Sunday 18 November 2012

New College Library, Edinburgh

New College Library is the
University of Edinburgh's School of Divinity Library. It is on Mound Place and was founded in 1843. It is a beautiful old building accessed through a courtyard behind a statue of John Knox.



It is not a big library and is one big room really with tables and chairs in the middle and shelves of books around the edge. I think there is a further reading room and stacks on another floor.
I'm particularly interested in theology libraries as my first degree was religious studies. I was pleased to see that the students studying in the library were much more 'cool and trendy' than in the past although maybe all students are.
I read a theology journal, a couple of sermons and sat and looked at the windows.






One thing that really struck me was this plaque.



I don't know anything about Adam Mitchell Hunter so will have to find out about him but how wonderful that a plaque was created and displayed to celebrate that he 're-arranged' the library.
In today's world he would have had to transform or totally rebuild the library to be of note but it is probably just a matter of the language used for the same level of achievement. A glorious understatement.

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