Glasgow Women’s Library 

In a beautiful twist of irony, Glasgow Women’s Library is housed in the former Bridgeton Library, where women were not permitted in the general reading room. Happily, all genders are now welcome at this wonderful repository of feminist culture and women’s histories. As well as a collection featuring suffragette, queer and protest artefacts, the library hosts regular conversation cafés and women’s heritage walks, among other events. 

23 Landressy Street, Glasgow.

Edinburgh Central Library 

Across the road from the austere but eminently practical National Library Of Scotland lies Edinburgh’s flagship community library. Its palatial Victorian building sprawls from George IV Bridge down to the Cowgate, but the jewel in its crown is its reference room, where you can live out your Belle from Beauty And The Beast fantasies among its creamy arches and miles of leather bound tomes. It’s also home to three of the famous mystery book sculptures that appeared around Edinburgh in 2011.

7–9 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.

Dunfermline Carnegie Library 

The original library in Andrew Carnegie’s philanthropic library-building programme is in his hometown of Dunfermline. This baronial establishment started out life as a modest town library, but in recent years has undergone a £12m refurbishment programme and now houses a gallery, museum of local artefacts, café, and a gorgeous knot garden to chill out with a book in, overlooking Dunfermline’s majestic medieval abbey. 

1 Abbot Street, Dunfermline.