Our libraries
We hold a significant collection of books, manuscripts and more that can be viewed in person in Edinburgh.
HES library
The HES library is an important aide for researching the historic environment. It is open to the public as a reference collection. The collections have been curated over 100 years to represent high quality research materials relating to Scottish topographical history, architectural history, and archaeology.
The library includes books, journals, pamphlets and e-resources covering:
Traditional building materials and methods
Archaeology theory and practice
Architectural history, theory and practice
Scottish local history
Church Parish histories
Topographical guides to Scotland
Antiquarianism
Maritime and industrial heritage
Interiors
The collections include special print collections – those collections which require additional care due to their age or scarcity. Information about special print collections can be found in our library catalogue.
The Library is located within the Search Room at John Sinclair House, Edinburgh.
Engine Shed
The Engine Shed, Stirling holds a small collections of specialist books relating to technical education and training. For enquiries about this, please contact the archives team.