National Museum of Scotland tours
Our knowledgeable guides will take you on a fascinating tour of
our collection highlights. There are also themed tours on offer,
which change on a daily basis, and short tours for families. You
can find out more about our tours
here.
Talks and lectures
Our programme of talks at the National Museum of Scotland
includes fascinating insights into our collections from the
museums’ curators and lectures from guest speakers from a range of
disciplines. Visit our what’s on pages
to find out more about upcoming talks and lectures.
Courses
We are hosting a new programme of daytime and evening adult
courses and Saturday schools in conjunction with Open Studies at
the University of Edinburgh's Office of Lifelong Learning. With
options ranging from archaeology to Scottish textiles, there's
something for everyone. Find out more about
our courses here.
Workshops
Our varied events programme regularly includes workshops for
adults and children. From arts and crafts to science and
technology, discover what’s coming up in our what’s on section.
Sketching and photography in the museums
We welcome budding artists to our museums. Folding seats are
available in the National Museum of Scotland for anyone wishing to
spend time in the galleries sketching.
We are also happy for you to take photographs, including flash
photography, in the galleries, although photography is not
permitted in special exhibitions and in certain areas of our
sites.
Anyone wishing to use a tripod should contact the information
desk to obtain a photopass. All photographers wishing to take
photographs for publication on other websites, for all printed
matter or other commercial use, are asked to contact Maggie Wilson
at the Picture Library on 0131 247 4026 or email m.wilson@nms.ac.uk.
If you enjoy taking photographs in our sites, why not join our
National Museums Scotland Flickr
groups?
Research resources
You can now search our collections
online. The collections search is also accessible from
terminals in the Info Zone, on Level 3 of the National Museum of
Scotland.
Visitors are also invited to use our libraries at the National Museum of Scotland and
National War Museum.
We offer a picture library for
photographic research, and if you can't find what you're looking
for, our Picture Library staff will be happy to help.
If you are interested in discovering old manuscripts and
letters, researching Scottish social history or tracing your family
tree, our Scottish Life Archive offers a
unique insight into all aspects of Scottish life.
Training courses for museum professionals
National Museums Scotland provides a selection of free workshops
to colleagues in Scotland’s museums and galleries. You can find out
more about our training courses
here.