Breaking Through the Walls: A Summary of Current Developments at the National Library of Scotland

Abstract

The National Library of Scotland has a long history of offering world-class collections, services and expertise, making it Scotland's primary information resource. Over the past twelve months, NLS has been continuing to build upon the work presented in the strategy document ‘Breaking Through the Walls’. The Library's commitment to developing the excellence of collections has been demonstrated by plans to secure the world-renowned John Murray Archive for Scotland. The Archive contains over 150,000 items, including private letters and manuscripts from Jane Austen, Lord Byron, Charles Darwin, Sir Walter Scott and David Livingstone. Another strand of the strategy aims to remove real or perceived barriers to use. NLS is currently implementing practical access improvements: the public areas of the Library's George IV Bridge building will be redesigned, procedures for library customer registration have been revised and a programme of staff training in approaches to customer service has been introduced. Progress has also been made regarding digital resources, as NLS aims to develop the website into a complete Virtual Library for remote users. Access to the Library's collections is also being widened, by hosting events, organizing education and outreach programmes, and by nurturing partnership projects with public libraries in Scotland. Such collaboration aims to raise awareness about NLS services, furthermore it can assist in providing seamless access between public and national resources. NLS has re-examined and revitalized all of its services, so that it plays a unique and central role at the cultural heart of Scotland.