Edinburgh Libraries’ Digital Team have created a Fiction Map of their city. Using the Google Map interface, they have pinpointed stories where they intersect with places in Edinburgh. They’ve discovered that this is a really popular tool for people to discover new books.

The Edinburgh Fiction Map grows as staff become aware of new books located in Edinburgh. Sometimes readers, or even authors, will suggest books to be included on the map. Some well-known authors like Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall Smith, have set numerous books in Edinburgh’s streets or closes. However, to encourage readers to discover new writers, each author is given just one pin to represent their work.

The Google Map is easy to customise. Create your map, identify where the book should be placed and then click to add a pin marker. You can give each marker a title and description and even change the pin to a different icon or picture, such as the book covers. Perhaps, most importantly, Edinburgh Libraries then add a link to the book’s entry in the library catalogue so that readers can click straight through and reserve a copy to borrow.

If you’d like more information about the Edinburgh Fiction Map, contact Edinburgh Libraries via informationdigital@edinburgh.gov.uk