Corstorphine Library

Due to lack of interest, we have unfortunately had to cancel our planned Low Carbon Living information session on Monday 8th June.

To help you , we have put together a new version of our What's On leaflet for Corstorphine Library with information about services and our regular events.

You can also collect a printed copy from the front desk on your next visit.

Tomorrow is Day! Why not pop in and see what you might discover?

2026 is the National Year of Reading -

Our friends at Blackhall have been missing you, and I know you've been missing them too, but next week they will finally be able to open at the new unit at Davidson's Mains Primary School!

They will match the old opening hours, open at 10am each day except Sunday.

Are you interested in practical advice to help save energy and money? Next week on Monday 8th June at 18:30, we are hosting one of charity Changeworks' free Low Carbon Living session, offering bite-sized guidance to help with Saving Energy at Home.

The session offers:
-Home energy-saving tips
-Priority Services Register & Warm Home Discount
-Smart meters & Radio Teleswitch
-Billing concerns and how to speak to your energy supplier
-How to raise a complaint with your energy supplier
-An opportunity to ask energy advice experts questions
-Free, anonymous follow-up through a self-service call back request.

Please register for the event in advance with the following link, or the QR code in the poster:
https://www.changeworks.org.uk/geh-events/?cw_eventid=98af9745-d052-f111-bec7-7ced8db81094&cw_eventtype=Saving%20energy%20at%20home&cw_eventtime=Monday%2C%20June%208%2C%202026%206%3A30%20PM%20at%20Costorphine%20Library

Our opening hours have varied quite a lot for Edinburgh Libraries, including a period during 1939 when we closed at dusk, as part of air raid precautions! Remember that these will change with the Future Libraries strategy in the coming year. As with the past 90 years, whenever we are open, we'll be here to serve the Corstorphine community as best we can.

We were very touched that Gylemuir's P2 classes, along with our regulars at Crafternoons, decorated a lovely cake for the library's birthday!

The full list of Heritage resources for researching your family and community history is available on our website:
https://yourlibrary.edinburgh.gov.uk/web/arena/heritage

Next Thursday is Discover Your Library Day, supported by The Reading Agency.

If you don't feel you have a lot of time to read, we have a whole Short Stories section including the Quick Reads offering from The Reading Agency. We are also temporarily home to the Pocket Collection, a great set of short books you won't need to spend too long to finish.

There is so much that you can do in our (or any) branch and online with your library card, and it is all free! If you're not sure if you're a member, come along with some ID or proof of address and we can make you a new one.

2026 is the National Year of Reading -

Historic annual reports from Corstorphine Library paint an interesting picture of the local community that has remained interested in its own history amid changes to the buildings, parks and, of course, the library itself.

It is hard to imaging the library without its rear extension (proposed and approved in 1960), but the report from 1991 covers two big changes: replacing the old revolving door with a wheelchair-accessible ramp and door, and enlarging the desk area to allow the installation of our first computers!

If you want to see pictures, maps and stories through the years of Edinburgh, have a look at Our Town Stories through Edinburgh Libraries:
https://www.ourtownstories.co.uk/

While our own garden is blooming, are you interested in joining in as the warm summer weather comes in?
Our friends at Drumbrae Library are hosting workshops about growing food using seeds, the first of which is on Monday. Just head along for 6pm, it is free and there is no need to book ahead.

We are delighted to share that Drumbrae Hub now has its very own Seed Library, in collaboration with Lauriston Farm. As part of this new project, we are offering free workshops for people to learn more about food growing and seed saving.

Our first workshop, Grow a Row, encourages the local community to dedicate a row, a pot, or a garden bed to growing seeds for our Seed Library. Hannah from Lauriston Farm will be visiting us to talk about the importance of seed saving and how to grow specifically for seed saving. The main focus of this workshop will be on pea and bean seeds, alongside a selection of flowers and herbs.

There will be seeds available to take home so you can get growing yourself. We will then meet again in late summer to learn how to gather and prepare these plants for seed saving, and hopefully restock the Seed Library with what the community has grown.

This session is suitable for adults, and you do not need a large garden to take part. Whether you have a small garden bed, a few pots, or even a balcony, there are plenty of ways to grow for seed saving in small spaces

Monday 1st June at 6pm
Free
Adult event, age 16+

One of the resources you can use to research history yourself is the British Newspaper Archive! You can register for an account when logged into a library computer or with your own device when using the Library Wi-Fi, and access a vast collection of newspaper articles going back to 1710!
https://yourlibrary.edinburgh.gov.uk/web/arena/bna

This was a useful source of information about the library's history:
£10 (over £1000 in today's money) was raised at a concert in 1876 for the Corstorphine Public Library fund. This was supplemented in 1901 by great patron of libraries, Andrew Carnegie, who provided £1000 for construction of the older library building next door.
The old library was agreed to be sold to the 10th Midlothian Boy Scout group to be used as their headquarters in 1935.
While there was no formal opening of the new building, Corstorphine Library was advertised soon after it opened its doors on 29th May 1936: 90 years ago on Friday!

British Newspaper Archive - Edinburgh The British Newspaper Archive offers online access to millions of pages of British and Irish newspapers from 1700s to 1990s. It's a fantastic resource for everyone interested in history, and especially for family and local historians.