National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Choosing what to save on a floppy disc was a deliberate act. Today, cloud storage feels limitless, but what does that mean for the stories we choose to tell? And will future generations even be able to read the formats we use today? 1141
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Our born digital archives contain lives captured on all of these, from Dorothy Dunnett’s 8” discs to James Kelman’s 3.5” floppies and Kathleen Jamie’s USB drives. 291
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 07/10/2026How do we save our stories when the format keeps changing? 💾 From the 8-inch floppy discs of the 1970s - once costing a fortune in computer terms - to the ubiquitous USB drive, the way we store our memories has transformed. 45017
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Did you know that reading for just six minutes can reduce stress? 📖 Join us for the Wee Read this Wednesday! Drop in to hear six minutes of a book read by Library staff in our Rain exhibition. Readings every hour from 10:30am to 4:30pm. 2205
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Students can explore historic treasures from our collections, learn about conservation, discover the history of our buildings, and practise independent study in our Discovery Room. 170
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Happy World Teacher Day! 🍎 From online workshops that guide Advanced Higher students through using our catalogue for their dissertations, to self-guided visits and staff-led tours, we offer a range of ways to bring the Library into your classroom - or your classroom into the Library. 1163
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Wondering where to get your coffee this #InternationalCoffeeDay? We have some maps that might be able to help... 🗺️☕ Where do you get your favourite brew from? 180
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Drawing on treasures from our Moving Image Archive and personal reflections, this piece dives into the many meanings in a downpour on screen. It can obscure, reveal, isolate, or actively drive a story forward. Sometimes it simply falls in the background, shaping the mood and atmosphere. 120
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 29/09/2026From the torrential downpour that washes away Andy Dufresne's old life in 'The Shawshank Redemption', to the joyful puddle-stomping of Gene Kelly in 'Singin' in the Rain', and the terrifying storm that unleashes the T. rex in 'Jurassic Park' - rain is more than just weather on screen. 110
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Rain can signal hope, danger, romance, freedom or atmosphere ☔ In our new long read, Library staff explore rainy moments in cinema and what they mean to us. 172
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 25/09/2026🔗 Find out more and apply on our website > nls.current-vacancies.com/Careers/nls-... 010
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Content Designer (maternity cover) – £37,439, fixed-term maternity cover (9 months initially, with the possibility of extension). Develop engaging, accessible and user-centred content across our websites, helping people discover and connect with our collections and services. 📅 Closes: 06/10/26 122
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Content and Analytics Officer – £33,268, permanent. Combine content operations with analytics and insight to elp us understand, improve and maintain the National Library of Scotland's website. 📅 Closes: 06/10/2026 120
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 25/09/2026We're hiring! We're looking for passionate, skilled people to help us preserve and share Scotland's cultural heritage. 11513
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Ever wanted to see how a street looked 100 years ago - right where you're standing now? 🗺️ Our georeferenced maps let you do exactly that. We've got over 600 layers freely available online, with tools to filter, measure, draw, compare and export them. 39227
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Explore this work on display in our Treasures exhibition. 0111
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 22/09/2026His meticulous observations, brought to life in stunning hand-coloured engravings by Pietro Fabris, changed everything. Published in English and French, these beautiful plates kindled a cultural obsession, cementing Vesuvius as a must-see destination on the Grand Tour. 1130
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Before William Hamilton’s ‘Campi Phlegraei’ (1776), public understanding of volcanic activity was hazy at best 🌋 Hamilton, Britain’s ambassador to Naples, had a front-row seat from his villa as Mount Vesuvius began to stir. 1245
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 16/09/2026President Connolly visited our exhibition, saw collections items, and discussed our plans with the national libraries of Ireland, Wales and the British Library for the collaborative project ‘Across these Islands’. 090
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 16/09/2026We were delighted to welcome Uachtarán na hÉireann (President of Ireland), Catherine Connolly, to the Library today. 1223
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 18/08/2026They were among thousands of students, teachers, and volunteers who helped document the nation's landscape – often on a shoestring budget, always in sturdy walking shoes. Half a century later, Margaret spotted an article in The Geographer featuring a map with familiar colour-coding. 1263
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 18/08/2026What happens when you see something you made 60 years ago in a national collection? 🗺️ In the summer of 1967, teenagers Margaret and Katy walked the farmland around Fochabers in Moray, mapping crops, distilleries, and remote paths as part of Britain's Second Land Utilisation Survey. 1428
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 12/08/2026In 1693, John Slezer published 'Theatrum Scotiae' – a book of engraved views that offered readers a new way to see Scotland, from castles and palaces to burghs and universities. Slezer was a military engineer from the Rhineland who became Chief Engineer for Scotland. 13612
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 05/08/2026Did you hear our National Librarian Amina Shah on BBC Radio 6 Music this morning? Amina spoke with Nick Grimshaw about a Very Specific Playlist which ties in with our exhibition, ‘Rain’, on now at our George IV Bridge building in Edinburgh. 2177
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 04/08/2026What are the rules of a library? 📜 Acclaimed artist Peter Liversidge spent eight months researching our collections, speaking to staff, and studying library rules from around the world to create 'The Rules of the Library' – a large-scale artwork now on display in our General Reading Room. 2197
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 04/08/2026You can see Orkney and Shetland on the pillar above the stairs! The original map we used had them in boxes a fair bit south of where the islands actually are, so we decided to move them up to the pillar above the stairs, which is a slightly more accurate location and still visible to passers-by. 1101
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 04/08/2026You can see them on the pillar above the stairs! The original map we used had Orkney and Shetland in boxes a fair bit south of where the islands actually are, so we decided to move them up to the pillar above the stairs, which is a slightly more accurate location and still visible to passers-by. 1130
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 28/07/2026A warm welcome to Claire White, our new Shetland Scots Scriever! 🥳🎻 Claire is a songwriter and traditional fiddle player from Shetland, with a deep passion for the Shaetlan language. 1315
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 21/07/2026Kelvin Hall has been many things over the last hundred years: an exhibition space, a circus venue, a transport museum, and – since 2016 – home to our moving image and sound collections. 1182
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 15/07/2026His private library of polar books was given to the Library in 1959 and forms the heart of our polar collections. Wordie's bookplate appears in most of the volumes in his collection. It reads 'He yt tholis overcomis' - he who endures, overcomes. 1163
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 15/07/2026Geologist on Shackleton's 'Endurance'. Survivor of ten months trapped in ice. Avid book collector ⛵❄️📚 Although best known for being the geologist on Shackleton's ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, Sir James Mann Wordie was an academic, an avid book collector, and a keen mountaineer. 1235
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 10/07/2026Interested? Find out more and apply on our website > www.nls.uk/about-us/job... 011
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 10/07/2026Director of Collections Management – £77,843, full-time, permanent Lead the teams responsible for cataloguing, conservation, preservation, acquisitions, legal deposit, and collections logistics. 📅 Closes: 02/08/2026 113
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 10/07/2026Head of Public Programmes – £53,853, full-time, permanent Lead the development and delivery of our public engagement programme – covering exhibitions, events, outreach, and learning. 📅 Closes: 26/07/2026 113
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 10/07/2026Outwith Producer – £48,643 (£29,185 pro rata), part-time (21 hours), temporary contract (23 months) Develop and manage our partnership-led national outreach and engagement programme. 📅 Closes: 23/07/2026 101
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 10/07/2026Head of Access – £53,853, full-time, permanent Lead the development and delivery of the services and spaces that shape how people access our collections. 📅 Closes: 19/07/2026 011
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 10/07/2026We're hiring! We're looking for passionate, skilled people to help us preserve and share Scotland's cultural heritage. #Jobs #LibraryJobs #HeritageCareers #ScottishCulture #EdinburghJobs 11519
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Then we had to get our reading in! We though we'd start with Sam Usher's children's book 'Rain'! What else should we get up to? 🤔 3250
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 08/07/2026We also took our new friend on a trip to the Nau(tical) shelfmark - lots of books about the sea 🌊 2281
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 08/07/2026First, we had to introduce octopus to Eeyore and Sadness, who are a part of the family storytelling section of the 'Rain' exhibition! 1150
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Missing octopus alert! ⚠️ Someone seems to have left their cuddly friend in our 'Rain' exhibition. Recognise them? Let us know! While we wait for octopus to be picked up, we thought we could take little octopus on an adventure... 🐙 14616
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 07/07/2026The origin story of Penguin Books has become legend, but what really happened, and how does Agatha Christie fit into it? 🔎 As the legend goes, it all began in the autumn of 1934. Publisher Allen Lane was on a train when he came up with the concept of what would become Penguin Books. 1208
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 02/07/2026Dreich, smirr, smugrach, and everything in between 🌧️ From Burns's 'Tam O'Shanter' to James Hutton's 'Theory of Rain', from artwork by Raasay Primary School to a documentary from 1975, our curator Sarah Mackay explores nine objects that capture how rain has soaked into the nation's imagination. 1103
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 01/07/2026John Francis Campbell of Islay travelled across the Highlands and Islands, recording Gaelic stories, songs, and traditions at a time when they risked being lost. Born on Islay in 1821, he grew up speaking Gaelic with his family's piper. 1184
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 25/06/2026Scotland's national film archive holds 26,000 films – from Clyde shipyards to St Andrews parades. But half are on decaying formats, and time is running out. This year's Annual Appeal is raising funds to digitise and restore them, before they're lost > auth.nls.uk/support-us/w... 04028
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 24/06/2026Come see Hutton's work in person at our new exhibition, 'Rain', open now 🌧️ #RainAtNLS #Scotland #Edinburgh 1182
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 24/06/2026His 'Theory of Rain' explored the relationship between air temperature and humidity, helping us understand why clouds form and what causes them to produce rain. Today, scientists at The James Hutton Institute continue his work, tracking rainfall patterns and studying how our climate is changing. 1192
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 24/06/2026250 years ago, one of Scotland's foremost scientists took a close interest in what is arguably our most famous feature: rain ☔ In 1784, the father of modern geology, James Hutton, sketched out the key principles for the "condensation of aqueous vapour contained in the air." 12611
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 23/06/2026Looking for a ticket to Scotland v Brazil? 🎟️⚽ Here's a ticket to our last World Cup match against them in '98, which we keep safe at the National Library in Edinburgh. 1222
National Library of Scotland @natlibscot.bsky.social · 22/06/2026Did you know that Edinburgh is one of the driest cities in the UK? 🌧️ This 1967 map from our collection shows the variations in rainfall across Scotland, with the west coast getting noticeably more than the east. Come see it in person at our new exhibition, 'Rain', open now! #RainAtNLS 14511