Accessibility Information

Accessibility information for our sites including Sensory Maps and Visual Guides.

Heritage Collections at the University of Edinburgh are open to all and we want everyone who visits our spaces to feel comfortable and welcome. We have created AccessAble Guides, Sensory Maps, and Visual Guides to help you familiarise yourself with our sites before and during your visit.

If you require the information on this page in a different format, please get in touch.

We are committed to improving our spaces and services and addressing any barriers to access for our visitors. If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions about access to our sites, or the resources below, please get in touch at heritagecollections@ed.ac.uk or complete our feedback form.

Locations:

Our collections are held across multiple sites with different facilities. Details on the location and opening hours of each, including campus maps, can be found at Locations & Contact Information.

The location of your appointment will generally be based on the collections requested, however, please do inform staff of any specific access needs or adjustment requests at the point of booking. If you aren’t able to visit one of our sites for any reason, we can transfer the collections to a more suitable site instead (subject to an assessment of the specific collections).

 


You are welcome to bring your assistance dog with you, but please let us know in advance so we can make arrangements.


We have a number of Assistive Tools in our Reading Rooms which you are welcome to borrow, including: magnifying glasses, page magnifiers, folding LED booklights, and tinted overlays.


We have created an access and orientation audio description for blind and partially sighted visitors to the Centre for Research Collections. This describes the journey from the front of the Main University Library in George Square to the CRC on the 6th floor.

Blind and partially sighted users may also be interested in our Phenomenal Bodies exhibition, which includes a full audio described tour.


This audio description describes the journey from the front of the Main University Library in George Square to the Centre for Research Collections on the 6th Floor.

The best car drop-off point is on the West side of George Square. There are also disabled parking spaces directly in front of the library, also accessed via the West side. From there, it is an approximate 75 metre walk along uneven cobbled paving to the front of the library. You will need to go up a level and reach the entrance, via a set of 6 steps, or else a u-shaped ramp. Once you are facing the library, the entrance doors are on the left and the exit doors are on the right. There are three glass entrance doors; two are manual and the third on the right is power-assisted, with a button on a metal column slightly in-front and to the right of the door. You will pass through a second identical door after this one, also with a power-assist button, before reaching the inner vestibule. A set of swipe access gates will be in front of you. If you do not have a library card, please turn to the right and walk a short distance, where you will find a reception desk. The staff member at the desk will let you through the next glass door into the main foyer.

The main foyer is a large space with high ceilings lit by overhead fluorescent lighting, with little natural light. It contains a staffed helpdesk, bench and chair seating, and occasional stalls or other displays. It is usually busy and there may be a lot of foot traffic in the area during your visit. There are two lifts diagonally across the space to the right, approximately 23 metres away. The call button is located between the lifts. Inside the lifts, when facing the door, the buttons are on the right-hand side. The main foyer is on the ground floor and the Centre for Research Collections is on the 6th floor. The buttons have Braille numbers and the one you need is on the top right.

When you exit the lift on the 6th floor, you will be in a wide corridor. This is a busy through space where staff or users may be walking or wheeling trolleys. A couple of paces across from the lift is a set of open glass double-doors, which lead to the Centre for Research Collections Reception area. The reception desk sits approximately 17 Meters into the space and, during opening hours, a staff member will be there to help. In the Reception space there are also display cabinets, lockers, and a variety of comfortable seating, including a backed bench and cushioned stools, which you will need to negotiate before you reach the desk. To the left of the Reception space, when facing the desk, is a large classroom where teaching and other engagement events take place. To the right is a Reading Room, where library users consult Heritage Collections. Toilets, including an accessible toilet, are located at the back of Reception, behind the desk. Please ask a staff member who can direct or guide you.

There is additional accessibility information, including sensory maps, available on our website. You can get in touch via email at heritagecollections@ed.ac.uk if you cannot find the information you need and we will be happy to help.

British Sign Language users can make contact by using the free ContactSCOTLAND-BSL service. We have created some videos about our collections and services in BSL.


If you are a University of Edinburgh student or staff member and require assistance to evacuate in an emergency, you should have a PEEP (Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan). To arrange a PEEP please contact your school or line manager.

If you are a visitor to the building and require assistance to evacuate in an emergency, please inform a member of staff on arrival.

The fire alarm is regularly tested at each site. Staff will inform you on arrival if the alarm is to be tested that day.

Further information can be found on the Fire Safety Unit website.


There are induction loops at:

  • CRC Reception desk;
  • CRC Reading Room desk;
  • School of Scottish Studies Search Room desk;
  • St Cecilia’s Hall Reception desk;
  • St Cecilia’s Hall Concert Room;
  • Library Hall Reception desk in New College Library.

Please note there is no induction loop in: 

  • CRC Teaching Spaces;
  • Funk Reading Room at New College Library.

There is lift access to all floors at all of our sites apart from the School of Scottish Studies Archives & Library, where there is lift access to the entrance, but not between the ground and first floors.

Further information about lift and stair routes to the Funk Reading Room at New College Library can be found in the below document. Please note that, due to some doors not being power-assisted, it is currently not possible for wheelchair users to independently access the Funk Reading Room. Please ask about alternative arrangements if this affects you.

New College Library: lift & stair access information


You cannot take bags into our Reading Rooms. Free lockers are available at all of our sites, except St Cecilia’s Hall.


Our sites are often busy and can be loud or quiet depending on the time of day. There are also lots of internal or external noises you may hear in our Reading Room and Gallery spaces. Full details for each site can be found in our sensory maps below. Ear Defenders are available to borrow from all our reception desks, so please ask.


There is free Wi-Fi at all of our sites. Visitors with a University of Edinburgh login can use Eduroam. External visitors can sign-in via VisitEd.


Disabled parking spaces are available in front of the Main Library and are accessed by the west side (closest to the Meadows) for access to the CRC and the School of Scottish Studies Archives & Library. There is no dedicated parking at New College Library or St Cecilia’s Hall. Further information can be found via the Parking Office.


There is seating throughout our sites and portable stools that you can borrow at St Cecilia’s Hall. Please ask a member of staff to direct you to the nearest seat.


This article was published on