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Collections

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English

What do we collect?

Whilst you’ll find thousands of poems on our website, at our premises in Edinburgh we have an even larger collection. You can search this collection in our Online Catalogue. The list of poetry periodicals we take can be found here. You can read our Collections Policy here.

In our collections we have poems from Scotland and the rest of the world: as well as caring for Scotland’s own poetry, we also work to provide access to international poetry for Scotland’s readers. Our collection focuses primarily on contemporary poetry — poetry from 1950 onward, but we do hold representative works from earlier periods. We have a strong focus on European poetry and poetry in translation, too.

We also have a children’s collection: there is poetry for younger readers, with nursery rhymes and funny poems, babies’ books and scary verse all jostling on the shelves upstairs. Older children are well catered for with anthologies graded for different age groups, and hundreds of individual authors’ works in the Junior section, and a bridge section for young adults in with the main collections.

Our collections are format neutral, which means we collect poetry published in Large Print, braille, on CD, cassette, vinyl, on a postcard, or online.

Gaelic

Dè bhios sinn a’ cruinneachadh?

Gheibhear lorg air mìltean dhàn air an làraich-lìn againn, ach aig an Leabharlann fhèin an Dùn Èideann lorgar an tuilleadh. ’S urrainnear rùrachadh anns a’ chruinneachadh seo leis a’ Chatalog air-loidhne againn. ’S urrainnear liosta fhaicinn de na h-irisean bhàrdachd a th’ againn an seo.

Anns na cruinneachaidhean againn tha dàin bho Alba agus bho air feadh an t-saoghail: a bharrachd air aire a chumail air bàrdachd na h-Alba, bidh sinn cuideachd ag obair airson slighean a chruthachadh gu bàrdachd eadar-nàiseanta a thoirt gu leughadairean na h-Alba. ’S ann air bàrdachd bho 1950 chun an là an-diugh as motha a tha sinn a’ cuimseachadh, ach tha sgrìobhaidhean againn bho linntean a dh’fhalbh. Tha sùil gheur againn ga chumail air bàrdachd Eòrpach agus bàrdachd eadar-theangaichte cuideachd.

Tha cruinneachadh cloinne againn cuideachd: tha bàrdachd ann airson leughadairean òga, le rannan beaga agus dàin èibhinn, leabhraichean leanabach agus dàin eagalach uile air an riochdachadh ann. Tha cuideachd stuthan ann airson clann nas sine mar dhuanairean airson aoisean sònraichte, agus tha ceudan de leabhraichean aig ùghdaran fa leth an Roinn na h-Òigridh, agus tha roinn ann mar dhrochaid airson inbhich òga am measg nan cruinneachadhaidhean àbhaisteach.

Tha na cruinneachaidhean againn rim faighinn ann an iomadach cruth. Tha sinn a’ gabhail bàrdachd fhoillsichte ann an clò mòr, braille, air CD, teip, bhional, air cairtean-puist, no air-loidhne.

SPL Special Collections

Cruinneachaidhean Sònraichte aig an Leabharlann

Edwin Morgan Archive

Tasglann Edwin Morgan

The Edwin Morgan Archive was collected over a period of thirty years.

Chaidh Tasglann Edwin Morgan a chruinneachadh thairis air 30 bliadhna.
Explore the Archive

Ian Hamilton Finlay

This collection consists of our own holdings substantially augmented by a generous donation to the Library by Edwin Morgan.

Anns a’ chruinneachadh seo tha na bh’ againn cheana, le tabhartas air leth a fhuair an Leabharlann bho Edwin Morgan.

Concrete poetry

Bàrdachd nitheil

We have a growing resource of concrete and visual poetry, with both Scottish and international examples.

Tha goireas againn de bhàrdachd nitheil agus bàrdachd lèirsinneach a tha a’ fàs, le eisimpleirean Albannach agus eadar-nàiseanta ann.

Small press & artists’ books

Poetry is often published by small presses and in ephemeral formats.

Tha bàrdachd tric air fhoillseachadh le foillsichearan beagan agus ann an cruthan nach mair fada.

Digital Collections

Selected items from the archive have been digitised in partnership with the University of Dundee and the National Productivity Investment Fund.
Explore our Digital Collection

Podcasts

Our audio programme of poets, poems and news for you to listen to.
Listen Now

The Scottish Poetry Library

so much light here -
sun's rhythm in each wall...
flow of thoughts on the shelves,
radiant lamp of the books
Continue reading The Scottish Poetry Library
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Scottish Poetry Library
5 Crichton's Close, Canongate
Edinburgh EH8 8DT
Tel: +44 (0)131 557 2876
© Scottish Poetry Library 2019.
The Scottish Poetry Library is a registered charity (No. SCO23311).
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