Furthering my opinion that everyone in Scotland is
super nice, we got breakfast from this lovely bakery near the bus stop, where
the woman was really nice and gave everyone free freshly baked rolls. Yum. That
morning we went to the Central Library, where we received a very informative
and professional presentation on Edinburgh’s
public libraries.
Central Library can definitely be an inspiration for any
librarian. In 2012, a survey showed that they have 97% patron satisfaction.
Which is an impossible standard. The library has an impressive number of
services for all members of the community, from 0-3 year olds to seniors. This
fits their current brand, “Edinburgh Reads.” I was fascinated with their
programs not only because it pertained to the research paper on children’s
literacy that I’m planning, but also because I’d love to implement some of the
programs at my own library. First, they had Bookbug, which seemed to be the
Scottish response to Bearstart, and is the earliest literacy program. They also
have a Tiger Tales program for 4-8 year olds, Chatterbooks for 8-11 year olds,
and specialty programming for children with dyslexia and programs for youths in
social housing. This focus on integrating those that the library services might
otherwise overlook was inspirational. I’m hoping to do something for my
dyslexic patrons when I get back to the US. Many of the notes I took during
the presentation, particularly the youth services portion, were practical notes
for the future, not research.
The library has a significant digital team, which keeps them
running on all social networks, manages digital resources, and even maintains a
website called “Your Edinburgh,” which is a place for local groups and services
to post their information for the community. They also have a great intuitive
called “Our Town Stories,” which was built off a project called “Whose Town?”
The project was created for schools and researched the lives of 14 people who
lived in Edinburgh
from 1850-1950, in order to bring the history to life. Now they maintain a
website where old maps of Edinburgh
can be viewed overlaying the current Google Map views of the city, and where
they post Now & Then images. They also crowdsource mystery photos on
occasion, and in that way integrate the community while better defining their
collection. 
We had the opportunity to view some of the gems of the
Central Library collection, but I was much more wrapped up in the modern
services and programs of the library. When we had our tour, we learned how the
current reference library once was divided into a library for ladies and a
library for gents. The ladies’ side had the fireplace, sorry lads. In the main
fiction area of the library, I was surprised to see both a Doctor Who Cyberman,
and a life-sized Dalek. Apparently, the librarians dress the Dalek up for
themes throughout. the year. On that day, he was set up in an Alice in Wonderland Tea Party scene, which
prompted me to ask in my best Dalek voice, “Would you like some Teeeeeeea?” The
current children’s library is unattached to the main building, but we were told
that that is shortly going to change, with the children’s library moving into a
bigger space, which is exciting. It’s also fun to note that the Central Library
is located right down the street from the Elephant Room, where Harry Potter got
its start.
I had limited time in Edinburgh,
so when we broke for lunch I made a point of visiting two destinations on my
list: the Scottish Storytelling Centre and the Museum of Childhood.
The Scottish Storytelling Centre puts on programs for people
of all ages all year round. In additional “traditional” storytelling, they have
programs with magicians (the Magic Festival had been just a few weeks prior),
puppetry, poetry, music, and even bilingual storytelling. There are
performances geared toward adults, others for children, and many for all ages.
On Mondays and Wednesdays, there are resident storytellers for children to stop
in and see, to listen to stories or do activities. The space for the resident
storyteller was lovely, and it felt like the children’s nook of a library. The
walls of the space had story trivia for children, there was a comfy space to
listen to the stories, and there were baskets of costumes and props for the
kids. The storytimes for the young children, including one where they are
encouraged to bring their teddy bears, is just another kind of early literacy
programming in the United
Kingdom.
Almost immediately across the street from the Scottish
Storytelling Centre is the Museum of Childhood, which
features collections of children’s toys and activates throughout history. There
was a display on board games, another for outdoor activities, and one entirely
for dolls. It was terrifying. There might be nothing creepier in this world
than old children’s toys. The doll room alone was scary enough. There was a
doll on display from the 1700’s that was supposedly a fabulous example of a Queen
Anne doll, but it had degraded to the point that it was pure, high-octane
nightmare fuel. 
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