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Edinburgh Libraries - news about events, activities and services across our 28 community libraries, Central Library, mobile library service and digital library.
21 February will mark 200 years since the death of John Kay, the renowned Scottish caricaturist and engraver. Read our blog post to find out more about his life and a new Capital Collections exhibition showcasing around 360 of his portraits and caricatures - zurl.co/Hq5ZS
16.02.2026 16:27 — 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
A group of men in uniform and caps stand and sit in two rows in front of an old-fashioned bus inside a depot.
Our #ThrowbackThursday captures the Scottish Motor Traction bus depot staff posed for a photo in February 1928.
The location is unknown but it’s thought to be Fountainbridge where the SMT had a depot at the time - zurl.co/O9y1a
Image thanks to Living Memory Association via Edinburgh Collected
Music on the Mezzanine, Central Library's programme of Saturday lunchtime concerts returns this week!
On Saturday 14 February at 1pm, Luis Flores Carrubio and Ailsa Thompson will kick off this season with a programme of music for violin and flute.
Book your free ticket online -
zurl.co/BTLvL
Discover books as art - walking, making, thinking in pages - in a recent blog post and in a wonderful exhibition of #ArtistsBooks from the collections of the #ArtAndDesignLibrary.
The exhibition is on show Edinburgh Central Library until 28 February - don't miss it!
zurl.co/XdjsM
A white on black poster with yellow lettering and illustrated child in the corner with headphones. Text says: The Johnni Stanton Creative Writing Awards 2026. For children and young people aged 8-16 in Craigmillar, Niddrie, Bingham and Magdalene. Can You tell a story in 100 words? This year's theme is 'music'! Closing Date Friday 27 February 2026 5pm.
Craigmillar Literacy Trust is running the Johnni Stanton Creative Writing Awards 2026. Aimed at young writers aged 8-16 who live or go to school in #Craigmillar #Niddrie #Bingham or #Magdalene 100 words on the theme of music.
More info here: www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1...
Revealing the longlist for the #Carnegies2026 Medal for Writing! 🏅✒️
Highlighting diversity and community, these 19 works span from humorous narratives and creative reimaginings to artfully using history to explore identity and relationships . 💫📖
https://carnegies.co.uk/2026-longlists-announced/
#OnThisDay Mary, Queen of Scots was executed for her involvement in a plot against Elizabeth I.
Read about Mary’s extraordinary life and times in a new story on Our Town Stories - zurl.co/jltdS
As we edge closer to the 200th anniversary of John Kay’s death, here’s a brilliant satire from the caricaturist. With wit and precision, Kay turns an internal university power struggle into a visual drama🖋️🐘 Keep your eyes peeled to see more of Kay’s work soon on Capital Collections. 👀 zurl.co/ouf63
06.02.2026 11:11 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Three copies of a book called Friendship sit on a bench.
Order a free boxful of Scotland's Stories of Friendship for your café, community centre, school, library ... wherever you please!
📕 www.surveymonkey.com/r/scotlandss...
A woman, man and three young children sit together on a small settee in the corner of a room.
In February 1950, George and Jeanie Forrest sit with their children for a family photo. It may have been taken at their Redhall Drive prefab home - maybe you recognise the space as a prefab interior?
#ThrowbackThursday shared by Living Memory Association via Edinburgh Collected
zurl.co/Gad7X
Do you know any budding young artists?
Central Library’s Children’s Art Club returns this month!
zurl.co/g4iqp
Group of Adults and Children at a Library event
Celebrate Languages Week Scotland 2- 6 Feb by joining activities promoting the languages spoken by New Scots. Test your calligraphy skills, discover Arabic poetry and stories. Events at Gilmerton and Oxgangs Libraries. Find out more zurl.co/Sx0Lh
04.02.2026 12:35 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Over on the blog, we highlight our latest addition to Our Town Stories - a digital trail all about the life and times of Mary, Queen of Scots and her connections to Edinburgh
zurl.co/DcIAg
Poster image listing a selection of titles from the newly acquired books for Edinburgh Libraries.
Our Resources Team hand-pick a selection of titles from the freshly arrived library books for February -
zurl.co/IFfJU
A new exhibition has opened in the #ArtAndDesignLibrary for the month of February - 'Shift' is an exhibition of contemporary paintings by Paradigms, a group of four Edinburgh-based women artists at Central Library
zurl.co/670ZI
The Music on the Mezzanine programme of free Saturday lunchtime concerts returns to Central Library this month -
zurl.co/Arqzx
Group of children and adults participate in a library event.
Celebrate Languages Week Scotland 2- 6 Feb, by joining activities promoting the languages spoken by New Scots. Test your calligraphy skills, discover Arabic poetry and stories. Events at Muirhouse, Gilmerton and Oxgangs Libraries. Find out more at zurl.co/crW2e
30.01.2026 10:35 — 👍 4 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 1
A fishwife in a stripey, raised skirts, blouse and headscarf stands with her back to the boats moored at Newhaven Harbour.
This lovely portrait of a fishwife at the harbour at #Newhaven is dated around 100 years ago. You can see lots more brilliant portraits of faces from Edinburgh’s past on Edinburgh Colllected, our online community archive.
#ThrowbackThursday thanks to Living Memory Association zurl.co/Ostdl
Available to borrow now with no queues! The Women by Kristin Hannah on audiobook. Treat yourself and get listening to the bestselling novel now . Free through Edinburgh Libraries and BorrowBox zurl.co/jASuN
28.01.2026 16:24 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Nine small head and shoulder Victorian studio portraits arranged in a decorative painted diamond background.
Thinking of tracing your family tree?
Come along to our beginners’ #FamilyHistory session at Edinburgh Central Library to find out about the free resources that can help you with your research.
Next session is on Thursday 29 January at 2pm.
Book by emailing informationdigital@edinburgh.gov.uk
An engraving of St Giles Cathedral shows the luckenbooth stalls built around its walls.
Ahead of #BurnsNight, we focus on #RobertBurns’ publisher, William Creech.
Largely forgotten today, Creech was well known in late 1700s Edinburgh society. He was Lord Provost, a member of Edinburgh’s literati, and a Luckenbooth shopkeeper.
Read about his life on Our Town Stories - zurl.co/zciE6
In our last post for #HealthInformationWeek the focus is on winter health and the warm welcome you'll find at any of our Libraries
zurl.co/GPqeq
A busy scene looking down the narrow Libberton's Wynd in 1700s or 1800s Edinburgh. Men stand at the door and window of the tavern smoking clay pipes.
Get ready for #BurnsNight!
Find out about #RobertBurns and his time spent in Edinburgh, the connections he made with the literati and prominent figures of the day, and of course, one of the loves of his life, Mrs Agnes McLehose (known as ‘Clarinda’) on Our Town Stories -
zurl.co/BnIRT
Today's focus for #HealthInformationWeek is on mental health and Edinburgh's new Thrive Welcome Teams
zurl.co/kVRYp
A man sits in chair in the front window of a hairdresser's salon having his hair cut whilst outside a crowd of people are looking in.
In January 1963, there was a new gents hair stylist in town!
‘Bob’s’ was the first barbers in Edinburgh to have appointments and a manicurist to do gents’ nails.
Our #ThrowbackThursday is shared by PatrickMc via Edinburgh Collected, our online community archive.
zurl.co/twju5
Our Reading Well for Mental Health collection is available on Libby this Health Information Week zurl.co/Gz5Z2
22.01.2026 10:21 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Check out our collection of women's health titles on Libby this Health Information Week! zurl.co/SBkrb
21.01.2026 16:27 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0During #Health InformationWeek and #CervicalCancerPreventionWeek the Macmillan Cancer Support team at Edinburgh Libraries give a reminder of the importance of cervical screening
zurl.co/u4vgh
A black and white photograph of an elaborate Victorian pub building from the outside, part of an ornate 3-storey corner tenement block. Older, less salubrious tenements can be seen adjacent. The building is a "gushet", a triangular block on the corner of a triangular junction. 1927. Edinburgh and Scottish Collection, Edinburgh City Libraries.
OS 1893 Town Plan of Edinburgh, centred on the Pleasance and the pub at number 165, showing lots of streets running off in different directions in a densely populated part of the city. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
Pubs we never knew. Macpherson's at 165 Pleasance in 1927 shortly before demolition in a slum clearance scheme. Allegedly one of the finest the southside ever knew. The windows advertise Disher's legendary 10 Guinea Ale in bottles, at 11.2% ABV it was quite the tipple and also came in pints
20.01.2026 10:15 — 👍 44 🔁 11 💬 3 📌 0Today for #HealthInformationWeek our colleagues from the Macmillan Cancer Support team tell us how to access #Macmillan translated patient information
zurl.co/7nG1a
