Leadhills Miners’ Library

  Leadhills Miners’ Library was founded in 1741. It is the world’s first library for working people and Britain’s oldest subscription library. This type of library was a club or society and Scotland’s most common library format until the late 19th century. The rules and regulations at Leadhills became the model for many others.

The library was the first in Britain to practice an early form of lifelong learning called ‘Mutual Improvement’, an ethos of improving and increasing personal knowledge by learning as part of an interactive group rather than working alone. 

The collection of 2500 books dating from the 18th century sit alongside library artefacts, historic archives, local records, and photographs, as well as a display of rare minerals connected to the local mining industry. The library also holds a 46-volume record of contracts between the mine managers and miners from 1737-1854, known as the Bargain Books. It is the largest collection of its kind in Scotland and one of Britain’s largest.

Leadhills Miners’ Library is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, May-September 2-5pm.