Scottish Poetry Library, Poetry library in Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland
The Scottish Poetry Library is a public poetry library on Crichton's Close, a narrow lane in Edinburgh's Old Town. The building was purpose-built for the library and holds a large collection of poetry books, magazines, and audio recordings, available both to borrow and to read on site.
The library was founded in 1984 and spent its early years in temporary spaces around Edinburgh. It moved to its current home on Crichton's Close in 1999, when a purpose-built building was completed for it.
The library holds poetry in Scottish Gaelic and Scots, two languages that are still spoken in parts of Scotland today. Browsing the shelves, visitors can pick up texts in both languages and get a sense of how different they sound and read compared to standard English.
The library is tucked into a quiet lane off the Royal Mile, making it easy to reach on foot from most of the Old Town. Entry is free, and borrowing books requires only a simple registration.
In the early 2010s, several finely crafted sculptures made from folded and carved books appeared anonymously on the shelves, left by an unknown artist without any prior notice. These objects are still part of the collection and can be seen during a visit.
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