Feature One year on: Mackintosh Library at of Art

On 23 May 2014, a fire totally destroyed ’s world-famous library and its important historical ­collections. A year on from the fire, and following on from a piece in Update last August, Duncan Chappell explains what progress has been made in rebuilding the lost collections and in planning for the future.

THE first anniversary of the fire that rav- aged the Mackintosh Library at Glasgow Duncan Chappell ([email protected]) is Academic Liaison Librarian, Glasgow School of Art provides the opportunity School of Art.. to take stock and reflect on an intensive period of convalescence, and to share with others our future plans for revitalising the collections. It is now clear that around 80 per cent of our special collections survive undamaged, and for those who loved, cared for and tended the library we now look to the future with resolve and ­optimism.

Sharing our knowledge Since the fire, our librarians have been busy presenting on the fire and our recovery at a series of events, workshops and con- ferences. Beginning with the CILIP Rare Books ­Conference in August last year, and then the conference ‘Planning to Prevent Disaster’ at the V&A Museum in Septem- Charles Rennie Mackintosh ber, we have been sharing our experiences of the disaster and how we dealt with its how loved it was by many. In February this aftermath. Throughout, we have been con- year, we were able to present the resources scious of our duty to share the lessons we for the study of colour that survived the have learnt with our peers, in the belief that fire, including our stunning selection of rare we can help others better prepare for the pochoir volumes and pattern books to the unimaginable. A talk to conservation body Glasgow Colour Studies Group. Outreach Icon Scotland1 can be listened to online. A activities such as these provide space for Scottish Confederation of University and our staff to orient away from disaster, at Research Libraries (Scurl) event hosted by least temporarily, and enable us to publicise the library in March helped to highlight to others that many of our treasures remain just how important our full bibliographic untouched by the tragedy. records and holdings data have been, not only in identifying those items lost in the Caring for old friends fire and their historical contexts, but also in A 12-week full archaeological excavation of Throughout, we have been providing the timely information required the library was completed in March this conscious of our duty to by our insurers. year, resulting in the initial salvage of 81 share the lessons we have We have also been busy presenting to a books. Of these around 19 can be practica- number of community groups, including bly conserved, including the ­photographic learnt with our peers, in the University of Glasgow Ladies’ Union, work Sights and Scenes in Fair Japan the belief that we can help the Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson Society, (ca.1910), miraculously complete in its others better prepare for the and the Friends of Glasgow University original silk covers, and our colleagues at unimaginable. Library. These talks have illustrated to us Harwell Document Restoration Services just how embedded the Mackintosh Library will soon begin this work for us. Wishing to has been in the culture of Glasgow, and open up our remaining special collections

36 CILIPUPDATE September 2015 The library before and after the devastation.

Generous donations include Das Eigenkelid der Frau. to wider audiences, we have embarked on by alumna and esteemed needlewoman to volumes salvaged during the library’s a sustained programme of digitisation with Ann Macbeth, was generously gifted by the excavation. our colleagues at the Internet Archive.2 Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association.5 The Looking to the future Furthermore, research with documents binding, set in gilt-tooled, green Morocco retained in our archives has enabled us to leather, is an exquisite example of the deco- In the coming years we will begin the virtually recreate the original foundation rative book-bindings produced in Glasgow long process of cataloguing all our gifted volumes, and have plans to release our collections held in the Mackintosh Library, from the 1890s onwards, and as Macbeth is metadata to Copac to render them more and a paper on the library’s early history known to have taught bookbinding to our easily discoverable by external researchers. and collections is currently being prepared students during her career, it is a particu- New additions and discoveries feature for publication in an academic journal. larly fitting gift. A gift from King Edward 9 6 regularly on our special collections portal VI High School for Girls in Birmingham 10 Welcoming new friends and Twitter feed. from the collection of former headmistress Strategic planning for the eventual rebuild Since the fire, we have been very humbled Jean Wilks provided a number of volumes of the Mackintosh Building and its library by donations from institutions, individuals from Maggie Davidson, granddaughter of continues apace. Head of Learning Resources and community groups both nationally Glasgow merchant William Davidson who Alison Stevenson convened a workshop on and internationally, and this generosity has commissioned the house Windyhill from the future of the space in April this year, and helped us replace around 22 per cent of Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1900. Within a joint paper with the article author can be the volumes we had identified for priority these volumes we have discovered mov- accessed through our institutional repository.11 replacement in the aftermath of the fire. ing inscriptions to the children from their Meanwhile, the school has appointed archi- The fire claimed almost our complete ‘Uncle Tosh’. Soon we shall be welcoming tects Page & Park to lead restoration works, collection of pre-1985 journals, many not equally generous donations from the British due to commence in June 2016. We look yet available electronically, so the kind gift Antique Dealers’ Association and Society forward to the future reopening and reoccu- of more than 600 volumes from the Royal for the in Surrey. pation of the restored library with increasing Incorporation of Architects in Scotland was optimism and pride in our staff, collections n particularly welcome. The National Library Exploring through art and friends far and wide. U of Scotland generously transferred to us Library Assistant and visual artist Theresa References second copies of 1,000 or so rare books. Moerman Ib gave an extraordinary talk7 in 1 https://iconscotland.wordpress.com/2015/04/23/podcast-rescu- ing-rennie-mackintosh/ A grant of £2,500 from the Friends of the November about a very personal post-fire 2 https://archive.org/details/glasgowschoolofart National Libraries enabled us to replace our journey to Mackintosh’s last home in Port 3 https://gsalibrarytreasures.wordpress.com/collections-3/founda- lost copy of Anna Muthesius’ Das Eigenkleid Vendres in southern France, where she tion-collection/ der Frau ­scattered ash from his building into the 4 Glasgow Herald, 15 September 2014 (1903), a seminal text in the devel- 5 Glasgow Herald, 9 March 2015 opment of early 20th century dress. With Mediterranean. 6 Glasgow Herald, 16 April 2015 an original art nouveau binding designed The library has been recreated in minia- 7 www.theresamoermanib.net/news/port-cendres-artist-talk by Frances Macdonald McNair, one of the 8 www.itsnicethat.com/articles/51170-gsa-fire ture with exquisite attention to detail by 9 https://gsalibrarytreasures.wordpress.com/ famed Glasgow Girls group of artists, and design alumna Franki Finch and can be 10 @GSALibrary photographs of designs by several of her viewed as part of the school’s public tours. 11 http://radar.gsa.ac.uk/3723/ contemporaries, this extremely rare volume Meanwhile, design graduates Kat Loudon holds particular significance for the cultural and Erin Bradley-Scott have reworked Can you help? memory of the School. unsalvageable journals from the library into 8 Blackwell’s Rare Books kindly gifted a a unique ­artists’ book titled 511170. This The library continues to welcome 1933 Gregynog Press volume engraved by article’s ­author is currently collaborating donations of volumes from its wants 4 our alumna Agnes Miller Parker. A rare with accomplished book artist Simon Cutts list, see: http://bit.ly/1JTXXBt 1898 edition of Poems by John Keats, bound to produce an artists’­ book in response September 2015 CILIPUPDATE 37