Collections - Scottish Poetry Library
Source: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/library/collections
Archived: 2026-04-23 15:38
Collections - Scottish Poetry Library
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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.
Donations Policy
The Scottish Poetry Library is always pleased to receive donations, as laid out in our Collection Management Policy.
Deposits, donations, gift and bequests
Publishers and poets are encouraged to voluntarily deposit their newly published poetry items. Other donations are accepted on a case by case basis. Donations are accepted on the understanding that the items belong to the Library and may be subject to future withdrawal. Donations sent without prior agreement may not be accepted into stock and may be disposed of through the means listed in 8.4 Generally the Library is unable to accept manuscripts or loose-leaf collections. Assessment criteria for donations typically includes:
Format
Ability to provide appropriate space to house them
Potential of items to enhance the existing collections and support future research
Potential costs of cataloguing, conserving and storing the items
Physical condition of items
Donations and deposits of self-published works
We recognise that poetry is published through many means. We also understand that poets are passionate about their poetry; and rightly so. While we would like to be able to accept everything, we have to be pragmatic about the space we have available and the focus of the collection we are developing.
A small review panel of SPL staff meets monthly to review donations and deposits that have been self-published. NB Typically work that is often limited editions produced by established and recognised presses that poets may run themselves is not part of the same review process.
The panel will take into consideration the following:
Format· Ability to provide appropriate space to house them
Potential of items to enhance the existing collections and support future research
Potential costs of cataloguing, conserving and storing the items
Physical condition of items
Standard of publication
Presentation, including font, layout on page
Quality of paper, binding, etc
Proof reading (eg spelling mistakes)
Use of images – quality, copyright, sizing to page, etc
Publication information provided (eg date of publication, location, etc)
Representation of different types of poetry / poets
Context of poetry / poets
Appeal to our users
It should be noted that prior inclusion of a publication by a poet, does not mean that future deposits will be accepted, or vice-versa. Each title will be considered individually. It can be helpful if you can include a little information about yourself.
We are unable to return by post deposits that are not accepted into the collection. However, we will hold them for one month after the panel has met if the donor wishes to collect. Uncollected deposits will be disposed of by the means laid out in the Collection Management Policy.
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.
IH Finlay books in SPL
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
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
More from
Aonghas MacNeacail
Share poem on Facebook
Share poem on Twitter
Share poem on Pinterest
Visit us
Monday to Thursday from 10am to 3pm
The Library has free spaces available for work and study.
Ask a Librarian
Contact us
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To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
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Skip to content
Home
>
Library
>
Collections
Donate
Ask a Librarian
Translate:
EN
|
GD
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.
Donations Policy
The Scottish Poetry Library is always pleased to receive donations, as laid out in our Collection Management Policy.
Deposits, donations, gift and bequests
Publishers and poets are encouraged to voluntarily deposit their newly published poetry items. Other donations are accepted on a case by case basis. Donations are accepted on the understanding that the items belong to the Library and may be subject to future withdrawal. Donations sent without prior agreement may not be accepted into stock and may be disposed of through the means listed in 8.4 Generally the Library is unable to accept manuscripts or loose-leaf collections. Assessment criteria for donations typically includes:
Format
Ability to provide appropriate space to house them
Potential of items to enhance the existing collections and support future research
Potential costs of cataloguing, conserving and storing the items
Physical condition of items
Donations and deposits of self-published works
We recognise that poetry is published through many means. We also understand that poets are passionate about their poetry; and rightly so. While we would like to be able to accept everything, we have to be pragmatic about the space we have available and the focus of the collection we are developing.
A small review panel of SPL staff meets monthly to review donations and deposits that have been self-published. NB Typically work that is often limited editions produced by established and recognised presses that poets may run themselves is not part of the same review process.
The panel will take into consideration the following:
Format· Ability to provide appropriate space to house them
Potential of items to enhance the existing collections and support future research
Potential costs of cataloguing, conserving and storing the items
Physical condition of items
Standard of publication
Presentation, including font, layout on page
Quality of paper, binding, etc
Proof reading (eg spelling mistakes)
Use of images – quality, copyright, sizing to page, etc
Publication information provided (eg date of publication, location, etc)
Representation of different types of poetry / poets
Context of poetry / poets
Appeal to our users
It should be noted that prior inclusion of a publication by a poet, does not mean that future deposits will be accepted, or vice-versa. Each title will be considered individually. It can be helpful if you can include a little information about yourself.
We are unable to return by post deposits that are not accepted into the collection. However, we will hold them for one month after the panel has met if the donor wishes to collect. Uncollected deposits will be disposed of by the means laid out in the Collection Management Policy.
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.
IH Finlay books in SPL
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
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
More from
Aonghas MacNeacail
Share poem on Facebook
Share poem on Twitter
Share poem on Pinterest
Visit us
Monday to Thursday from 10am to 3pm
The Library has free spaces available for work and study.
Ask a Librarian
Contact us
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options
Manage services
Manage {vendor_count} vendors
Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title}
{title}
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