Patriots and rogues: some Scottish lairds and their libraries.

This article examines some of the lesser known libraries of Scottish lairds and gentry. The research here formed the basis of the keynote paper delivered at the Library and Information History Group’s annual conference 2017 which was held in Dundee, focusing on the theme ‘the information landscape in Scotland, 1600-1900. The article draws on archival research, focusing on a number of Scottish lairds and gentry families who developed significant libraries. Some such as William Drummond of Hawthornden and Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun are well-remembered but others such as William Forbes of Tolquhon or the Earls of Seafield have had more modest attention in the scholarly record. The place of the library in the smaller Scottish country house is also addressed from social, cultural as well as architectural terms. Reference is also made to links which existed between Scotland and the Scottish gentry and continental Europe. The article also highlights distinctive differences in approach observed in the Scottish gentry compared with their English counterparts

It is ridiculous that the Borough Librarian of Croydon should decide the policy of the Scottish Education Department: the establishment of Scotland's second library school.

In the middle of the 1960s, amid concerns about the direction of professional education in Scotland and problems with the number of places available for those to wishing to study librarianship, there emerged a strongly nationalistic debate surrounding proposals to establish a second school of librarianship in Scotland. The process of establishing that second school at Robert Gordons Institute of Technology in Aberdeen became protracted and fraught with difficulties. It was characterized by disputes and misunderstandings between the Library Association and the Scottish Library Association. Many of these differences of opinion took on a distinctly nationalistic quality and the debate within the library community at the time can be said to offer wider, allegorical lessons for the changing political landscape between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. This article outlines this debate, principally from the perspective of the members of Scottish librarianship community. It draws extensively on a hitherto private archive of correspondence of those directly involved

The development of a national heritage policy for libraries and book collections of country houses.

This work examines the country house libraries of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Hitherto this is an area largely overlooked both in terms of librarianship and social history. The first part of the thesis examines the historical development of book collections within country houses. In addition to pure historical bibliography it also examines the two essentials behind their development, the people and the houses. The work goes on to focus on the current situation within the United Kingdom. By means of a near comprehensive survey of extant collections, the current picture is identified in terms of the types of material, the collectors, the condition of material, the methods of preservation and, significantly, the willingness of owners to concede access. All of these issues are fundamental components in the study and have been investigated further in order to enable the attainment of the final objective, the creation of a national heritage policy for these collections. This final element focuses particularly on methods of preservation, the potential for funding and the question of access to collections. The policy relies on evidence acquired at the earlier stages of the research as well as that acquired during a second survey dealing predominantly with preservation, access and funding. This is coupled with the identification of current best practice within the library preservation field. Extensive use has been made of contact with owners and administrators of collections by means of the surveys, interviews, observational visits and correspondence. In addition, heritage organisations and structures within the United Kingdom have been analysed, with emphasis on those with direct impact on the country house. This research is fundamentally about two things: the historical development of collections and the approaches likely to ensure their survival

On the residual and profinite closures of commensurated subgroups

The residual closure of a subgroup $H$ of a group $G$ is the intersection of all virtually normal subgroups of $G$ containing $H$. We show that if $G$ is generated by finitely many cosets of $H$ and if $H$ is commensurated, then the residual closure of $H$ in $G$ is virtually normal. This implies that separable commensurated subgroups of finitely generated groups are virtually normal. A stream of applications to separable subgroups, polycyclic groups, residually finite groups, groups acting on trees, lattices in products of trees and just-infinite groups then flows from this main result.Comment: 22 page

Digital storytelling and participatory local heritage through the creation of an online moving image archive: a case-study of Fraserburgh on Film.

Purpose: The aim of the research was to create a site which could host an archive of moving image associated with the town of Fraserburgh in Scotland, but could also include other digital artefacts to support and enhance the narratives contained within the films. Elements of digital storytelling were utilised, and a purposely designed section, "behind the film", was included within the site which saw stories presented and supported with the use of archive newspaper clippings, photography and a series of reflective audio clips recorded for the research. Design/methodology/approach: "Fraserburgh on Film" is an online platform created for the purpose of collating digital heritage film from the communities situated in the corner of North East Scotland. The research adopted an ethnographic approach working within the community, with James Taylor and other contributors to collect and curate moving images associated with the town. Archival research then supplemented these films. A digital platform was then constructed, tested and launched as the archival repository for the materials collected. Findings: The research highlights the importance of having a close association with the community in question and provides details about the creation of the platform and framing it in the context of a vehicle for digital storytelling and participatory heritage. The article demonstrates how archive film should be gathered, edited and remastered for long-term preservation and access. Practical aspects such as video hosting, searchability, metadata are explored as are subsequent methods of dissemination and engagement. Practical implications: The research highlights a number of practical decisions which must be made when considering similar projects. These include gaining access to the moving images in the first place but also significant infrastructural issues around the creation, organisation and dissemination of an online digital repository. These lessons are transferable to other small community-based cultural and heritage organisations. Social implications: The archive has been very positively received in the community as an important repository for preserving community heritage and identity. High levels of public engagement have been demonstrated since its launch, which has led to new material being discovered. The archive has a wider cultural legacy across the North East of Scotland because of both the nature of the films and the widespread use of the Doric dialect. Originality/value: The originality lies in the distinctive amount of moving image (and oral history) collected by local historian, James Taylor and his willingness to allow his materials to be edited and repurposed to ensure their long-term survival. The lessons learnt in this project are transferable to other locations in terms of both collecting material, the creation of the hosting platform and in crowdsourcing background information. The crucial importance of working with community partners in digital heritage work is reinforced. The research affords practical illustrations of steps to be taken and factors to be considered. It demonstrates how a well-crafted digital heritage product can genuinely engage with the community

Talk to them like they’re people: a cross-cultural comparison of teen-centred approaches in public library services.

The aim of this research is to observe and analyse cross-cultural examples of public libraries with strong teen services, to identify key elements of practice and approach that enable these libraries’ successful and impactful interactions with teenagers. A particular focus is placed on factors that are a matter of mind-set rather than of specific facilities, to offer these as transferable lessons that can be applied widely, including by smaller libraries and those with fewer resources. A comparative case study was conducted at two locations selected as examples of strong teen services in their respective regions: Lava and TioTretton in Sweden and Tompkins County Public Library in the United States. Data were collected via interviews, observation and document analysis. Key factors identified as contributing to successful, teen-centred services include providing a space, no matter how small, that is solely for teens, where they can experience a sense of ownership and belonging; according teens the same respect as any other library visitor; creating a space that is comfortable and actively signals that everyone is welcome; letting teens take the lead, with staff following their interests and serving as facilitators for their projects; creating flexibility in spaces and programming; employing staff who have varied expertise and genuinely enjoy working with young people; mingling and interacting with visitors; and continually re-evaluating and improving practices

Information: interactions and impact (i3) conference 2015.

The Information: Interactions and Impact (i3) conference was established in 2007 at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, as an international forum to bring together academic and practitioner researchers interested in exploring the quality and effectiveness of the interactions between people and information and how these can bring about change. This biennial conference provides an opportunity for exchange of research findings and a chance to identify key questions and issues for future research. It aims to be relevant to all those involved in researching, developing or delivering information and knowledge services in any sector, as well as those concerned with the development of skills for a knowledge society

Pride and glory: Aberdeen Public Library during the Second World War.

Between 1939 and 1945 Britains public libraries often struggled to balance wartime shortages in materials and staff with an increased readership, while also being expected to actively contribute services and skills to the war effort. Government documents, committee minutes, reports, news stories and interviews have been employed in an attempt to build a picture of one particular librarys experiences during this period

From the prefect's desk: Gerard van Swieten's library correspondence.

This article investigates library-related documents written by Gerard van Swieten (1700–72), during his tenure as Library Prefect in the Imperial Library of Vienna (1745–72). Van Swieten's time as Library Prefect is considered through a textual analysis. Handwritten letters were deconstructed in terms of their appearance, layout and tone in order to mine them for meaning. Furthermore, the contents were examined for library matters such as censorship, catalogues and collection development. The Imperial Court Library held a prominent role as a repository for rare and valuable works, later becoming the National Library of Austria. Gerard van Swieten's work as a librarian tends to be overlooked, perhaps because he is better known as the private physician of Maria Theresia, as well as a medical reformer. Nevertheless, he was a hard-working chief librarian deeply involved in all aspects of librarianship. Van Swieten endorsed modern scientific works (which were otherwise banned officially by the censorship commission) for the use of scholars in the library. He expanded the collection by acquiring books through his network of scholars and publishers, and reissued library catalogues. He also provided for the comfort of users in the library reading room, at a time when such considerations were unusual. In conclusion, a proposal is made that van Swieten viewed his role as librarian with some importance and pride

How good is our public library service? The evolution of a new quality standards framework for Scottish public libraries 2012-2017.

The current challenging environment for public libraries has resulted in an ever greater need to demonstrate and evidence the quality of library provision as well as value and impact of these services on society. Research, conducted on behalf of the Scottish Library and Information Council, reviewed the previous quality standards mechanism used in Scotland and resulted in the creation of a new framework. Data were gathered through a systematic review of all published quality audits of Scottish public libraries, focus groups with heads of service, and impact workshops with library staff. The findings resulted in the creation of a new approach to assessing and evaluating the quality of provision as well as value and impact of Scottish public libraries