Books and Borrowing 1750-1830

About the Database

Welcome to the Books and Borrowing Database!

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Copyright & Licensing

All images in this resource are made available by kind permission of the copyright holders using a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0 Deed | Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International | Creative Commons.

Citing the Database

Please acknowledge the Books and Borrowing 1750-1830 project in any publications with use our data. To cite any of the information in the resource, click on the ‘cite this page’ buttons which appear on every page, which will give you the specific information you need, and note that the material derives from an AHRC-funded project, reference: AH/T003960/1.

Open Access Data

In line with AHRC’s principles regarding Open Access Data, you can download the data as CSV files using the ‘Download Data’ buttons which appear on relevant pages of the site. You can also access the project’s API (Application Programming Interface) directly at https://borrowing.stir.ac.uk/api/v1/. The API provides all of the pathways to the project’s data that are used by the front-end and allows both computers and humans to query the data and access results in either JSON or CSV formats.

Location of Original Materials

The original borrowers’ registers are held in the following archives

  • Aberdeen Theological Library Borrowers’ Registers: University of Aberdeen Special Collections (MSM 226-232)
  • Advocates Library Borrowers’ Registers: National Library of Scotland (FR262-FR266)
  • Chambers Circulating Library Borrowers’ Register: National Library of Scotland (NLS, Dep. 341/413)
  • Craigston Castle Library Loans Book: Craigston Castle, Turriff (Craigston Castle Loans Book)
  • Dumfries Presbytery Library Issue Book: Ewart Library, Dumfries (EGD51/1)
  • Edinburgh University Library Borrowers’ Registers: University of Edinburgh Special Collections (INI/ADS/LIB/3/Da.2 – INI/ADS/LIB/3/Da.39)
  • Glasgow University Library Borrowers’ Registers: University of Glasgow Archives and Special Collections (MS Lib 1- MSLib6; Ea5-b.1, Ea5-b.1/1-5)
  • Haddington Library (John Gray Library) Borrowers’ Registers: National Library of Scotland (NLS MSS 16480 and 16481)
  • Hunterian Museum Library Borrowers’ Register: University of Glasgow Archives and Special Collections (MR 25)
  • Innerpeffray Library Borrowers’ Registers: Innerpeffray Library, Crieff (Innerpeffray Borrowers’ Register Vol. 1)
  • Inverness Kirk Sessions Library Borrowers’ Register: Inverness Public Library (in [uncatalogued] MS Catalogue 1737)
  • Leighton Library Borrowers’ Registers: University of Stirling Archives (Leighton MSS 25, 26, 27 and 30)
  • Orkney Library Borrowers’ Registers: Orkney Library and Archives (C05-100-02, C05-100-03, C05-100-04 and C05-100-05)
  • Royal High School of Edinburgh Library Borrowers’ Registers: Edinburgh City Archives (SL137/14/1, SL137/14/3, SL137/14/4, SL137/14/5 and SL137/14/6)
  • Selkirk Subscription Library Borrowers’ Registers: Scottish Borders Archive & Local History Centre (S/PL/7/1-2)
  • St Andrews University Library Receipt Books: St Andrews University Library Special Collections (UYLY205-1- UYLY207-14)
  • Westerkirk Kalendar: Westerkirk Parish Library (Westerkirk Kalendar)
  • Wigtown Subscription Library Borrowers’ Registers: Hornel Collection, Broughton House, Kirkcudbright (MS 5.27, MS 11.28, MS 11.29, MS 11.30)

Contact Details for Archives and Libraries