Leighton Library 2026 Geraldine Goddard Memorial Lecture – Books and Borrowing in Scotland, 1750-1830 – presented by Professor Katie Halsey – 10am for 10.30am in Dunblane Cathedral Hall on Saturday 28 November.

In this lecture, Professor Halsey will depict the broad landscape of books and reading in Scotland between 1750 and 1830, based on research findings from the Books and Borrowing 1750-1830: An Analysis of Scottish Borrowers’ Registers research project. When interpreted carefully, the borrowing records of Scottish libraries reveal patterns in reading that can help us to revise and nuance received narratives about the influence and popularity of particular books and authors in our nation’s culture and history.  Each library included in the Books and Borrowing project has its own institutional flavour, and Professor Halsey will talk in particular about the Leighton Library’s particular patterns and trends in this lecture. However, the aggregation of data has also allowed us to trace with relative confidence some Scotland-wide trends, and in this lecture, Professor Halsey will address the key task of identifying the books, genres and authors that were most influential in Scotland in the long eighteenth century, and explain why these findings might be important in our discussions of the past.

Katie Halsey is Professor of Eighteenth-Century Literature at the University of Stirling, and Co-Director of its Centre for Eighteenth-Century Studies. She has published several books, including Jane Austen and her Readers, 1786-1945, The History of Reading (with Rosalind Crone and Shafquat Towheed), and Shakespeare and Authority (with Angus Vine), and more than forty articles and book chapters. She is the Principal Investigator of the Books and Borrowing 1750-1830 research project, and is currently writing on a book on libraries and library use in Scotland in the long eighteenth century.

This is the third annual lecture, commemorating the kind bequest of Geraldine Goddard. With her generosity, the recent Leighton Library Restoration was able to be started. The fabric of the building had been in need of restoration for some time. As a result of Geraldine’s bequest, and further grant funding from Historic and Environment Scotland and numerous other bodies and individuals, the restoration commenced just over three years ago. The summer of 2024 saw the Leighton Library reopen with record numbers of visitors.

This promises to be a really interesting event. The event is free. There will be light refreshments provided so that there will be time to mingle and chat. The Leighton Library will also be open on request following the lecture for those who would like to revisit “Dunblane’s hidden gem.”