Advocates Library

Advocates Library
Name	Advocates Library
Location	Edinburgh, Scotland
Established	1682
Type	law library, national deposit
Collection size	over 750,000 volumes (historic)
Director	Faculty of Advocates (governing body)

Advocates Library is the historic library of the Faculty of Advocates in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded in the late 17th century, it developed into a major legal and national deposit collection that has influenced Scottish jurisprudence, literature, and scholarship. The library's holdings and institutional role have intersected with figures such as Sir Walter Scott, Adam Smith, Robert Burns, David Hume, and broader movements including the Scottish Enlightenment and the expansion of nineteenth-century British publishing. Its legal, cultural, and architectural presence makes it a focal point for researchers linked to institutions such as the University of Edinburgh, the National Library of Scotland, and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.

History

The library was established by members of the Faculty of Advocates in 1682, reflecting the legal needs of advocates practicing at the Court of Session and the evolving professionalization of Scottish law alongside intellectual currents from the Scottish Enlightenment. Early benefactors and readers included figures connected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and its growth accelerated through donations, purchases, and legal deposit rights that paralleled developments affecting the Stationers' Company and British publishing regulation. In the nineteenth century, literary and legal luminaries such as Sir Walter Scott and jurists connected to the Reform Acts era contributed to or used the collection, while debates over national collections led to transfers between institutions culminating in the twentieth-century division of legal and national deposit functions with the National Library of Scotland. The library's role adapted through events including the World Wars, shifts in Scottish devolution culminating in the creation of the Scottish Parliament, and modern digitization initiatives influenced by partnerships with bodies such as the British Library and international legal archives.

Architecture and Grounds

Housed in a prominent Edinburgh building situated near landmarks like Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile, the library's fabric reflects Georgian and Victorian phases of construction influenced by architects and civic patrons engaged with the City of Edinburgh Council. Interiors encompass reading rooms, stack spaces, and carved woodwork commissioned in periods contemporaneous with works by sculptors and designers active in Scotland's cultural institutions including the National Galleries of Scotland and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. The setting connects physically and visually to legal venues such as the Parliament House, Edinburgh and to educational campuses like the University of Edinburgh Old College. Grounds and adjacent streets have witnessed public events related to figures like William Wallace celebrations and civic commemorations involving organizations such as the Royal Bank of Scotland and cultural festivals like the Edinburgh International Festival.

Collections and Special Holdings

The library's collections encompass extensive legal treatises, case reports, statutes, and manuscripts essential to Scottish and comparative law studies, including private papers associated with advocates, judges, and legal reformers linked to the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary. Holdings include editions and manuscripts connected to authors and thinkers such as Adam Smith, David Hume, Robert Burns, James Boswell, and Sir Walter Scott, as well as printed material from major publishing houses like Penguin Books, Oxford University Press, and nineteenth-century imprint houses that served the British Isles. Special holdings feature early legal folios, rare pamphlets tied to political episodes like the Jacobite rising of 1745 and the Act of Union 1707, and maps and atlases that relate to explorers and cartographers associated with the Royal Geographical Society. The library also preserves reports, periodicals, and items connected to judicial biographies such as those of Lord Hailes and Lord President Dundas.

Services and Access

Services provided to members of the Faculty of Advocates include reference support, document delivery, and research assistance relevant to cases before the Court of Session and the Sheriff Court system. Access arrangements extend to qualified external researchers, postgraduate students from institutions like the University of Glasgow and the University of St Andrews, and visiting scholars from foreign courts and legal academies including affiliations with the Hague Academy of International Law and comparative law centers. The library offers catalogues, reading rooms, and facilities for digitization projects conducted in collaboration with entities such as the Bodleian Libraries and national research councils. Outreach activities tie into festivals and societies including the Edinburgh International Book Festival and historical societies like the Scottish Historical Review network.

Publications and Legal Role

Historically the library supported publication efforts by facilitating access to primary materials used by authors and legal commentators, contributing indirectly to legal reports and editions employed in Scottish jurisprudence and in appeals to courts such as the House of Lords (now the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom). It has provided resources for annotated editions, bibliographies, and legal commentaries utilized by practitioners appearing before institutions like the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The library's imprint and collaborations have been reflected in works published by academic and professional presses including Edinburgh University Press and specialised series tied to Scottish law reform commissions and inquiries.

Governance and Funding

Governance rests with the Faculty of Advocates, an ancient professional body with links to offices such as the Lord Advocate and coordination with judicial bodies including the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service. Financial support historically derived from subscription, endowments, benefactions, and grant arrangements involving cultural funders such as the Heritage Lottery Fund and governmental patrons tied to the Scottish Government's cultural portfolio. Funding and strategic oversight have evolved through partnerships with national institutions like the National Library of Scotland and philanthropic foundations connected to families and entities including the Scottish Widows group and private trusts established by legal and literary figures.

Category:Libraries in Edinburgh Category:Scottish legal history