The Advocates Library, founded in 1682, is the law library of the Faculty of Advocates, in Edinburgh. It served as the national deposit library of Scotland until 1925, at which time through an act of Parliament, the National Library of Scotland Act 1925 (15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 73), the National Library of Scotland was created. All the non-legal collections were transferred to the National Library. Today, it alone of the Scottish libraries still holds the privilege of receiving a copy of every law book entered at Stationers' Hall. The library forms part of the complex that includes Parliament House, located on the Royal Mile.

History

The library was formally opened in 1689. It was an initiative of George Mackenzie. The present library building was designed by William Henry Playfair in 1830, and is a category A listed building. Librarian Samuel Halkett began an ambitious catalogue, based on the rules of John Winter Jones for the British Museum catalogue of 1839, but with extensive biographical information on authors. It was published in six volumes, from 1858 to 1878. Halkett's successor, Thomas Hill Jamieson, had to deal with a fire that damaged some thousands of books on 9 March 1875. By 1923 the library held around 725,000 books and pamphlets.

Keepers