Visiting in Person

With the exception of general visits to St Cecilia's Hall Concert Hall & Music Museum, all research visits require an appointment.

Making an Appointment

• Appointments should be made by emailing heritagecollections@ed.ac.uk.
• Appointments to access Lothian Health Services Archive should be made by emailing lhsa@ed.ac.uk.
• Appointments should be made as far in advance as possible. We require at least 1 weeks' notice, however in some circumstances we may need more, for example:
  • If archival documents require checking for personal data under the Data Protection Act 2018.
  • If your visit requires access to museum collections stored off site or those in situ on campus.
  • If an item requires conservation assessment before it can be accessed.
  • Further information can be found on our Protected Access webpage.
• The location of your appointment will be based on the collections requested, however please do inform staff of any specific access needs or adjustment requests as one of our locations may be more suitable than another.

Access to Sound Archives and Moving Image Works

If you will be accessing audio-visual materials during your appointment, we will provide you with a secure PC or laptop on which to listen to / view these.

Registration

1. All users must complete the Heritage Collections Registration Form in advance of any appointment.
2. If you are not a University of Edinburgh staff or student and you are visiting for 2+ days, or making multiple visits over a long period, you will also need to register through the relevant category at the following web page: Joining the Library
3. If you are not a University of Edinburgh staff or student and are visiting for 1-2 days only, you do not need to complete Step 2.

Reading Room Induction Sessions

Induction sessions are available by request on Mondays between 10:00-16:00. They last 30 minutes and cover:

• An overview of what’s in the Heritage Collections.
• How to access the collections and available services.
• How to search the collections using catalogues and finding aids.
• How to request collections, what the lead times are, and the booking process.
• The rules of the Reading Room.
• Basic collections handling guidance.
• Available accessibility aides and adjustments.

The maximum group size is 6 people. Please email heritagecollections@ed.ac.uk to request a session. 

Who to ask for help

Our staff are always on hand to answer any questions you may have, from how to handle a rare book to how to connect to the Wi-Fi. Please do have a chat with us if there is anything you need.