women whose names survive his-story For the most part, over the ages, histories or perhaps his-stories, have been written by men, about men. From the tweed-jacketed dons in their dreaming spires, back through the ages of the frock coated Victorian, or the cod-pieced court historian to the cassocked priest or monk appointed to record their version of their times, for education of future students of the past. It follows that history may be the opinion of the person that records that history and it is more than possible that their account was/i ..read more

The Forth Rail Bridge was officially opened on 4 March 1890 after an 18-year construction. The new bridge had to withstand the strong currents of the narrows between North and South Queensferry, and when completed, the Forth Bridge was the longest bridge of its type, a single cantilever, in the world. View from North Queensferry of the construction of the Forth Rail Bridge by George Washington Wilson, c1887 from www.capitalcollections.org.uk The foundations of the bridge lie on the bed of the Firth of Forth and island of Inchgarvie. One of the earliest stages of construction was to create huge ..read more

If you took part in the ‘Edinburgh Women’s Mural’ project at Central Library in 2022, or visited the exhibition on tour at one of our community branches, you may like to see the Mural on display again at its temporary new home at the Museum of Edinburgh. During March 2024 this beautiful collaborative work will feature as part of the Museum’s International Women’s Day celebration. Please drop in to see it! You can learn more about the 2022 project from our previous blog posts and discover all the individual women depicted on the mural on Our Town Stories. Watch our interview with two of the wo ..read more

Phase 2 for the statutory consultation of the Scheme for Community Councils and their Boundaries has now started with the opportunity to attend in person sessions at Libraries to give your feedback on proposals. Find out when in person and online feedback sessions are taking place. What are Community Councils? Community Councils are voluntary organisations set up by statute and by the Local Authority to act on behalf of their areas. They are involved in a range of activities which promote and protect the well-being and identity of their communities; and help bring local people together to ..read more

Do you run a charity, community group, social enterprise or voluntary organisation? Are you looking for local grants and funding sources for your climate project? Did you know that you can search through dozens of government, National Lottery, charitable trust and other funds via the Edinburgh4Community funding opportunities website? You’ll need to create an account, but it’s quick and free to sign up and use! If you’re not sure how to get started, please take a look at our handy How to Use Edinburgh4Community guide. And here’s a handful of funding ideas to get you inspired: • Scottish Governm ..read more

When you think of Edinburgh 100 years ago, do you imagine bohemian gatherings of artists and writers in a European-style salon? To mark LGBTQ+ History Month 2024, Nicky from the Art and Design Library team shares an intriguing journey through Edinburgh history that she stumbled upon thanks to a series of serendipitous events involving books from the Art and Design and Edinburgh and Scottish collections. A small display of books accompanying this blog post can be found in the glass cabinet outside the Art and Design library. Back in 2019 in a previous job, I first came across the book Rainbow C ..read more