Libraries

Historic library’s bright future

Monday, 16 January 2012

The Morningside Library in Edinburgh - Britain’s busiest branch library in the 1960s – has opened its doors to the book-loving public three months ahead of schedule after a £1million refurbishment. Morningside, first opened in the southwest of Edinburgh in 1904, has been totally overhauled and had an uplift and restructuring of its stunning roof and bell tower.

Leading Scots author and Morningside resident, Alexander McCall Smith, joined local primary school children from St Peter’s Primary School in unveiling the new-look Morningside Library to intrigued crowds. Commenting on the grand re opening, the author said: “A library is the heart of a community. This library is much loved and is now in a position to appeal to even more readers.

“It is wonderful to see something like this happen in trying times - this is a real cause for celebration of the marvellous work that the library services do in this city. We are very fortunate in having them.”

As well as McCall Smith, Morningside is also local library to internationally-acclaimed Scots crime writer and Morningside resident, Ian Rankin. And the area’s literary heritage doesn’t end there as the area was also the home of Muriel Spark’s fictional character, Miss Jean Brodie, in the author’s 1961 novel, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.