New College Library

New College Library has one of the largest collections for Theology and Religious Studies in the UK. 

We hold more than a quarter of a million printed items, including many rare and historic books. We also have a large and rich manuscript collection, including the papers of Thomas Chalmers, John Baillie, J H Oldham and James S Stewart.

The University's libraries hold many treasures and total holdings of more than 2.25 million volumes.

New College’s library was originally housed in the Martin Hall however, according to Rev Professor Hugh Watt’s centenary history it was, ‘once characterised by a speaker at the General Assembly as one of the finest in the country and the worst housed’. The vast collection was continuously in ‘”much admired disorder”‘, with specific books often difficult to find and the space available overcrowded with volumes.

So by 1934 new library premises were sought. It was decided that the High Church – already integrated within the New College buildings – was such a natural choice that one could be forgiven for believing Playfair had its repurposing in mind all along!