Women of Faculty: Remembering Margaret Kidd, 1923-2023

Portrait of Margaret Kidd in Parliament Hall

ON 13^th July 1923, Miss Margaret Kidd, MA., LL.B., Edinburgh, was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates, the first woman to become a Member of Faculty. She remained to be the only woman at the Bar for more than 25 years.

1923 SLT 106

Centenary celebrations

video: “Women of Faculty: Remembering Margaret Kidd, 1923-2023“

13^th July 2023 marks the centenary of Margaret Kidd’s calling.

At an event in Parliament Hall, attended by Margaret Kidd’s granddaughters and great-granddaughter, a portrait was unveiled.

new plaque, Parliament Hall

The new portrait of Margaret Kidd hangs next to that of the Right Hon. Lady Dorrian, commissioned to mark her elevation to Lord Justice Clerk, the first woman to hold that office.

Learn more at: Women of Faculty: Remembering Margaret Kidd 1923 to 2023

video: “Edinburgh, 1923“

Coming soon: Gaelic story exhibition at NLS

Sgeul / Story

Folktales from the Scottish Highlands collected by John Francis Campbell of Islay (1821 to 1885).

An exhibition in Gaelic and English about stories and storytelling traditions.

Visit from 9 June at George IV Bridge building in Edinburgh.

Teddy bears sleepover at Central Library

Adorable! 😊

Tales of One City

Last week there was a special teddy bears sleepover at Central Children’s Library.
When the children arrived with their teddies, they all enjoyed a storytime together.

And then they went on a bear hunt… looking for a bear…One shiny nose, two big eyes…
Oh, no, it’s a …. bear!

Run, run, all the way home!

But not before there’s time for some bear crafts, making teddy bear bookmarks.

And a tasty snack before bedtime.

The children had one last story with the teddies before putting the teddies to bed. Move over Santa Teddy and make some room for the others.

Night night Maisy
Night night Teddy
Night night Little Teddy and night night Busy Bee
Night night Santa Teddy and sweet dreams Maxie
Night night and sleep tight Kai.
We’ll come and get you in the morning.

All snuggled up for sleep…

AAhhhh. Sweet dreams –

But wait a second…

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Brilliant fiction to celebrate Black History Month

Tales of One City

To celebrate this year’s Black History Month, the Resource Management Team have curated a list of brilliant fiction from Black authors. Featuring a mix of historical and classic titles alongside the best contemporary fiction from exciting new voices.

5 books to pique your interest –

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
Set in East-London, this is an elegantly told love story between a dancer and a photographer. As the book unfolds Azumah Nelson explores the nuances of race and masculinity whilst celebrating community and Black culture.
Borrow Open Water from the library

Love in colour by Bolu Babalola
A beautiful collection of short stories – Love in colour retells iconic love stories from around the world. It’s a sweeping collection drawing inspiration from West African folktales, Greek myths, and the present day.
Borrow Love in colour from the library

Assembly by Natasha Brown
A short, powerful novel about a…

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Better World Books – virtual tour

Today I was pleased to attend a short virtual tour of Better World Books’ warehouse in Dunfermline. Unfortunately, I didn’t think to take any screenshots but as a longtime supporter and customer of theirs, I found the tour extremely interesting.

“Better World Books is a for-profit, socially conscious business and a global online bookseller that collects and sells new and used books online, matching each purchase with a book donation. Each sale generates funds for literacy and education initiatives in the U.S., the UK, and around the world. Since its launch in 2003, Better World Books has raised $33 million for libraries and literacy, donated over 32 million books, and reused or recycled more than 397 million books”

source: https://www.betterworldbooks.com/

A few interesting points from the Virtual Tour:

• Books received at warehouse from libraries or donation drop boxes are processed and either sent to the Internet Archive, donated (children’s books), or listed for wholesale
• Unsellable/unusable books are recycled into animal bedding
• 1 million books currently on their shelves for sale
• Partnered with 4000 libraries globally
• Received a Circular Economy award from ScotGov
• Packaging is recycled, biodegradable plastic and cardboard boxes are reused multiple times before being recycled into animal bedding

History: History – About Better World Books

Impact: Our Impact – About Better World Books

Buy your secondhand books from Better World!

Books and Borrowing 1750-1830: Il étoit une fois…: The Advocates Library and the ‘Le Cabinet des Fées’

Edinburgh Library and Information Services Agency

Original post from: Books and Borrowing 1750-1830: An Analysis of Scottish Borrowers’ Registers

https://borrowing.stir.ac.uk/

When I began transcribing the borrowing registers of the Advocates Library, I expected to find that law reports, Session Papers, periodicals, and books of law were popular with the erudite lawyers of the Faculty of Advocates. I took stock upon the completion of the transcriptions for two registers covering the period from 1 April 1788 until 24 February 1791 (F.R. 262.a/15 and F. R. 262.a/16). These registers were chosen in accordance with our policy of focussing on particular decades as described here.

It was a surprise to find that the most-borrowed title was not a legal text or a work of history or philosophy. It wasLe cabinet des fées, ou collection choisie des contes des fées, et autres contes merveilleux, ornés de figuresa work of 41 duodecimo volumes published between…

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Home improvements – 1927 style

I love old photos like this

Tales of One City

Among our collections we have a vast number of images from the numerous Improvement Schemes that were carried out in Edinburgh.

By the late 1800s and early 1900s overcrowding and poor sanitation was proving to be the main problem for the Town Council who had gained powers to make substantial changes within the Old Town through the Edinburgh City Improvement Act 1867. Under this act tenements were improved, enhancing living conditions for residents.

The Edinburgh (Canongate, Corstorphine etc ) Improvement Scheme 1927 covered areas of the Old Town, Morrison Street, Broughton Road, Greenside and further afield to Corstorphine.

Many of the places we are familiar with now, looked very different in the 20s and 30s. If you watched Outlander you will be familiar with Bakehouse Close which was used for the location of Jamie’s Print Shop. Take a look at the close in 1927, and it doesn’t look that dissimilar…

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