Central Library

Central Library review

The headquarters of Edinburgh's library service was built in 1870 and today houses the Edinburgh Room, the Scottish Department, and reference, fiction and lending libraries. The Edinburgh Room contains over 100,000 items pertaining to the city, from newspaper cuttings to historical prints. It's a reference library only, but some of its items are available on loan from the Scottish Department below it.

An adjacent building houses the Central Children's Library and the Music Library. The latter has an extensive selection of sheet music, biographies and CDs from all genres. You have to be a local resident to borrow items, but all are welcome to browse.