Rare Books @ NLS

We will try where possible to include links to freely available information sources on this blog. However, we also want to take advantage of the resources available to NLS readers through our licensed digital collections. These are accessible to anyone with an NLS reader’s ticket inside our reading rooms, and where possible we try to make them accessible from any computer outside the library to readers with a main address in Scotland. You can also register to use these resources without coming in to the library.

Our Licensed Digital Collections page gives further details of these resources, including links to the login and registration pages.

NLS also offers free access to material which we have digitized ourselves, including books, maps, films and images. You don’t have to register to access this material: find out more on our Digital Resources page.

You don’t have to register to look at our online catalogues – but if you have a reader’s ticket, you can use these catalogues to order material in advance of your visit to our reading rooms. If you would like to order material but aren’t yet registered, or have any queries about any of the digital resources that we link to on this blog, you can email us at rarebooks@nls.uk.

Finally, you may be able to access these licensed digital resources through your membership of other libraries, such as your local public library or university library. For instance, nearly all public libraries in the UK offer access to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online.