The National Library of Scotland has announced its programme for 2020 with exhibitions on trailblazers and explorers.
Collections will focus on the challenges that faced Scotland’s revolutionary women mountaineers, a diplomatic mission to the Ottoman Empire during the Napoleonic Wars, and women’s experiences of major social change in 20th-century Scotland.
A new exhibition gallery uncovering cherished items from the archive is also due to open in July.
Featuring items from the Middle Ages to the present day, it will include relics of the printed word, extremely rare recordings from the moving image and sound collections, and personal archives.
National Librarian Dr John Scally said: “We are excited about the programme on offer for the year ahead. It’s the perfect result of everything we do: scholarly research, preservation and storytelling.
“Much of next year’s content tells the stories of people from various walks of life, going where no one has gone before.
“Scotland has an incredibly rich history, both domestically and internationally, and visitors to the Library will experience some of these stories brought to life in vivid detail.
“We look forward to welcoming everyone who comes to us seeking inspiration, a sense of place, and of course – our forte – knowledge of the world around us.”
Other upcoming collections include Engineering Scotland: the Stevenson Archive, Alan Ramsay: Writing the Scots Enlightenmentand the Elizabeth Soutar Bookbinding Awards.
