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.

Central Library

The Central Library in Edinburgh was another public library that I loved visiting. I am still developing my professional goals, and after seeing some of these public libraries and their work to provide books to all people I feel inspired. The Central Library is working to develop their online library services. Their virtual library started less than a year ago. It serves the dual purpose of being an alternative that people can use from home 24/7, while also encouraging more people to come into the library. All of the e-services are being brought together in one place, including business information, family history, and community information. The e-books section will also be developed over the next few years. The community information website is Your Edinburgh, and is being designed to provide information that people want and need. It can be found here. Heath information, educational needs, and support group information are some of the services provided by this website. The organizations represented on the site have ownership of the information and are welcome to keep it up to date. The online image collection maintained by the Central Library is of international importance. It contains many important and early photographs, such as those of Robert Louis Stevenson and the construction of the Scott Monument.

Reader development is important at this library as well. They want to engage with readers, finding out what they know and what they like, and two-way communication with the readers is vital for this. Reading is the core of the library experience. In order to reach out to readers they have organized events such as author visits, which usually draw 150-200 people. Recently they did a “Crime in the City” crime fiction event, which is what they found out readers wanted through feedback. Book groups are a popular draw, and they provide online and face-to-face book discussions. In order to reach out to the community they visit retirement homes to read poetry, show pictures, and talk to residents to bring back pleasant memories. They also reach out to troubled kids, and author visits are often a way of accomplishing this. The amount of involvement that this library has with the community is wonderful!

The library’s mission in regards to special collections is again, preservation rather than conservation, but this library wants the books to be used, just kindly. Preservation is done offsite by conservators. Each time a decision must be made to determine why the book should be conserved. The library does monitor temperature and moisture conditions, because dramatic differences can be damaging to the books. The thick Victorian walls of the building generally keep the climate constant. Dust is another factor that can be damaging due to mites within the dust; therefore the books must be kept clean. Housing the books in acid-free boxes really helps.

After hearing about the library’s procedures we moved on to a tour of the library. We visited the music library, where we found that bands often put on live performances. I can’t imagine that in my public library! The children’s library was very open and friendly. We saw the fine arts library, the reference library, the Edinburgh department, and the Scottish department. I enjoyed seeing this library and hearing their goals and development projects. I would love to implement some of their ideas in my library in the future.