Library

The George Waterston Library & Archives Collection

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Need help?

Rosie Filipiak, our librarian, can assist with your catalogue, reading and research enquiries. As she works one day a week, there may be a delay responding to your query.

The Library

The SOC has been collecting ornithological books, journals and bird reports since 1948 to the present day, making it the largest ornithological library in Scotland. This up-to-date working collection has a particular emphasis on Scottish material and meets the needs of beginner bird watchers, researchers and professional ornithologists.

The Archives

The Club has a large and unique collection of ornithological archives, ephemera and artefacts including material relating to the SOC, as well as notebooks, correspondence and photographs belonging to amateur enthusiasts and eminent Scottish ornithologists. Highlights include Baxter’s and Rintoul’s diaries and George Waterston’s bird watching notes written whilst incarcerated in a German prisoner of war camp. Our archives are now available to search on the JISC Archives Hub, using the link below.

SOC ARCHIVES

Obituaries of well-known Scottish ornithologists, all of them former members of the SOC, can be accessed here.

Online reference books and journals

A great deal of reference material is now available online. Some of this is free to access but often there is a charge for the most recent material. Click here for links to some useful lists of journals and to collections of digitised ornithological books.

Planning your visit

The library is open to all for reference (members of the SOC may borrow items), during Waterston House opening hours. For access to rarer titles and archives, please contact us in advance so we can ensure someone is available to assist you.

The library is occasionally used for meetings and so not always available for users. Please check with the office before travelling.

Library services

If you are unable to visit the library, we may be able to post your book or photocopies (conditions and p&p charges apply); please contact us with your request.

We can provide scans and photocopies: up to one chapter, one article from an issue of a journal or 5% of the publication, whichever is the greater. Charges are:

Black and white photocopies: 5p per sheet for the first 20 pages and 10p per sheet thereafter
Colour photocopies: 15p per sheet
Scans: contact us for a quote

Please complete and return a Copyright Declaration Form with every request.

Can't find what you're looking for?

Try searching the national database of library holdings. In a single search you can discover the holdings of the UK’s National Libraries (including the British Library), many university libraries, and specialist research libraries.

Second-hand bookshop

We have hundreds of titles available to browse in the shop at Waterston House. The stock is constantly being refreshed with new donations. Please contact us if there’s something in particular you’re after.

Book and archive donations

Books
The Club is extremely fortunate and grateful to receive donations of high quality natural history books. If donated books duplicate what we already have in the library, they will be offered for sale through our second-hand bookshop at our headquarters, helping to raise funds for the Club.

We accept donations of all books (hardback and paperback) on any aspect of ornithology worldwide including travel/exploration narratives and art history. We also accept pamphlets and booklets of Scottish ornithological interest.

Archive items
We have a large and unique collection of ornithological archives, ephemera and artefacts including material relating to the SOC, as well as notebooks, correspondence and photographs belonging to amateur enthusiasts and eminent Scottish ornithologists. We are always happy to consider archival material that you think would be of interest to add to our collection. Please contact the Librarian for advice.

You can complete our Book Donation Form and our Archive Entry Form and Archive Transfer of Title Form in advance of your visit. It is also possible to leave a bequest of books to the SOC in your Will.

Donations of other ornithological items
Journals

We do not usually accept back issues of journals. However, do check with the Librarian first, as there are a handful of titles that we would accept.

Optics
We are happy to take receipt of any pre-loved binoculars and monoculars of modern design and in good condition, which we can make available to participants on our bird ID skills guided walks and other SOC birdwatching courses/events. Any equipment we receive that is surplus to requirements, we may pass on to the BTO Equipment Donation Scheme, which supports young people unable to afford their own optics.

Art
In general, we do not accept donations of art or craft items (e.g. watercolours, ornithological prints, sculptures, etc) as they are difficult to sell through our shop, not least because we prioritise the work of the artists exhibiting year-round in our dedicated wildlife art gallery. If you are looking to sell any pre-owned art, we recommend that you contact an auction house, as they are best placed to do this, in particular Lyon &Turnbull or Ramsay Cornish Auctioneers.