Meeting rooms and venue hire

The SPL is available to hire at very reasonable rates. We can accommodate meetings, away days, presentations, events, book launches, press conferences and many other options. Talk to us about your requirements using our Venue Hire form.

Friends of the SPL are entitled to a 10% discount on venue hire. Find out how to join here.

Venue hire form

Meeting Room 1 and 2

Full day (8 hours): £250 per room

By the hour: £35 per room.

Availability
Mon-Thu: 10am-5pm
Fri: 10am-3pm

Meeting Room 1 is our workshop/meeting room/break-out space located on the ground floor of the Library. The room is usually set boardroom style and can accommodate up to 10 people.

Meeting Room 2 has a similar configuration and is on the Mezzanine level. It can accommodate up to 8 people. See below for pictures of our meeting rooms.

We can meet your audio-visual and online needs via our free WiFi and 65” LCD screen. Both meeting rooms have good ventilation and air circulation. We are able to facilitate hybrid meetings (Zoom, Teams etc).

The Mezzanine

Availability
Mon-Thu: 10am-5pm
Fri: 10am-3pm

Week day : £250

The Mezzanine is our large events space on the first floor of the Library. Our rolling stacks can easily be moved to provide a theatre-style space. With chairs in rows,The Mezzanine can accommodate up to 50 audience members. Seating for smaller groups can also be arranged in different formations (we have flexible-use desks available). We have a 65″ LCD screen, as well as a lectern, clip-on and handheld microphones, amplification and audio recording. A hearing loop is fitted around the space. The Mezzanine is perfect for poetry readings, presentations, book launches, workshops or live music events. The Mezzanine has good ventilation and air circulation.

As the SPL is an open plan venue, this space is subject to low ambient noise e.g. people chatting, when used during our regular opening hours.

Full Building

Availability
Mon-Thu: 10am-5pm
Fri: 10am-3pm

£500 per event (includes both meeting rooms)

You may have a larger event in mind, for example a multi-space training day, book launch, seminar or corporate event. We are happy to discuss creative ways to use the Library, including the terrace and ground floor: could you be the first couple to get married here? Our maximum capacity for full building standing events is 120. With sufficient notice, we can sometimes close the building to the public for your event (if it takes place during our regular opening hours).

food and drink at the SPL — Catering-ground floor

Venue Hire FAQs

Where is the SPL?

We are located centrally in Edinburgh just off the Canongate in Crichton’s Close. Nearby places of interest include Holyrood Palace, the Scottish Parliament, Dynamic Earth and Arthur’s Seat.

Waverley Station is about 10 minutes’ walk from the Library (via Market St and New St).

The nearest parking is at Dynamic Earth. Blue Badge holders may park directly outside our building.

The Scottish Poetry Library is the only purpose-built, independently constituted poetry library in the world. The building was opened in 1999, then extended and refurbished in 2015. It houses lending and reference collections of Scottish, UK and international poetry; borrowing is free. The SPL runs a lively events programme and its website is a major resource for Scottish poetry in particular. It works with schools and in community settings.

Scottish charity no: SCO23311

Is the building accessible?

The SPL is fully accessible, has a ground-floor entrance and a lift that accesses all three floors. There is one adapted toilet on the basement floor.

Guide and hearing dogs are welcome. A portable audio loop is available for single users as well as fixed loops at our Reception desk and the events area on the Mezzanine. If you need a multi-user loop system, please let us know as far as possible in advance. For more about our accessibility, please click here.

Are any Friends or charity discounts available?

SPL Friends receive a 10% discount on all hire costs.

The SPL is a fully accessible venue, which aims to host a diverse range of events. Hire costs may be negotiable in line with these aims. Please drop us an email if you’d like to discuss this further: reception@spl.org.uk

Do you offer evening or weekend hires?

In exceptional circumstances, we are sometimes able to accommodate evening or weekend hires, but we struggle to provide staff for events outwith our regular hours.

If it is a poetry event, such as a reading or book launch, please contact reception@spl.org.uk

Can the SPL help promote my event?

The SPL has over 44,000 Twitter followers and a vibrant presence on Facebook and other social media outlets. If your event is at the SPL or poetry-related, we can discuss supporting your own promotional activities via our social media. Unfortunately, if your event is not at the SPL we will not usually promote it via our channels.

What about catering?

In our meeting rooms, a basic tea and coffee service is available for up to 10 people at £1 per person. We can provide a donation bar of wine, beer and/or soft drinks for any of your events. If you require more complex catering, we can advise on various suppliers or nearby venues which offer meals for large parties. We can accommodate the needs of most caterers if they’re able to bring their own hot plates etc. The library does not have a cooker, but does have a large catering fridge and a microwave.

There is also a Starbucks right next to the library. You’re welcome to bring your own drinks.

Meeting Room 1 and 2

The Mezzanine

Full Building

Venue Hire FAQs

Where is the SPL?

Is the building accessible?

Are any Friends or charity discounts available?

Do you offer evening or weekend hires?

Can the SPL help promote my event?

What about catering?

Visit us

The Library has free spaces available for work and study.

Ask a Librarian