Scottish Radical Library

The Scottish Radical Library is a unique resource in Scotland. It houses a substantial collection of materials of social, cultural and economic interest, comprising thousands of items donated by users, supporters, members and publishers.

The Scottish Radical Library exists to preserve, promote and celebrate cultures of resistance and to serve as a as a self-managed public space to learn and to share - a real 'people's library'.  Everything
at the Scottish Radical Library - acquisitions, cataloguing, preservation work, publishing, answering enquiries -  is done by volunteers.  Therefore, our running costs are met by donations from members of the collective, subscribers and supporters, so please consider becoming a friend of the Scottish Radical or making a donation.

What will you find at the Library?

Some of the contents of the existing library and archive are as follows: The Scottish Radical Library 'Cultures of Resistance' book collection. We hope that the literature we stock empowers & inspires people to make positive changes to the world - from challenging the power of corporate capitalism to breaking down prejudiced attitudes to others & ourselves.
The Library collection comprises information broadly in the following sections: Socialism, Anarchism, & Marxism;  The Workplace and Workers' Struggles; Unemployed Workers' Movements; Economics; Critical Social Work; Children and Libraries; Prisons and Policing; The History of Education and Popular Education; Health Provision and Autonomous Health; Media and Alternative Media; Critical Theory, Post-modernism and Post-structuralism; Alter-globalisation and Social Movements; Immigration and Internationalism; Feminism, Trans-gender, Gender, & Queer;  Religion; Sport and Leisure; World Histories; Local History; World Literature; and Local Literature.
The Scottish Radical Library public archives. Papers and other historical materials from  national groups and many individual archive items and personal collections.

The Scottish Radical Library periodicals collection. Current and back-issues of papers and magazine, comics and academic periodicals.

This includes many local publications since the 1970s, Scottish publications such as Counter Information New-sheet and the Aberdeen Peoples Press, as well as international publications like the Industrial Workers of the Worlds'  (IWW) Industrial Worker, and the Spanish language CNT.  Current in-print magazines papers & bulletins include: Abolishing the Borders from Below, Black Flag, Freedom, Organise!, Resistance, Direct Action, Bread & Roses, Aufheben, Shift, Workers Solidarity, Zabalaza, Gagged, & Now or Never.

The Scottish Radical Film Library.  Radical and community videos and DVDs of film, documentaries and artists' work may be viewed at the Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh.

The Scottish Radical Library 'International Revolutionary Posters' collection. Includes posters from Scotland and the rest of the UK, Spain, Greece, Italy, France, South Africa, Mexico, USA, and many
other countries.

The Scottish Radical Library 'Women's Health Reference Library'. A local group's collection of books on all aspects of women's health.

The Scottish Radical Library 'Bumba' Children's Library.  This is a new project to stock books for all age-groups for children that promote peace, social and environmental justice, and equality.

The Scottish Radical Library Online.  We have recently started a scanned and on-line documents project. And plan to further scan in some of the rarer material ... You may need to use the zoom facility on your browser or save the page before reading – website is currently being developed.