Dunfermline Library

The third library that we visited in Scotland was Dunfermline Library. The town of Dunfermline was beautiful, and we had lots of fun exploring it while we were there. The library was the first Carnegie Library and was built in 1883. In the lobby you can see a bust of Andrew Carnegie’s mother Margaret. The first day that the library opened all of the books went, which shows how needed and appreciated the library was. A reading room was established for ladies, which only contained material considered suitable for them. This reading room was eventually to become the Murison Burns collection, but more on that later.

Today, the library is a mixture of old and new. The lending area has new shelves, but the original shelving is also still in use. This can create difficulties on occasion, because craftsmen have to be called in when any of the original shelving breaks, due to its age and condition. Large books are kept on the bottom shelf, because it is too dangerous keeping them up higher. The layout of the building cannot be changed, which forces the staff to be creative in planning. All of the original fireplaces have remained unchanged in the building. Dunfermline used to receive every non-fiction book published and was required to shelve them, but now they are classified as a branch library and can store books that aren’t circulating. This has freed up some space on the shelves for more popular books.

The children’s section was open and light, and the librarians were very welcoming. The children’s library was opened in the 1930s. Prior to this most children’s libraries were in community centers. Today, they have programs for the children, such as storytelling, school visits, and nursery rhyme time for the youngest. They are also participating in the Space Hop program, along with the other children’s libraries in Britain that we have visited. They arrange author visits, and zoo labs where insects are brought in for the children to interact with.

The Scotland Room was fascinating to tour. We were able to go in the closed access room, which is climate-controlled to protect the materials stored there. Everything is cataloged with either D or F, for Dunfermline or Fife, then further cataloged into sections such as industry or municipal. The materials here are in the process of being entered into an Internet database, but currently can only be searched with the computers in this room. They are not available for loan, only reference. Materials needing conservation are sent out, no in-house work is done.

The special collections room here was very interesting. The bulk of this is the Murison Burns collection. John Murison collected anything related to Robert Burns that he could find, and the collection is housed here in Dunfermline. It is very extensive, containing many editions of Robert Burns’ work, as well as representations of him. We were able to peruse the collection, and I was amazed by the size of it. It is a living collection, and is still being added to today. The FifeDirect website has more information on the collection here.