otherInformationThe Library was formally inaugurated in 1689 although the Faculty of Advocates already had a collection of books before then. From the start, the collection was not restricted to legal works. In 1709, the status of the Library was confirmed when Queen Anne's Copyright Act gave the Keeper of the Library the right to claim a copy of every book published in the British Isles. The Advocates Library came to be recognised as the natural depository for literary materials of national importance, and by the 1850s, the Library had become in effect Scotland's national library. In 1925 non-legal material was transferred to the National Library of Scotland.
otherInformationThe Library was formally inaugurated in 1689 although the Faculty of Advocates already had a collection of books before then. From the start, the collection was not restricted to legal works. In 1709, the status of the Library was confirmed when Queen Anne's Copyright Act gave the Keeper of the Library the right to claim a copy of every book published in the British Isles. The Advocates Library came to be recognised as the natural depository for literary materials of national importance, and by the 1850s, the Library had become in effect Scotland's national library. In 1925 non-legal material was transferred to the National Library of Scotland.