Library and Information Resources
Students and staff have access to a variety of library and information resources, including a substantial body of library resources internal to the department.
Internal Resources
The department currently holds two themed libraries with a third library of 6,700 volumes being added during the 2010-2011 academic year.
The Islamic Library
The Islamic Library consists of approximately 2,000 volumes on Islam and the Middle East, broadly covering such topics as history and religion with significant resources in languages.
The Islamic Library is located on the first floor of 19 George Square, and is available for the use of students and staff. It holds a useful collection of Arabic, Persian and Turkish language books as well as secondary literature, and provides a place for study.
The Library is staffed by student volunteers and during semester time is generally open between 10 am and 5 pm, Monday to Friday. The Islamic Library is a research-only library and borrowing is not permitted.
The Turkish Library
The Turkish Library is a collection of approximately 1,000 volumes located on the ground floor of 19 George Square. Like the Islamic Library, the Turkish Library is a non-circulating research library with desk space for quiet study.
The Demirkent Library
In the spring of 2010 the department was gifted the 6,700 volume Demirkent library from Turkey. This library is a generous donation from the estate of the late
Prof. Dr. Işın Demirkent (1938-2006), one of the most prominent Ottomanists in Turkey, and contains a wide range of materials relevant to the study of the eastern Mediterranean region. A new storage facility is being prepared for the collection at 19 George Square and resources will be available by request once cataloguing is complete.
External Resources
In addition to the nearly 10,000 volumes now held by the Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, there are numerous other library resources available within Edinburgh.
The Edinburgh University Library
The Main Library is located in George Square. Reading materials assigned for the department's taught courses are generally available in the Heavily Used Books (HUB) section in the Library.
Books acquired since 1985 are catalogued on-line and this catalogue can be accessed via the various terminals throughout the University.
Among the specialised material is that held in the Islamic and Middle Eastern Room ,which includes the collections of Montgomery Watt and R. B. Serjeant .
There are regular introductory tours of the Main Library, especially during the Autumn Semester.
The National Library of Scotland
The National Library of Scotland (NLS) is located three blocks from the George Square campus on George IV Bridge. A non-circulating copyright library, the NLS receives copies of all new volumes on Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies that are published in the British Isles.
Edinburgh City Libraries
In addition to the numerous research libraries accessible from the George Square campus, the Edinburgh Council maintains a network of City Libraries that can provide useful supplemental materials from their lending stock. The nearest library to George Square is the City Main Library, on George IV Bridge opposite the NLS.
Other External Resources
Books can be purchased at range of bookstores in Edinburgh including Word Power and Blackwells . There are also a number of second-hand bookstores in Edinburgh, primarily located in Newington and Toll Cross, both of which are within a 10 minute walk from George Square.
