Alastair R.
Yelp
It is the primary focus of a national museum to collect, organise and maintain objects and artefacts relating to the country's history and culture. This too is the mission of a national library, but concerning the written word and published material.
Edinburgh's George IV Bridge is home to the National Library of Scotland. Sitting across the road from, and not to be confused with, the Edinburgh Central Library, the National Library is a monumental, rectangular building dominating almost half the street. But it doesn't shout about it. In fact, you'd probably even get stared out for whispering.
If the secondary aim of a National Museum is to be open to all, exciting for all and a place of shared experience then the NLS is, close to the opposite. It's reserved, studious and just slightly elitist. The NLS does have a lovely foyer with a coffee shop, computer access, enquiries area and visitors display but you're gonna have to do your homework to get any further than that. Proof of address must be given (eligibility will be on their website but I think you've to live in Scotland) and a few sentences about why you want access. You get a photographic membership card and off you go. Almost. Everything you take into the reading room must be in one of the provided transparent bags. No rucksacks. No handbags. Pencils only. No food. No photographic equipment. All left in your locker.
OK, you're upstairs. Either you've brought the reference number of what you want from the online catalogue or you use the dedicated computers provided; you bring your request to the desk, and then you wait.
Give or take, for an hour.
So try to figure out what you'll need first time round!
Yes, with a staggering collection of old, out of print and rare books and a copy of every book printed by a British publishing house (or at least those with an ISBN) for many decades they've got more than 3 books per head for every Scot. And newspapers. And maps. And manuscripts. So it stands to reason that the librarian doesn't ascend a 200m ladder half a mile down the corridor to retrieve your book. The majority of the books are housed off-site, with hourly shuttle runs for requests by the NLS van. Rumour has it that less than 1% of the collection is housed in the reading room. And as you gaze around the 2 tier room, the length of a good one-and-a-bit football pitches, walls floor to ceiling with books, it provokes a similar emotion to staring at the night's sky. Once retrieved your books are kept on-site, from memory, for 7 days.
You can hear a pin drop inside. The rarefied atmosphere of everyone, mostly alone, researching, taking notes and reading is a step up from a local or University library and depending on your personality can be conducive to work or maddening!
But that's the way it is, and that's the way it has to be. I guess if putting your signature to a form and a doorman were all that was stopping you picking up and interrogating an object in the Museum, the same system would apply. And essentially, that's what you're doing at the NLS.
You have to go there with a specific aim. It's an academic service. And once you understand it, it works flawlessly, meriting 5 stars. However, I have come across a few stuck-up and unhelpful interns and members of staff in the past, so 4 stars it gets.
