<strong>Letters:</strong> Songs and ballads of the 16th and 17th centuries are hardly making a ‘comeback’, writes <strong>Austen Lynch</strong> – they never left
IN just a few sentences, Dr John Scally can discuss travel novels and 15th century trade links and still have time to mention Steve Jobs, Muriel Spark and Abraham Lincoln. It’s a body of knowledge that gives a taste of the world-class collections he’s been guarding and growing at the National Library of Scotland (NLS) for the past seven years as a transformation programme has made it bigger and more accessible than ever. The Edinburgh institution is the largest library in Scotland and a major European research site. Since 2015 it has beaten international rivals to acquire antique treasures, opened its Moving Image Archive in Glasgow’s historic Kelvin Hall and undertaken an ambitious digital shift that’s helped readers all over the country and the world get their eyes on popular and significant works.