Central Library

Pretty much everything you could want from a library — its a pretty idyllic spot for reading!
the building itself is gorgeous, both externally and internally. The reference library on the top floor is my particular favourite spot, with huge high ceilings and tons of desks to while away your hours working in the library silence. They’ve got photocopiers, computers, scanners and printers available to use for reasonable prices too.
I spend most of my time downstairs in the fiction/​non fiction/​dvd selection, which has an OBSCENE amount of choice — and you can order in anything else from another Edinburgh Library and pick it up from there! checking out and returning books is stupidly easy with the self service machines too, making the whole process easy breezy.
the best part of the place? the staff — they are super friendly, and willing to help/​chat about any questions i have, however silly. (I have a severe case of technophobe, those library computers weren’t my forte…). Kudos to them for making this place such an easy to use and welcoming spot!

I love reading and read fast and this library has so many books for me to get through. The staff are really friendly and I find the building very accessible.

Free wifi in the corridors & computers upstairs in the Reading Room. You can book a computer in advance if you think it’s going to be busy.

I have always been a fan of central library, maybe slightly bias as my aunt used to work there, but overall it is a great alternative to the National Library across the road.
Firstly, the building is very impressive with its almost Gothic architecture. Inside, there are a number of large reading rooms holding various collections as well as some smaller rooms. Behind the scenes books are kept in bookcases which are cramped between low floors and connected with metal spiral staircases — very cool indeed!
Inside, any resident of Edinburgh can sign up to use the fantastic facilities on offer. The Scotland room, which everyone raves about is great for obtaining a range of documents relating to Scottish interests. The Edinburgh room is a reference department with thousands of published materials available.
Computers and staff are on hand to help you locate any books within the collection.
Central library is a very good source for materials (Great for students) and is a great alternative across the road to the more daunting National Library.

One of my first stops when I moved to Edinburgh was the Central Library, where I signed up and started borrowing piles of books out. Even the building this library is housed in is lovely.
Everyone knows that there’s been a decline in libraries over the past decade or so due to cheaper books, the Internet and decline in reading. Yet still we manage to produce great libraries like this, with fantastic collection of classic fiction, non fiction, reference and (particularly good in Edinburgh library) graphic novels.
As Edinburgh’s Central Library, this is probably the best place to come to find that book you’re looking for or order one in. It’s the biggest library and is well staffed.
Another key feature of the Central Library is the Scottish Room, located downstairs. This a great collection of all things pertaining to Scotland from history to maps. Just upstairs is the Edinburgh Room too. This is where you come if you want to view any old documents relating to Edinburgh such as old newspapers. I used this room while researching for a project and found it very useful.
This library also hosts activities throughout the year, particularly useful for children, such as under 5’s story time (as well as the library having a good children’s collection).
A fantastic library in a lovely building with a great collection. If you have any queries or problems, the staff are delighted to help you out. Highly recommended.

Across from the rather more grand National Library, Central library is a very good, much more relaxed alternative for a wee browse of the dusty bookshelves. When I went to the National I felt like I was being watched constantly and I was terrified my stomach would rumble in the quiet rooms. This place is just much more user-​friendly.
They have a fantastic collection of books and I found everything I needed for my dissertation here without exception. The staff were very helpful when I needed them too.
Complete with a Scottish room (filled with all Scottish related things) and a specific room for the study of Edinburgh, this place is actually really interesting for a few hours of learning whether you’re taking books out or not.

This is Edinburgh’s Library for normal books and I have to be honest I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting something vast to match the National Library, but for all the common books, but I’ve seen better stocked village libraries (okay very good village ones, but this is a capital city).
Having a look around I go to see if there are any books to help me with my course that I couldn’t find in the University Library, but the books here aren’t actually that good. Even those covering a basic level of expertise aren’t the best in their field; I’ve owned books better than some in here. It’s disappointing that it fails when it should be the big city centre library for those who don’t want the fuss of the National Library.

Right in the middle of town, this place is godsend. Free WiFi thats dependable and that you can access all throughout the building (unlike Glasgow’s Mitchel, where wireless can’t penetrate through the 3^rd floor for some reason… the matrix maybe?).
I have one thing to add, the toilets are a good 7 flights down, so I’m not sure how any disabled Unilocalers get down there?

I love geeking it up in here. Not that I’m saying reading books or hanging out in libraries is geeky, it’s actually cool to be a geek. The Central Library is a great haven of peace and general silencio on George IV Bridge, if you’re in that mood where loud noises and crowds and traffic are annoying you.
It’s a pretty big place, with several floors of… well…books, tables for reading and studying, and some computers as well. As long as you have a library card, you can get free internet access here for an hour or so. There’s also Wi-​Fi now, which has been brilliant for me, because I am the most susceptible person to distraction ever, so working at home can sometimes be almost impossible, and I struggle with cafes at the best of times too. There’s just too many people to watch and outfits to analyse.
Working at the library is always a good concentration call, and they have plenty of space for people to beaver away at their homework/​articles/​crossword etc. There’s an awesome feeling of history to the building too, so while you’re working away you can imagine yourself one day, after that long awaited intellectual breakthrough, being written about or being a writer and then placed in book form on one of the shelves. Everyone has a book in them and all that banter.

Boy oh boy, this place is book heaven!
Central Library is very conveniently placed just off the Royal Mile (the name doesn’t lie, it’s in the heart of the city centre).
Upon entering through the front door I was transported into another time and environment. Compared to the bustle of the high street it’s serene and peaceful, with a few booths placed around if you want to read a book entombed in the quiet.
Its ground floor is open plan and very easy to navigate. Here, books aren’t just separated into «History» and «Fiction» categories, but each is filed into different departments. They have a good English literature section for students, an excellent number of foreign language materials and their history books are parted off into various time periods and relevant countries.
Along with an impressive amount of general fiction including new releases, they also have a smaller section of kids, a section for young adults and I was pleased to see graphic novels getting representation. Additionally, there are audio books and DVD’s for your perusal, although the latter were mostly dated. However, there were some classic films peeking out of the shelf for avid film buffs.
Upstairs they have a reference section and some records. There’s free Wifi and other such library facilities, including printing and scanning devices! I just love the look of this library — makes me feel like I’m in a 40s film noir crime movie. I know it’s what’s on the inside that counts and all that jazz, but damn, I love the general maudlin aesthetic of this place!

Central Library is undoubtedly my favourite library and one of my favourite places to hang out in Edinburgh. It’s a veritable treasure trove for the literary minded and a great place to spend a few hours if you’re a bit skint. The ground floor has a large selection of books; ranging from fictional novels to foreign language titles to travel guides, it also has a good selection of DVDs that are far cheaper to rent than those in video shops. The first floor reading room is like taking a step back in time, there is a beautiful domed ceiling and lots of ancient reference books. There are tables where you can read newspapers and computers where you can browse the internet for free — all in wonderful, deathly silence. Bliss.

Have never used the main lending library here but used the reference library a lot when at Uni.
The reference library is a fantastic place to study — it is quiet, no distractions and you feel you can stay there all day gathering books up to read and take notes from. They have good history books which I found difficult to source elsewhere. A good referencing system so books are easy to find and it’s likely that if you find one, you’ll end up finding a good few other relevent ones in the same section that you didn’t know about but are really helpful.
Staff have always been helpful, both in the library and over the phone. The edinburgh libraries website is good for checking if they have a book available. Here’s a link:

On George IV Bridge just opposite the National Library, the Central Lending Library is housed in a historic building and is worth a wander round even if you don’t intend to borrow anything. The actual lending library is surprisingly small but that’s partly because a lot of the books are separated out into other rooms in the building (such as the Scottish library downstairs). The fiction is varied and there is a lot to choose from and I’ve always found the staff to be helpful and friendly. The travel section is sometimes a bit outdated as there is often only one copy of the most recent guidebooks, which is inevitably out when you want it; however the recent policy change to allow you to reserve books for free should help this. All in all a good service and a relaxing space to take some time out.

On George the IV Bridge just off the Royal Mile you’ll find Central Lending Library. It is next to the famous Elephant House café and is an excellent resource. The reference section is an atmospheric place to study with lots of large wooden desks with lots of space to spread out. Downstairs is the fiction department with a lovely view out to the Castle. On Tuesday mornings at 10am parents of young kids will be happy to learn of a free crèche run by some lovely friendly ladies in the surprisingly shabby library boardroom. The fine art section in the roof of the library is also worth a look although it does feel a bit like being up in the crow’s nest.

As far as libraries go, I’ve found the Central Lending Library to be rather lacking. There is an unimpressive selection of books and the central nature of this library means that if someone comes in who’s researching a paper on say, Ian Rankin, they are likely to take out all of his books and keep them out until their paper is due! Also, despite a decent crime fiction section and good dvd/​cd choices (which you need to pay extra for), the science fiction and fantasy area is very weak for such a key city library. Also, the size of library is not reflected in the amount of books they have available. There’s a lot of open areas and empty spaces that would be better served by bookshelves filled to the brim with the choices they severely lack. That said, there is a nice reading area, perfect for escaping the bitter cold of winter.
One piece of good news is that they have recently scrapped the unnecessary reservation fees so book reservations from other libraries are completely free now, handy if you don’t fancy trekking out to Wester Hailes or somesuch out-​of-​town library to get out those rare books you’re after.

The lending department of Edinburgh’s Central Library hosts adult fiction and non-​fiction, and teenage stock, including a good choice of graphic novels and manga. A wide selection of titles on a vast range of subjects, and friendly staff to help you find your way around. The computers in this department are strictly for browsing the library catalogue — no internet access here. (Internet access is available elsewhere in the building.)
DVDs, a mix of popular titles and world cinema, are available to borrow — hire fee £1.20 (£2.40 for multiple discs) for one week.