Joanne, one of the wonderful readers at South Queensferry Library, has kindly taken time to tell us about her reading experiences. 

What do you like to read? News, magazines, books, audio books, articles, essays, blogs
My dad was an avid reader and he loved going to the library he always said books were a little treat you give to yourself. He was a great storyteller and I hated reading but once you love stories you get hooked.

A teacher in Primary 3 told me the best way to educate yourself was to read every day, and it didn’t matter what it was but it would make a big difference. I’m dyslexic and have always struggled with reading but I love library books because the aged paper makes it much easier for me to read. 

I read every day. I read the news and magazines. I love the feel of a book and I especially love audio books as I can work or sew while listening. I have Libby in my pocket and I access a book anytime.

I’m quite an eclectic reader and joining the book club and audio book club at my local library in South Queensferry has helped me develop and expand the scope of my interests. I love dystopian, young adult, historical and gothic books but I love a good Scottish murder.

Has reading helped you learn a new skill?
Absolutely, I never felt confident or eloquent when it came to talking about books.  I was very hesitant in giving my opinion but reading a wide variety of books and pushing my comfort zone at book club discussing them, I now feel confident and part of the conversation.

Tell us about a book or story that stayed with you from childhood?
The first book I can remember being given as a present was in P3 by my teacher. It was Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.  This was the first time I was taken to another place and time by reading. It’s always stayed with me.

Where or when do you most enjoy reading?
I like to read audiobooks when I’m working, it really makes the day go faster! I love to have a big chunk of time to really get into the story. I do like physical books but for that I’d like an empty house a cup of tea and some chocolate.

Is there a type of reading you’ve come back to as an adult or discovered recently?
I was a sporadic reader until I joined my local library book clubs.  As I didn’t read a lot when I was younger, I’d missed out most “classic books” everyone else seemed to have read, so last year I started reading some great classics like Dracula, Far from the madding crowd and The day of the triffids.

What book would you give as gift to someone?
The book thief by Markus Zusak. Just incredible. It will be with me forever.

Look out for further articles in this series as we share how colleagues and library members Go All In for reading.

Here we present ten picture memories from the hundreds of memories and scrapbooks added to the website, a very small selection showing the breadth and diversity of material available to enjoy.

One of the oldest memories

The majority of the images on Edinburgh Collected cover a period of living history, offering a nostalgic look at the city’s past. However, there are also some older pictures like this fabulous photo shared by David Le Sueur of his grandpa, Robert Sommerville who attended Daniel Stewarts College. Robert is pictured here in 1892, standing fifth from the left on his first day at school aged 4 years old.

One of the most recent memories

We love to see people adding current or recent pictures of Edinburgh, helping us to document the changes that occur in the city, events and the passage of time.
This image was taken in November last year and as Daniel, Y.M. Chong the contributor says, “Time is flying, winter is coming”.
A record of today soon becomes a record of the past…

Remembering times gone by

Edinburgh Collected is a window into the past and a place to reminisce. You can find long-lost favourite places and add comments on shared experiences, such as school days, working life, music and sport.

Faces from the past

There are lots of pictures of people on Edinburgh Collected showing people at work, at school and at play. There are many lovely photos of families and friends, giving a candid glimpse into the lives of strangers. From earlier times when photography was less commonplace, there are posed studio portraits, many quite formal but some more light-hearted like this one, taken in a Portobello photographic studio.

Objects, documents, letters, memorabilia and a… plastic bag

Picture memories don’t have to be pictures! As well as photos, contributors have added images of objects, documents, letters, medals and other memorabilia. AuldReekie added this 1970s carrier bag from Museum and Galleries Edinburgh’s collections. The bag is from Leith Provident – “the downtown store with the uptown look” – which as you can tell from the illustration, occupied a large corner of Great Junction Street.
Objects can bring memories flooding back and spark conversations. But if you don’t have a picture of an object, you can still share your story as a written memory.

Share a picture postcard view

Sometimes a simply stunning view of our photogenic city is all the reason you need to post a picture. Although, please tell us what it means to you if you can!

Photo competitions

Thanks to the many of you who have submitted entries to our photography competitions. We’ve been so impressed by the wonderful photos and memories you’ve shared, whilst helping to document our city.

Our ‘super’ contributors

We’re indebted to three contributors, who between them, have added hundreds of fantastic picture memories and scrapbooks to Edinburgh Collected.

First is Stuart Laidlaw who has shared dozens of picture memories of Sighthill, sometimes supported by others also keen to share their stories of the area. Like here, in this evocative photo, Stuart shares a picture from Walter Allan (standing first left) of him attending the nursery in the old POW Camp off the old Calder Road c1953.

As well as recording growing up in Sighthill and how the area has changed over the 20th century, Stuart has also shared photos, documents and objects remembering family members.
View all of Stuart Laidlaw’s collection on Edinburgh Collected.

Our next super contributor is the Dean Village Memories. Patrick McCole has met with former villagers, who lived in the Dean Village from 1930 to the mid 1970s to collect, record and share memories, photos and stories of the community through Dean Village Memories. There are now hundreds of images and memories from these former residents available to browse on Edinburgh Collected, providing an invaluable record of the area’s past.
View all of the Dean Village Memories collection on Edinburgh Collected.

And lastly, we recognise the contribution of the Living Memory Association who have added thousands of wonderful images and memories to Edinburgh Collected. Their pictures span the decades from the late 19th century recording how daily life has changed. They share picture memories from across the city, including many of Leith, passing on knowledge of the past to our wide online community.
View all of the Living Memory Association’s collection on Edinburgh Collected.

An enormous thanks to everyone who has contributed to Edinburgh Collected. We look forward to seeing the community archive continue to grow over the coming years.
And if you haven’t yet, why not join us online and help keep Edinburgh’s history alive by sharing your memories?

This piece was hand drawn over the course of nine months (taking 3,500 hours to complete) and focuses on the historic and folkloric aspects of Scotland’s capital.

Every detail has been meticulously researched: the books that can be seen scattered around the underground city are historically accurate publications from the 17th century and you’ll find countless references to Scottish mythology. Among the details hidden within the piece are Mary King’s Close, plague pits, the Mercat Cross and Edinburgh’s witch trials. It also features unicorns, fairies, a plague doctor and even the devil depicted as a goat.

You might just need a magnifying glass to take it all in.

Ophelia Ray Lester is a self-taught pen and ink artist based in Oxfordshire, England. She draws inspiration from the natural world and has a deep fascination with history, folklore and the occult.

Ophelia has a keen eye for detail and describes herself as an ‘obsessive maximalist’; something she may have picked up from her Art Nouveau idols. Her main artistic influences are 19th and 20th century illustrators such as Kay Nielsen, Harry Clarke and Aubrey Beardsley.

All of her work is hand drawn and prints are made at the family print studio in Oxfordshire.

Find her on Instagram @OPHELIA_RAY_LESTER

If the drawing inspires you to find out more about Edinburgh’s history, head down to our local studies department in the Edinburgh and Scottish Collection at Central Library.

Michael introduces his work as an artist:

“Born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1973, I’ve always loved Zulu tribal prints and the relaxed rendering of indigenous art.

I’ve had several informal exhibitions over the years, starting back in 1986 at The Art Scene gallery in Cape Town, where I showed work alongside sculptor Guy Walters. Since then, my paintings have appeared in spaces such as the Bedlam Café in Edinburgh (1993), the Nostalgia Coffee Shop in Salt Lake City (2007 and 2010), and a collective show at Kanzeon Zen Center, also in Salt Lake City (2010).

My favourite themes are cityscapes, often from unusual angles, and nature. For me, the magic of colour puts me in touch with my inner child. I enjoy experimenting with it, layering glazes, developing contrasts, and watching depth emerge. I often paint darker backgrounds so the brighter tones can pop, giving my work a playful, sometimes naïve quality. For me, art is primarily about FUN!

To date, I’ve sold over 190 paintings, which are now in homes across the United States, England, Scotland, Switzerland, France, and South Africa. There are even a couple in Australia.

I find Edinburgh mesmerising: its age and history set against the modern, its detailed weathered sandstone architecture contrasted by sleek contemporary shapes. I’m fascinated by the way light and water interact with the city’s buildings, and how familiar forms change at different times of day. I enjoy finding new and creative ways of rendering what I see every day, bringing a sense of playful confidence and fun to the familiar.

In my dreamscapes, I want to evoke wonder, curiosity, simple pleasure, escapism and fantasy. Nature continually humbles and beguiles me, inviting imagination and a sense of possibility.

In this exhibition I wanted to combine my favourite themes hoping they would complement each other. And create beauty! “

If you wish to purchase an image on show please speak to the staff in the Art and Design Library.

The Art and Design Library hosts a monthly programme of exhibitions by local artists and community groups. We’re always interested to hear from artists wanting to exhibit their work. The space is free to use and we charge no commission on works sold. Please contact the Art and Design Library for an application form and further information.
Phone 0131 242 8040 or email Central.artanddesign.library@edinburgh.gov.uk

We have upcoming CHILDREN’S ART CLUBS! They will be held on the following Saturday mornings at Central Library from 10.30 am to 12 noon.

Saturday 31 October

Come and join us for some spooky Tetra Pak printmaking. Please wear old clothes and bring something with you to take your creations home in.

Tickets are needed for children only and not for accompanying adults or guardians.
Please arrive to begin at 10.30am but leave whenever you wish/need to. Many thanks.

Details to follow for sessions on
Saturday 28 November
Saturday 12 December.

Families welcome. Children under 8 need to be accompanied.

Booking is via Eventbrite, edcentrallib.eventbrite.com; 0131 242 8040

Our plans are for a free programme of creative play and learning – a time to explore art-making – build and foster curiosity, care, and consideration – and hopefully an ever more creative relationship with the world around us.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The story starts in the 15th century when it’s thought Craiglockhart Castle was built, now a ruin in the grounds of Edinburgh Napier University’s Craiglockhart Campus. The old Hydropathic building at the centre of the Campus is perhaps the area’s most well-known landmark with its famous World War One connection.

Did you also know about the World War Two bomber which crashed in the area in 1942?

The story describes prominent people from Craiglockhart’s past, many of them significant landowners who built properties, some of which survive today.

The area is also renowned for exercise and leisure. The nearby canal provides a home for the St Andrews Boat Club, the oldest rowing club in Scotland and at Happy Valley, at one time, there was skating, boating, curling, an amusement park and a dance hall! However from the 1930s, tennis became the most popular activity.

Read the story of Craiglockhart on Our Town Stories and discover this area of Edinburgh afresh.

Jane, Stockbridge Library member, got in touch to share her experience of books and reading. She also told us how much she treasures the library service –

“It’s always a delight when I search the City Libraries’ online system for a new publication, after reading a review, and discover that it has been ordered already for the collection. With a simple click I can reserve this new book and it will magically appear at Stockbridge Library.”

What do you like to read? News, magazines, books, audio books, articles, essays, blogs…
I enjoy reading an eclectic mix of books (especially non-fiction: history, international relations and diplomacy, biography, geography, classics, Scottish studies), newspapers, journals, and online blogs. I also enjoy classic fiction, especially Virginia Woolf and Jane Austen, international fiction in translation, and poetry.

Has reading helped you learn a new skill?
To explore historical topics and analyse classical texts.

Tell us about a book or a story that stayed with you from childhood?
Johann David Wyss’ The Swiss Family Robinson. I enjoyed the adventures in this tale and descriptions of flora and fauna encountered by the family, as well as the many resourceful ways they found to survive in the wild. 

Where or when do you most enjoy reading?
Everywhere but especially at home, in Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden, at the Royal Scots Club, and when travelling.

Is there a type of reading you’ve come back to as an adult or discovered recently? Greek myths; classical texts such as Gilgamesh

What book would you give as a gift to everyone?
Edward Lear’s A Book of Nonsense. 

Explore our library catalogue of thousands of books covering a limitless array of subjects. Find something you like and simply click to reserve it for pick up at your local library!

For inspiration, look no further than the new book collection of games and brainteasers at the Central Lending Library. It offers a variety of books for beginners and improvers, young and old. There’s tips and tricks about card and dice games, scrabble, chess, poker and bridge as well as creative paper folding and party games. With a multitude of quiz books to loan, you can test your general and specific knowledge.

Browse through the collection and discover something new or something nearly forgotten to get you playing. Drop into Central Lending Library or explore the Unplug and Play collection via the library catalogue.

Whether it’s cards, boards or questions from the past that gets your mind going, our collection could help you plan your next game, mystery or quiz night with family or friends and get your kids off their phones!

Wednesday 30 September 2026 from 6pm to 7.30pm

Ely Percy will talk about setbacks, perseverance and the perception of literary success in conversation with Lucy Ribchester.

Ely Percy is an award-winning Scottish writer, best known for their novel, Duck Feet. Their first publication was a letter in Big! Magazine (1994). Since then, they’ve released a memoir, Cracked (2002), contributed many stories to literary journals, and published two novels Vicky Romeo Plus Joolz (2019) and Duck Feet (2021).

Lucy Ribchester is an Edinburgh-based novelist, short story writer and journalist. She is currently a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, and her latest novel is Murder Ballad.

Book your free ticket at https://writing-well.eventbrite.co.uk or contact Leith Library.

In this National Year of Reading we’re asking colleagues and library members to join us as we Go All In by sharing their love of reading.

We’ve posed a series of questions about reading habits and discoveries and asked contributors to get involved by sharing their responses.

Today, we hand over to an anonymous contributor to give their answers –

What do you like to read? News, magazines, books, audio books, articles, essays, blogs…
Stories on my kindle or kindle app to escape and stop thinking about all the stuff to be done.

Has reading helped you learn a new skill?
Pre-digital generation so all our learning was reading in school.  Parenting – read loads but turns out there wasnae a book that could really equip anyone for parenthood As an adult I have read things to learn about hobbies – horses and gardens mostly.

Tell us about a book or a story that stayed with you from childhood?
I was lucky and my mum read to us all the time – too many books to mention.  As a P7 – a friend’s older sister passed us a Judy Blume book. If you know, you know – that is all I will say on that one.

Where or when do you most enjoy reading?
In the garden under the sitooterie even if it rains – or in the caravan parked up in the woods.

Is there a type of reading you’ve come back to as an adult or discovered recently?
Has to have no trauma, no violence, and has to have a happy ending – life is tricky enough without being sad when you read – it is an escape.

What book would you give as a gift to everyone?
That is impossible – there are books for different things and different people or situations. 
Mother of any new baby boy = Raising Boys by Steve Biddulph
Anyone getting a puppy = The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey
Any lady friend who wants to escape = anything by Mhairi McFarlane or Shari Low
Anyone reading to toddlers = got to be Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler books – do the voices. 
Read with your 11-13ish old = Orbiting Jupiter – is sad but also so much good in there, one to read in tandem or together. 
Young adults 18 plus, probably The Alchemist, The Beach (not the film).

Couple of cookbooks that were my gran’s, then mum, now mine that anyone leaving home could do with.

I could go on and on. 

Look out for further articles in this series as we share how colleagues and library members Go All In for reading.

Browse the library catalogue and escape to a literary world.