National Library of Scotland Annual Review 2004-2005

Introduction by the National Librarian and Chairman 3

Listening to Customers 4

Improving Access 5

The Collections 10

The John Murray Archive 18

The Digital Library 21

Organisational Development 23

Partnerships and Collaboration 25

Acknowledgements 29

Cover pictures: Top: Visitors to our Summer 2004 exhibition Read All About It! Centre: A member of staff amoung the stacks © National Library of Scotland 2005 National Library of Scotland in our George IV Bridge building ISBN 1 872116 37 X George IV Bridge Bottom: Interactive kiosk at George IV Bridge Edinburgh Opposite: EH1 1EW Ground floor reading room at Design: OneWorld Design, Edinburgh George IV Bridge Photography: Peter Iain Campbell www.nls.uk National Library of Scotland Annual Review 2004-2005

DeliveringExcellence 3

Introduction by the Chairman and the National Librarian

This has been the first full year since Our relationship with the wider world the National Library of Scotland’s new remains central to our future success strategy, Breaking Through the Walls,was and we have explored partnerships launched in March 2004 and it has with organisations in virtually every been a period of tremendous change. relevant sphere of learning, research, These changes have been customer culture, heritage and public service driven, informed by vigorous research over the past year. and evaluation, and focused towards Our mission to enrich lives through developing our collections, services and celebrating and preserving the the ways in which NLS reaches out to recorded culture of Scotland and the wider world. Scots, here and abroad, continues to We would like to take this opportunity be reflected in the varied and unique to express our gratitude to staff both material collected during the year and Martyn Wade, National Librarian new and long serving, not only for the the creativity and insight of our staff in consistent excellence and expertise finding fresh and interesting ways of with which they have performed their sharing it with the people of Scotland roles, but also for their commitment and beyond. and positive response to the challenges Offering excellent collections, services such change brings. Our colleagues and expertise for all remains at the remain pivotal to achieving the heart of everything we do. The ambitious strategic goals the Library initiatives of the past year detailed has set itself. within this year’s Review give ourselves, This review reflects this by profiling the National Librarian and the staff in a cross-section of roles, both Chairman of the Board of Trustees, public facing and ‘behind the scenes’, every confidence that this aspiration which demonstrate the range of skills remains a reality thanks to our needed to serve a national library with colleagues, supporters and partners. changing customer needs and Professor Michael Anderson continually growing collections. Chairman of the Board of Trustees The year has seen a dramatic increase in outwardly focused activity such as exhibitions, events, outreach and Martyn Wade, National Librarian consultation. This is due to the energy and efforts of multi-disciplinary teams working across the Library. We have also formulated a new strategy for the Digital National Library, which aims to Professor Michael Anderson improve access for the many people Chairman of the Board of Trustees who are unable to come to Edinburgh. For those who can visit the Library, we have been developing plans to create more welcoming public spaces in our Pictures opposite: buildings, reflecting the changing face of Top: Four O'clock Friends exhibition the Library as it continues to evolve in Bottom left: Representation of the Highlanders the coming years. from Rare Book Collections Bottom right: Conservator working with photographic material 4 National Library of Scotland Annual Review 2004-2005

Listening to Customers

We completed a comprehensive The market research results led to schedule of market research and user the development of a new corporate consultation for the first time during identity for NLS. As a visual 2004-2005. Our primary focus was expression of the new open direction on the views of both existing and that NLS is taking, our new logo has potential users about the Library, its been well received by both internal services and activities. The results of and external stakeholders. the research are now being used to Research into the expectations of help plan activities, and to set those searching the website for measurements for future digitised content has influenced the achievements. NLS digitisation strategy. The research looked at customer We are committed to a continuing satisfaction, perceptions, website programme of market research and usability and web feature content. stakeholder consultation. Annual We also drew results from a National Omnibus Surveys will measure our Omnibus Survey, which gives a progress in raising awareness. statistically balanced representation of opinions from across Scotland to gauge awareness of NLS and our The Issue Hall in our George IV Bridge building range of services.

The market research results led to the development of a new corporate identity for NLS. As a visual expression of the new, open direction 5

We are a legal deposit library, with the right to claim

every bookpublished in the UK and Ireland Improving Access

Physical Facilities events, exhibitions and activities taking Breaking Through the Walls, the new place inside. strategy we unveiled in March 2004, The entrance area will eventually be stressed the importance of increasing transformed into an information access to our collections by removing gateway, with an open-access suite of barriers, both physical and perceived. computer terminals and a more One immediately apparent barrier is relaxed environment. Visitors will then the design and lay-out of our physical be able to browse our catalogue and facilities, in particular the front hall of other services, prior to actually applying our George IV Bridge building, the site for a reader’s ticket. The security desk which houses the majority of our will be moved out of the entrance area reading room services. and a readers’ café area is also planned Plans have been made to redevelop to convey a more inviting impression the ground floor of the building, to for visitors. We will also improve make it a more open, informative and physical access for disabled readers and welcoming space for all visitors.The increase reading room capacity for all building’s imposing façade will be users. improved with special lighting and During the year a project team of Interior designer’s illustration of the new backlit window displays to give a designers, architects and planners was look issue desk area at George IV Bridge better indication of the scope of established to oversee the first phase of this vital project, which is planned for completion by mid-2006.

Reader Services Alongside the advances made by our Digital Library and online services, we are also making significant steps towards modernising the systems and technology available to reading room users. One major development in improving the delivery of reader services was the introduction of the online book request system in September 2004. This facility means that users can check availability in advance of their visit and have their materials ready to consult upon arrival. More than 60% of all requests for material consulted in the General Reading Room are now made through the online system. Further improvements planned for 2005-2006 include a self-registration scheme for readers, the introduction of smartcard technology and wireless broadband internet. 6 National Library of Scotland Annual Review 2004-2005

Improving Access

Education and Interpretative Exhibitions Services Our task to promote understanding Our continuing mission to widen of the significance of the John Murray access and reach out to communities Archive began in earnest in April outside our traditional audience saw 2004, with the launch of the public significant developments in exhibition, Four O’Clock Friends. The 2004-2005, with the establishment of Archive’s rich spoils of manuscripts a year round exhibition and events and private correspondence of many programme for the first time in the of the 19th century’s most Library’s history boasting a 34% accomplished writers, scientists, increase in visitor numbers to the explorers and politicians were used as four seasonal exhibitions. the basis for this exhibition. The work of influential figures such as Jane Austen, Lord Byron, Sir Walter Scott, Charles Darwin and David Livingstone, to name but a few, were showcased. By contrast, our summer exhibition turned the spotlight on altogether less literary themes. Read All About It! uncovered the story of the press over the past four centuries, demonstrating to thousands of fascinated visitors just Right: Visitors at a printing workshop connected to how much-and how little-the press our Read All About It! exhibition has changed over the years. This Bottom left: Visitors at our Read All About It! covered everything from the 17th exhibition century Scottish broadsides (tabloid Bottom right: Stuart Cosgrove and The Scotsman's Sports Editor, Donald Walker at our Sports style street handbills) dealing in Journalism event sensational and often bawdy tales of body-snatching, wife-selling, robbery and executions, to the Sunday Sport’s reporting of the ‘discovery’ of a bus on the North Pole. Interactive elements such as the ‘create your own headline’ board were a popular innovation, affirming our policy to engage and educate visitors in a variety of inventive ways. 7

Our collections comprise more than 13million items

Scholarly audiences were also catered Ian Hamilton Finlay: of Conceits and for with The Private Lives of Books and Collaborators was part of a wider Ian Hamilton Finlay exhibitions. The celebration of the great poet and Private Lives of Books explored book artist’s 80th birthday, focusing on his provenance (the history behind the collaborations with other artists and ownership of books), drawing on craftspeople.The exhibition gave us material from classic literary figures the opportunity to make connections such as Robert Louis Stevenson to between the material in our own popular contemporary figures such as collections and stunning visual art JK Rowling and Sir Alex Ferguson. material such as the photography of The exhibition caught the imagination his landscape idyll, Little Sparta, giving of both visiting school children and interpretative insights into his working international research librarians, whom practices with other established the Library entertained while hosting artists. the annual Consortium of European Below: Ian Hamilton Finlay: Of Conceits and Research Libraries (CERL) conference Collaborators exhibition in November 2004. 8 National Library of Scotland Annual Review 2004-2005

Improving Access

Education and Outreach production with students from Queen The exhibitions provided inspiration Margaret University College’s drama for a variety of engaging education department. workshops for all levels of learners Other highlights included a historical this year, with hundreds of school news quiz chaired by Magnus pupils from across Scotland visiting Magnusson, printing workshops and the Library. Teachers' packs and even the arrival of spiders and snakes resources designed specifically to through the Library’s doors, via our sustain involvement with young innovative Zoo Lab project, as part of learners were produced for Read All the Glasgow Science Festival. About It! The foundations for an effective outreach programme were The diversity of our events laid during the year, with plans to programme has been instrumental in Pupils from across Scotland took part in our work closely with under-represented not only boosting event visitor competition to design the annual NLS Christmas card, numbers to over 3,000 a year, but inspired by themes drawn from the digital library groups from all parts of the Fraser Meikle (10) from Stenton Primary School in community, including children and crucially in reaching groups who do East Lothian is pictured with his winning entry young people, older people, those not normally use our services. with a disability and others who might Topical events that sparked the be socially excluded. imagination and stoked debate Events achieved equal prominence to those that reflect the Library’s mainstay The Library has also strengthened its themes of scholarly literature and reputation as a place for debate and history.Topics included Stuart cultural learning with a broad Cosgrove on sports journalism, programme of events, in terms of former Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook both subject matter and format. In on the Iraq War, historian Tom Devine Young visitors at our Zoo Lab event addition to the roster of lectures, talks on European migration and writer Liz and debates visitors have come to Lochhead and singer Carol Laula expect, we have hosted events as Below: The late Robin Cook MP,pictured bringing poetry and passion to the here with the Chairman of the Board of varied as an internationally flavoured Trustees, delivered the 2004 Donald Dewar Library on Valentine’s Night. Memorial Lecture at the Edinburgh Burns Night of music, song and International Book Festival celebration and a street theatre

Right: Journalists Roy Greenslade and John Lloyd at The Media We Deserve, a discussion event at the EIBF which was sponsored by the Library 9

The Bookfetcher "I’m on my feet all day, often moving heavy materials, so you need a high level of physical fitness to do this job, as you can imagine. But it’s rewarding to be playing a part in preserving Scottish daily life and delivering it into the hands of our readers." ‘I’m on my feet all day, often moving heavy materials, so you need a high level of physical fitness to do this job, as you can imagine. But it’s rewarding to be playing a part in preserving Scottish daily life and delivering it into the hands of our readers.’ Eddie Craighead is a Senior Bookfetcher working at both Causewayside and George IV Bridge sites, presently on Newspapers and Serials. Our collection of Newspapers stretches far back into the 19th century, so far back that if you were to line them all out they would span a distance of 20 miles! Bookfetchers like Eddie ensure that these reams of print get to readers quickly and safely and then back into the their allocated spot in the stacks with the minimum of fuss for future customers to enjoy. Our bookfetchers walk an average of 10 miles a day in the course of these duties. 10 National Library of Scotland Annual Review 2004-2005

The Collections

Rare Books An interesting variety of rare printed items were acquired this year, indicating the international influence of renowned Scottish writers and philosophers. This included the first Italian translation of David Hume’s Idea of a Perfect Commonwealth from 1752, a Swedish translation of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations from 1804 and The Poster: An Illustrated Monthly Chronicle pamphlets by Colonel Alexander Beatson, the Governor of St Helena, a produced by William Morris' small island in the South Atlantic from Kelmscott Press, which completed our 1812 which indicates the long history Below: Detail from Greenock newspaper, collection of Kelmscott publications of Scots’ influence abroad. printed on calico intended for public sale. Bottom left: Robert Louis Stevenson’s We purchased a copy of Robert Louis personal copy of Robert Burns’ Poetical Items from our Rare Book collections Works, with inscription Stevenson’s copy of Burns’ Poetical were used in The Private Lives of Books Bottom right: Beowulf by the Works illustrated with woodcuts by exhibition, which complemented the Kelmscott Press Bewick, which stirred interest when provenance (book ownership) theme displayed at The Private Lives of Books of this year’s Consortium of European exhibition. As a result of the Read All Research Libraries (CERL) About It! exhibition, an extremely rare conference. Greenock newspaper of 1850, printed on calico, was donated by a reader. Rare Book staff were engaged with Highlights from our illustrated promotional activities throughout the acquisitions included Representation of year, working with education groups the Highlanders from 1743, a handsome at all levels, delivering workshops and Bible from 1772, The Poster: An Illustrated organising displays for a wide variety Monthly Chronicle and two titles of visiting groups. 11

Other key accessions included papers of the poet WS Graham, including pictorial items, as well as two letters from Jacob Wainwright, David Livingstone’s African servant who accompanied the explorer’s body back to England. The papers of Alastair Reid, the Scottish literary critic on the staff of The New Yorker, were also purchased. We also received as a bequest the papers of former NLS trustee, Dr Janet Adam Smith (1905-1999), which reflect her position at the centre of British literary Above: James Thin Archive items Manuscripts life over many decades. Principal accessions included substantial The Manuscripts Division was heavily additional material from Dame Muriel involved in the Library's preparations Spark, adding to our already extensive for the implementation of the collection of the author’s papers, Freedom of Information (Scotland) letters, diaries and photographs.This Act 2002, which came into force on material is very recent and includes 1 January 2005, as well as undertaking research papers for her latest novel, substantial work towards the Heritage The Finishing School. Lottery Fund bid for the John Murray A major donation came in the form Archive (see pages 18-19). Material of the archive of James Thin from 1848 and ideas were provided for several to 2004.The records of the Edinburgh exhibitions including The Private Lives of bookselling firm are an important Books and Four O'Clock Friends.In addition to our holdings of printing, common with other divisions, there publishing and bookselling archives. were promotional activities throughout Although this world-famous business is the year, including workshops, no longer trading, its records are now seminars, displays and visits. available to those researching Scottish book-trade history.

Jacob Wainwright letters 12 National Library of Scotland Annual Review 2004-2005

Maps rectify a fishing dispute of the time and Celebrations for the 350th some early coastal charts of Britain, anniversary of Scotland’s Scandinavia and mainland Europe from first atlas, by Joan Blaeu, the 1660s. were a focal point for the A notable acquisition was made of a Map Division’s outreach Perthshire estate plan by Thomas activity this year. The Winter from 1751.This vast map anniversary inspired a documents the land belonging to the winter exhibition: Scotland’s great-grandson of George Mackenzie First Atlas:The Nation of Rosehaugh, the founder of the Displayed by Joan Blaeu, Advocates’ Library, on which the which was accompanied Library’s historical foundations are built. both by a host of public Above: A selection of international maps talks and the particularly well attended This year has also seen the arrival of a and atlases Scottish Maps Forum seminar Look at variety of maps pertaining to the wider Scotland and Enjoy a Feast For the Eyes, world, including detailed maps of many which was organised in collaboration eastern European countries released in with the Royal Scottish Geographical the post-Soviet era, as well as North Society. Korean atlases, all of which are of great potential interest to those researching Significant progress was made towards global politics.We have also acquired modernising the Map Library’s maps of remote reaches such as catalogue, with over 40,000 records Burkina Faso in west Africa, as well as a converted from paper to online mid-19th century map published in records, allowing readers to find these Scotland to encourage and inform items with greater ease and speed. emigrants to New Zealand. Major donations included a plan of Below: Thomas Winter estate map the River Tweed from 1774, used to 13

The Curator "I’m on my feet all day, often moving heavy materials, so you need a high level of physical fitness to do this job, as you can imagine. But it’s rewarding to be playing a part in preserving Scottish ‘ It is rewarding to be daily life and delivering able to guide readers, it into the hands of our readers." to suggest material they may not be aware of or know we have. The great joy of working here is that, with the range and scale of our collections, even after 25 years, I still come across new and fascinating items. There’s always something new to learn.’ Olive Geddes is a Senior Curator in our Manuscript Collections Division. The work of our curators is more wide-ranging than you might think. Many curators are long-serving, which has allowed them to acquire an intimate knowledge of their collections and to interpret this material for the benefit of readers and others. The curator’s role is largely ‘hands-on’ and public serving. In addition to acquiring and cataloguing material for their collections, their expertise is often called on to select and interpret material for exhibitions and displays and to administer (and even accompany) items loaned to other organisations. Interaction with customers is an essential part of the role and curators spend a great deal of time with readers, advising and assisting them by drawing on their specialist knowledge of both the collections themselves and an array of archival sources worldwide. 14 National Library of Scotland Annual Review 2004-2005

Every year we receive around 320,000new items

Legal Deposit We were pleased to host the Scottish launch event for the Oxford Dictionary As one of six legal deposit libraries in of National Biography, which joined the UK and Ireland, we have the right our collection. This set of 60 volumes to claim a free copy of all UK and Irish documents the stories of more than publications. Although we have a 50,000 people who contributed to special responsibility to acquire British life in any remarkable way and material of Scottish interest, this who passed away before the end of privilege has enabled the Library to 2000. build an extensive general collection (over 13 million items) on all subjects. An innovative system for requesting A full lorry load of material (roughly and receiving local Scottish material 6,500 items) arrives weekly from directly is being implemented which publishers and a wide range of will help us to identify any gaps in our Above and below: organisations and individuals, collections, thus making them more A typical selection of modern books acquired representing many different sectors of comprehensive for our users. through Legal Deposit the community. Electronic Legal Deposit This year we acquired nearly a quarter of a million items by legal deposit, Following the implementation of the including books, pamphlets, periodical Legal Deposit Libraries Act in 2003, parts, maps and music. Deposited titles work continues towards extending the were as diverse as Kim Johnson’s regulations to include electronic graphic novel Superman:True Brit, Chris publications with the setting up of the Clarke’s The Science of Ice Cream, the statutory Advisory Panel. This will Western Isles Local Biodiversity Action govern how we will collect electronic Plan and the Auchterarder Local History publications in the coming years, from Newsletter. CD ROMs and electronic journals to websites and databases. In the meantime, we continue to collect hand-held electronic material under the Voluntary Code agreed with publishers, and to investigate voluntary collection of online materials in collaboration with publishers and the other legal deposit libraries. As a member of the UK Web Archiving Consortium (UKWAC), we are responsible for collecting and archiving websites of Scottish cultural interest, while investigating solutions to the challenges of preserving this material in the longer term as the software and technology deteriorate and become obsolete. 15

Official Publications period to Indian Independence in 1947. Our collection of Official A display in 2004 highlighted the Publications represents diversity of this collection. around a fifth of our total Music holdings, receiving over The Music service continued to acquire 40,000 printed items per material through legal deposit, purchase year, plus an increasing and donation. A notable donation was amount of "born-digital" received from the granddaughter of publications. We are a Hugh S. Roberton, founding director of repository for both the the Glasgow Orpheus Choir.The Westminster and Scottish donation includes material relating to Parliaments and not only the Choir as well as music from the house publications from Above: Roberton music publishing house. Government Reports from our Official UK Government departments but also We are contributing to an Arts and Publications collection: Shipman Inquiry 3rd report, those from Eire, Northern Ireland, Dr David Kelly, Foot and Mouth Disease Jersey, Pakistan, Australia and the USA. Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Below: Additionally, this collection includes funded project to catalogue collections Items from the India Papers collection: Kashmir publications from major international of concert programmes and related what now?, The Kashmir Liberation Movement, ephemera held in institutions in the UK Census of India 1921, v. XVII Baroda State pt. 1 organisations such as the United and Ireland. Since our early report; A short account of the Siege of Delhi, Nations and the World Health President Ayub on the crisis over Kashmir,The Organisation. involvement with the initial scoping Kashmir Dispute through neutral eyes, Pakistan study, NLS has played a lead role in the welcomes constitution With support from NLS Foreign Scottish project.We have also Collections, which has reinstated the contributed more widely to a related purchasing of South Asian materials, we international working group, notably have concentrated our efforts on through a presentation at this year’s promoting and developing our International Association of Music India Papers Collection, Libraries conference in Oslo. which comprises publications from The service was active on the outreach the Imperial front throughout the year, contributing government and to our Valentine’s Night event, The many Indian states. Private Lives of Books exhibition, This collection mounting a display in the entrance hall documents an of our George IV Bridge building on important chapter of the 19th century Scottish composer, colonial history, John Thomson and giving tours of the containing items from the post-Mutiny music collections, as well as a workshop for music students.

Right: Items from the Roberton Collection: concert and tour programmes, a photograph showing Hugh S. Roberton conducting members of the Glasgow Orpheus Choir in an Oslo railway station, an early test print shellac record and music published by Roberton Publications 16 National Library of Scotland Annual Review 2004-2005

Business Information Our extensive market research SCOTBIS is our national business collection (over 14,000 holdings) is information service, used by Scottish, now not only the largest collection of UK and international businesses its kind outwith the British Library ranging in size from sole traders to but, in the case of some specific major companies. Research reports, we are the only publicly undertaken during the period as part accessible library in the world to hold of a Best Value Review confirmed that such data. The wide range of our SCOTBIS has an important role to printed business collections and play in supporting economic electronic resources, including the development and enterprise and annual reports of all Scottish quoted contributing towards the Scottish companies and over 1,000 trade Executive’s vision for a smart, journals and trade directories, can successful Scotland. benefit start-up enterprises or any growing company seeking up-to-date Thorough research among the market data and analysis. business community with both users and non-users revealed that the Science Information service had a crucial role in providing A wide range of scientific and national business information for the technical material can be accessed people of Scotland and beyond. It also Above: John Coll, head of SCOTBIS through our Science Information suggested that there was scope to Service. In addition to printed raise the profile of SCOTBIS and as a ‘ The business service is collections, we subscribe to several result a detailed marketing strategy fantastic. We have been able electronic databases, such as was devised which will be ScienceDirect, ISI Web of Knowledge, to get information quickly implemented by Spring 2006. Journal Citation Reports and Ei that would have taken us Another key recommendation Compendex. One area of stock months on our own. We are suggested opening access to areas of frequently consulted is our collection the SCOTBIS website currently of British Standards. We are one of a small, growing business restricted to subscribers to reflect our the few libraries to hold a complete and this service has really strategy of widening participation. set of both current and superseded helped us with market Enquiries to SCOTBIS rose by 34% printed Standards. this year, showing the obvious demand intelligence and access to The Science Service continued to for this unique collection which is the support promotional activities this databases.’ largest of its kind in Scotland. New year. This included involvement with MD of a Scottish business additions include the complete set of the Edinburgh International Science reports published by MSI Festival with a display exploring Marketing Research Genetics Then and Now, providing for Industry. opportunities to link contemporary A selection of titles displayed at our Creepy Crawlies event for children knowledge to historical material. Alongside recently published material on GM crops, DNA fingerprinting and the Human Genome Project was a first edition of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, papers on the work of Gregor Mendel, and the 1953 Nature article by Watson and Crick on the structure of DNA. 17

Foreign Collections The Library continued its commitment to purchasing publications from overseas. A number of acquisitions were made from the USA and Commonwealth countries dealing with the Scottish diaspora, for example Scottish Immigrants in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada:Their Onomastic Legacy by W.Watson Buchanan and a more personal account, From Scotland to the Above: English River: An Account of the 100 Years Of Football, donated by the Carmichaels, Craigs, McKells & Deputy General Secretary of FIFA and An Leabhar Mor-The Great Book of Gaelic, Templetons, by Jean Furcall and Donna donated by the City Art Centre in Edinburgh Templeton. Notable reference works acquired included the 4 volume Hawaiian National Bibliography Donations 1780-1900. The Library has benefited from the We have continued to develop our generosity of more than 540 donors South Asian collections, renewing our this year. Our donors range from commitment to extending and private individuals to corporate bodies, promoting our collection of materials providing us with a wealth of varied from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. A and often startling material. We large number of current titles covering receive material in all types of formats colonial and post-colonial history and from print to electronic, and in many literature of the subcontinent were languages including Hebrew, Arabic, added to the collections. The provision Japanese and Russian. Above: of South Asian dictionaries, Items from our Foreign Collections encyclopaedias, sacred texts, and The year has seen some unusual reference works in general was also donations, such as a pattern and increased. sample book of crests, company letterheads, typefaces and fonts produced by the firm of printers TR Dale, dating from ca. 1950, accompanied by one box of 11 engraved plates and 79 printing blocks and plates. Major donations included the Jackson Collection of 600 Faroese books, the Elizabeth Clark Collection amounting to ca. 1,000 books of mainly mountaineering and related subjects and the Naismith Collection of 52 maps, manuscripts and architectural books.

Left: This pattern book is an example of the more unusual items the Library receives by donation every year 18 National Library of Scotland Annual Review 2004-2005

The John Murray Archive

About the Archive Financing the Archive The John Murray Archive is one The Archive has been independently Below: Letter and photographs by of the most globally significant valued at £45 million but has been Isabella Bird collections of literary and cultural offered for sale to the NLS at a material from the past 250 years. reduced price of £31.2 million in It comprises over 150,000 order to keep the collection in the letters and manuscripts United Kingdom. Of these funds, £3.2 from an enviable roll-call million is to go toward creating a trust of eminent figures from to secure the preservation and the worlds of literature, maintenance of the historic building at science, exploration, politics, 50 Albemarle Street as a place for philosophy and the arts. visitors and researchers.The remaining The Archive contains private £28 million will endow the John R letters, manuscripts and Murray Charitable Trust. One of the other correspondence main purposes of this trust will be to from Jane Austen, Lord support access to and preservation of Byron, Sir Walter Scott, the Archive, as well as enabling Benjamin Disraeli, additional, related material to be Herman Melville, purchased. The Trust has already Charles Darwin, pledged £3m to cover the day-to-day David Livingstone, running costs of the Archive. Thomas Carlyle, Additionally, the Trust has committed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle up to £200,000 annually for and Edith Wharton, cataloguing, digitisation, conservation among others. and widening access to the Archive, including exhibitions. The Scottish Executive have demonstrated their support by committing a total of £8.3m towards securing the Archive. Our bid for £17.7m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) met with Stage 1 approval in January 2005.

Left: Register showing sales of Byron’s Childe Harold 19

Development Plans outcome of the HLF Stage 2 decision In 2004 specialist fundraising in March 2006. We also appointed a consultancy Brakeley Ltd produced a Project Curator who will undertake a feasibility study for filling the funding thorough audit of the Archive and gap and we have set to work on help us uncover items of particular implementing their recommendations, interest. most notably the establishment of a Bringing the Archive to life Development Department for the first time in the Library’s history, Interpreting the material from this comprising a director and a vast Archive and making it accessible supporting team.This department will is vital to the success of the bid and be tasked with helping the Library to significant effort has been dedicated raise the additional £6.5m towards towards how the material is the cost of the Archive, while also preserved, displayed and interpreted. providing us with a foundation on Towards this end, we organised which to generate funds for our wider exhibitions and displays which drew activities and collections. heavily on material from the Archive and work has begun on an audience The story of our bid to acquire the development plan. Archive was a source of intense media interest and has contributed to Additionally, we have employed the raising the profile of the Library as a services of award-winning, UK whole. The Stage 1 HLF approval was specialist museum and visitor granted following a lengthy attraction consultancy, Event

Above: Passport of Sir Austen Layard, assessment period and much Communication, who will 19th century British author and preparatory work during the year. complement our efforts to bring to diplomat Following the HLF funding life the many stories and people announcement we appointed a documented in the Archive, through Project Manager who will help to designing creative and accessible progress our bid towards the exhibitions and displays.

Visualisation by Event Communication showing a proposal for the permanent John Murray Archive exhibition 20 National Library of Scotland Annual Review 2004-2005

The Digitiser "I’m on my feet all day, often moving heavy materials, so you need a high level of physical fitness to do this job, as you can imagine. But it’s rewarding to be playing a part in preserving Scottish ‘ It’s very satisfying to daily life and delivering see the end result of it into the hands of our readers." my work being accessed all over the world. With the level of detail our technology provides, you can zoom in and see what the naked eye could not possibly see, so you can also get some fascinating glimpses into all sorts of historic photographs, maps and manuscripts.’ Betty Neil is the Digital Camera Operator in our Digital Library Division. Betty creates digital images from our collections of printed material, maps and manuscripts for use on the NLS web site, while also helping to preserve the original items. Betty works on a number of concurrent projects, digitising everything from complete volumes of books to assorted items for exhibitions or displays. Items are scanned to the highest possible quality (400 dpi), reproduced to scale and then prepared for use online. Our three-year programme for digitisation is based on research with website users and non-users and in close consultation with Library curators. The programme is rigorous and continual - in 2004-05 we exceeded our target for the number of items scanned by nearly 40 per cent. Many of the items scanned have never been previously available online. 21

The Digital Library

Research and Strategy website more accessible to a wider A key element of the Library’s strategy range of people, will also guide the is the development and expansion of decisions we make about selecting the Digital National Library of material from the collections for Scotland. Much of the past year has digitisation. been occupied with the preparation of As a result of this research and testing, the Digital NLS Strategic Plan for a number of improvements have 2005-2008. By March 2005, the already been made to our online Strategic Plan had reached a draft services. Changes include making the stage, and the strategy will ensure that website more accessible to users with the customer is placed firmly at the visual impairments as well as to those centre of what the Digital Library aims with slower PCs. to achieve. Our vision is to provide an experience The strategy recognises that all for the online user which matches as Scottish citizens are entitled to have closely as possible that of a visitor to access to our resources and services, one of our buildings, in terms of the and that these should be tailored to range of content and services available. meet our users’ needs. Accordingly, We have also improved our online much of the strategy is based upon delivery systems to ensure our digital the findings of market research carried content is exposed to search engines out during the last year.This research like Google.This will allow people to looked at the website as a whole, discover us easily through subject including analysis of how easy it is to searches and, having discovered our use and how users interact with it. range of online resources, return to

Below: NLS website homepage This information, as well as helping us use our site as a research tool in Below right: Interactive kiosk at George IV Bridge to understand how to make the future. 22 National Library of Scotland Annual Review 2004-2005

‘ I sat back in my chair, The Word on the Street dumbstruck. I punched the Our mini-site The Word On The Street air with both arms and is one of the most visited areas of www.nls.uk and it offers a good shouted ‘Yahoo!’. It was example of the kind of audience there recorded in the interaction at the heart of our digital strategy.This was launched in National Library of conjunction with the Read All About It! Scotland’s website. As I exhibition and featured digital images read it, line after line came of over 1800 ‘broadsides’, single sheet newsletters, which were in effect the flooding back, familiar tabloids of their day, often posted on Muriel Spark once more.’ walls in houses and ale-houses. An important project launched in the Website user The feedback from users has been period was a web feature devoted to very positive, with people from all Dame Muriel Spark, which contains over Scotland and beyond vividly biographical information, images and responding to the opportunity to extracts from Dame Muriel’s engage with these slices of local social published work as well as other Above right: Muriel Spark website history. material donated by the author Below: Computer terminals at our herself. George IV Bridge site Web Mapping Meanwhile, the digitisation of our map collection continues apace, with the implementation of prototype web- mapping.This is a facility which allows users to click anywhere on a map of Scotland and access all of the digitised maps in our collection that pertain to that area. We hope to apply this innovative means of searching to all digital content in future.

Bathymetric Survey The variety of applications for our online maps continues to develop in exciting directions. In April 2004, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency agreed to fund the digitisation of bathymetrical maps, a unique resource which shows the depth and dimensions of freshwater lochs. The results of this survey of over 500 lochs, originally conducted over 100 years ago, are now freely available online for the benefit of environmental researchers and those tasked with assessing water quality. 23

Organisational Development

Technology Equality & Health A significant investment was made in The Library continues to set and the Library’s Information and maintain high standards for providing Communications Technology (ICT) a safe, healthy and fair working infrastructure, resulting in improved environment. The British Safety performance and reduced system Council awarded us five star downtime. Systems were significantly accreditation this year in recognition upgraded to further support staff in of our continuing maintenance of serving customers and to keep up facilities which were substantially with the growth in corporate upgraded several years ago. information and digitised content. Additionally a number of our cleaning staff have successfully completed a ICT continued to develop important Scottish Vocational Qualification partnerships outside of NLS, including (SVQ) training programme this year. working with the Legal Deposit Librarians’ sub-group, which is looking The Library completed the Scotland’s at the infrastructure and technical Health At Work Bronze Award this requirements of implementing the year. Staff had already instigated a Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003. Health at Work group before making Staff in ICT have been elected to sit a formal application to enter the on international committees, national scheme. Numerous healthy highlighting our expertise in these living initiatives were enthusiastically subjects. Closer working relationships embraced by staff, including activities with counterpart ICT functions in such as a corporate fun run, regular other national cultural bodies proved yoga classes, drop-in visits from to be valuable and a shared services dieticians and occupational nurses and review was undertaken in light of a coffee morning to raise funds and Efficient Government initiatives. awareness for Macmillan Cancer Relief. Work towards achieving the Silver Award is well under way in 2005. NLS receives the Scotland’s Health At Work Bronze award Our development of a progressive equalities policy was demonstrated by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) adopting us as a best practice case study, inviting our Human Resources team to speak at conferences and write in the DRC journal, Eight Point Six, on the Library’s positive experience of employing people with a disability. 24 National Library of Scotland Annual Review 2004-2005

The Educator "I’m on my feet all day, often moving heavy ‘ It’s a real pleasure to materials, so you need a high level of physical work with people who fitness to do this job, as are new to the Library you can imagine. But and to see just how it’s rewarding to be much it means to playing a part in them to experience the preserving Scottish riches of our daily life and delivering it into the hands of our collections first-hand. readers." Learning at the Library is increasingly becoming a two-way process. We’re building some great long term relationships with community groups which often stimulate ideas for developing exhibition content or our collections.’ Laura Murphy is an Education and Outreach Officer in our Education & Interpretative Services Division. Laura's role is new - and not without its challenges - as it requires working with people outside of our traditional audience who often have little or no prior awareness of the Library. She works with a diverse range of learners of all ages, from nursery school children to adults with special educational needs, delivering workshops to visiting school and community groups. She also ventures out across Scotland visiting communities who, for whatever reason, cannot get to the Library. On any given day she may be running a schools’ workshop, visiting a community group in the Highlands, producing a teacher’s pack or developing online educational resources. 25

Partnerships and Collaboration Library Partnerships Collection. Chapbooks are small The Breaking Through the Walls strategy paper-covered booklets, which made launched last year stressed the for cheap and popular reading from importance of building relationships the 17th to the 19th century. The with partner organisations and this year project to catalogue 3,200 chapbooks has seen significant progress in doing began in November 2004 following so within the public library sector. consultation with Glasgow University Library (who manage the Scottish NLS has taken a leading role in Chapbooks Catalogue), Edinburgh developing pilot projects with library Central Library, Stirling University authorities in Moray, Glasgow and Library and the Advocates Library. Aberdeen.The aim of these Staff have been working on partnerships is to raise awareness procedures for copying data from the among public librarians of the depth NLS online catalogue to Glasgow’s and breadth of our collections, as well database, thus providing additional exploring the scope to link to their access and material for chapbook own local collections, with a view to researchers. NLS continues to take an researching digitisation priorities, joint active role in other collaborative catalogue searching and visits for local groups such as the Scottish community groups. The ultimate aim is Confederation of University Research to offer library users a more Libraries, the Consortium of European joined-up service and hence stimulate Research Libraries and the further uptake of services across the Collaborative Academic Store for board. Scotland.

Scottish Chapbooks Newsplan We were awarded £10,000 by the The year has seen the successful British Library’s Full Disclosure Fund in completion of the Newsplan Scotland June 2004 to catalogue all the Scottish project. Newsplan is a major UK-wide NLS staff meeting counterparts in Moray Libraries chapbooks in the Lauriston Castle project centred around preserving local newspapers by reproducing damaged, fragile or rare papers in microfilm form. NLS took the lead role in Newsplan Scotland, overseeing the conversion of nearly 4 million pages spanning a 250 year period. The project also gave us the opportunity to build the most comprehensive archive of Scottish newspapers worldwide, dating as far back as the early 18th century. Researchers in Scotland can now access local newspapers that are long out of circulation, with many titles available outside of the British Library for the first time since their publication, including the Aberdeen Shaver, Piper O’ Dundee, Glasgow Clincher, Greenock Election Squib, Scottish Prohibitionist and Saturday Smile. 26 National Library of Scotland Annual Review 2004-2005

SUNCAT This event attracted nationwide NLS is pleased to be participating in interest from university staff and the UK National Serials Union students and the general public.Topics Catalogue (SUNCAT) pilot initiative, included architecture, art, literature, which launched in January 2005. The religion, history and issues such as pilot pulls together journal catalogue Jihad and crusades, with material records from 22 research libraries. drawn from our evolving Spanish There are over 3.5 million records so collection. far, and these can now be searched Ordnance Survey Project and accessed from a single source to the great benefit of researchers.The The Map Division have continued to project aims to ensure that the highest work with partners such as the Royal quality records are maintained and Commission on the Ancient and eventually shared by more than 80 Historical Monuments of Scotland and participating libraries. Historic Scotland on a project involving early Ordnance Survey maps Academic Partnerships of Scotland from the 19th century. We have continued our involvement This project involves geo-referencing with the Carnegie-funded Scotland’s and edge-matching the maps in the Transatlantic Relations (STAR) project, collection, creating a seamless picture hosting a postgraduate seminar of the wider area and ensuring dedicated to the poet, John Burnside. modern coordinates are applied to We also take an active role in the these historical documents. teaching of Transatlantic Studies in Scotland and Medicine Scottish universities, hosting Collections bibliographical seminars at the Library. Staff from several Collections divisions Islamic influences on Spanish culture are participating in Scotland and were explored with a study-day Medicine Collections and entitled al-Andalus: Legends and Connections, a partnership led by the Below: Legacies, jointly organised by the Royal College of Surgeons of Manuscript Curator Kenneth Dunn with John Higgitt, Hispanic Studies and Islamic and a Reader in History of Art at Edinburgh University, Edinburgh to promote medical and Middle Eastern Studies departments at working together on the Learning and Teaching health collections in Scottish Museums Scotland project Edinburgh University in January 2005. to local, national and international audiences. Our role will be to share expertise and resources with the museums sector and help demonstrate the worldwide influence of Scots writers and thinkers on medical matters. 27

Shakespeare Quarto Project movement to revolutionise the world The Rare Books team has been of academic publishing and widen the working with Octavo, a company which availability of such material. specialises in producing digital facsimiles Our involvement with the Digital of early printed books. Octavo digitised Preservation Coalition continues to our holdings of early quarto editions of develop, with NLS taking full Shakespeare's plays published before membership and representation on its 1642, when the theatres were closed board. The Coalition is an important by the order of the Puritans. Thirty- international movement which one quartos have been digitised so far, concerns itself with the capture and which will help preserve the original preservation of the increasing amount printed items and allow them to be of digital material being published accessed by anyone with an internet worldwide. connection. These books are a vital In addition, we have joined the the resource for anyone studying Common Information Environment Shakespeare, English drama, theatre (CIE). The CIE is a cross-sector group history or Elizabethan and Jacobean of public sector organisations working history. They are the closest we have together to overcome barriers to to a working manuscript of access by ensuring online information Shakespeare’s output and thus offer is easily available to all in the many fascinating insights into his appropriate formats. processes and thinking. The quartos form part of the Bute Collection, an Marketing Partnerships extensive collection of English plays, The depth and breadth of our dating from the 1580s to the early collections offers vast potential for 19th century. collaboration with other organisations Digital Partnerships involved with culture and learning, and this year we have begun to explore NLS was proud to become a signatory such possibilities in earnest. to the Declaration of Open Access Exploratory meetings took place with along with a number of other Scottish Enterprise Digital Inclusion, Below: organisations in October 2004. The Learn Direct Scotland and the Scottish The Digital Preservation Coalition Declaration marked the launch of a Further Education Unit. A significant partnership was forged with Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS), who have invited us to become a national digital content provider. Being able to add digital content to existing communication and teaching networks is an efficient method of breaking down the geographical barriers to accessing our collections, while simultaneously raising awareness of NLS across the country. Additionally, we have been working with LTS to provide digital content for use in their Schools Out project, which aims to re-engage those whose learning has been interrupted. 28 National Library of Scotland Annual Review 2004-2005

The Cataloguer "I’m on my feet all day, often moving heavy materials, so you need a high level of physical fitness to do this job, as you can imagine. But it’s rewarding to be playing a part in preserving Scottish daily life and delivering ‘ I help to standardise it into the hands of our readers." records on our electronic catalogue, which makes it easier for our readers to find what they are looking for. The constant expansion of our collections means that this is a never- ending task, but the work we put into cataloguing saves our readers’ time and effort.’ Deborah Marsden is an Authority Control Curator in our Authority Control Unit.The unit’s key task is to ensure that readers can easily find what they are looking for when searching our electronic catalogues. As the database comprises several millions of entries, added to on a weekly basis, a clear and consistent reference system is crucial. Deborah allocates standard headings to every one of these entries, allowing customers to access all relevant material. As with most cataloguing functions, the work of the unit is virtually infinite. It requires constantly developing expertise, which might entail, for example, keeping up to date with the changing names of government and corporate bodies across the world as well as building a comprehensive knowledge of historic literary figures such as Sir Walter Scott. 29

Acknowledgements We are extremely grateful to the Dr Vincent Guigueno many individuals and organisations, The late Broderick Haldane who, in donating a wide range of Barry Hamford material, have uniquely enriched the John Holliday collections. While space allows only a Ursula M Hooff Dr Alexander Hutchison selection to be listed, the Library M E Jackson values all of its donors (over 500) for Ruth Jennings their generosity in the past year. W T Johnston Christine Kermaire Donors Nancy Langmaid Accademia dei Rozzi, Siena, Italy John Lee Professor David Ambrose Lochgoil Community Trust Bayerische Staatsbibliothek A H Macdonald Lockhart Guy de Bihan Professor A McCall Smith Nicky Bird Dr Margery Palmer McCulloch Professor Christopher Blake June McDowell Dr K S Bovey Sheila McGregor British Council, Lviv, Ukraine K McGuire Aonghas P Caimbeul Ruari McLean Niall Campbell Mhairi McNeill Stuart Campbell Don MacAskill Jan Camps Domhnall MacCormaig Joseph Carlyle Lady Lucinda L Mackay The late Deirdre Inches Carr Malcolm and Charlotte Mackay Clan Gregor Archive Centre Mary E Mackenzie Elizabeth A Clark Fiona Macpherson Craigmount High School, Edinburgh Manitoba Historical Society Cora Cuthbert James Mair Dr A Fraser-Darling Alastair Martin Richard Fraser-Darling Margot N Massie John J Downie R M Maxtone Graham Lord James Douglas-Hamilton D R Morrison Owen Dudley Edwards Trevor Morrison Ninian Dunnett Dr W E S Mutch The Rt Hon The Earl of Dundee National Archives of India Hillian Durell National Library of China Sheila Elder Lee I Niedringhaus Professor Margaret Elphinstone Marcello Novaga James Finlayson Murray Audrey Perkiss Forest Sangha Trust for Scotland J B Pick Anne Frackiewicz J Pressburger Dr B Franolic Dr Lucida Prestige Bashabi Fraser John A Packer Sir Charles Fraser Robert Rankine French Embassy, London Professor Alan Riach Peter B Freshwater Sir Lewis Robertson Yvonne Fuller Meg Roberton Robin Fulton Helen Anne Ross and the Ross family Claire Geddes Russian State Library for Glasgow University, Archive Services Foreign Literature Rawdon Goodier Douglas M D Scott Professor Ian A Gordon Paul Scott Robert Maxtone Graham Scottish Liberal Club 30 National Library of Scotland Annual Review 2004-2005

Donors (continued) Sponsors The Board of Trustees The Scottish Sculpture Trust P Borthwick Chairman Dr Mark Shaw Norman Butcher Professor Michael Anderson, Shetland Oil Terminal Mary Cameron OBE, MA, PhD, FBA, FRSE Environmental Advisory Group Mrs Elizabeth A Clark's Fund James Simpson Charles Dundas Ex-officio Colonel G R Simpson The Gordon Fraser Charitable Trust The Lord President of the Court of Patrick W Simpson Paul Gorman Session Dennis Smith Linda Henderson The Lord Advocate The late Mrs Hazel Goodsir Smith Ben Jolly The First Minister, Scottish Parliament The late Dr Janet Adam Smith Evelyn Mackenzie Robin Buchanan-Smith Murdo Maclean The Member of the Scottish Adèle M Stewart The W M Mann Foundation Parliament for Edinburgh Central Lady Stewart Michael Marks Charitable Trust The Dean of the Faculty of Advocates Lady Emma Tennant The Menzies Group The Minister of the High Kirk D Ainslie Thin Colin Merrony (St Giles'), Edinburgh John Thomson The Millar Foundation The Crown Agent P D Thomson The Sir James Miller, The Lord Provost of Aberdeen Murray Tosh (Edinburgh) Charitable Trust Robert Trotter Moat Park Heritage Centre The Lord Provost of Dundee Jill Turnbull Jean Murray The Lord Provost of Edinburgh Penney Turnbull David Norton The Lord Provost of Glasgow Professor Yoshisuke Ueda Scotsman Publications Ltd Universala Esperanto-Asocio Michael Taylor Appointed by the Crown Victorian Fiction Unit, University of Professor Michael Anderson, Queensland, Australia OBE, MA, PhD, FBA, FRSE Professor Andrew G Watson A Lorraine Fannin, BA, DipEd Helen Ogden Widener Dr Herbert Zemen Appointed by the Faculty of Advocates Depositors Angus Stewart, QC British Records Association Board of World Mission, Malcolm G Thomson, QC Church of Scotland The Hon Lord Coulsfield, QC Clan Mackay Society Malcolm C N Scott, QC Lord James Douglas-Hamilton Stephen Woolman, QC (Lord Selkirk of Douglas) Mrs L Millar Appointed by the Universities North Angus Co-operative Society Professor Graham D Caie, Saltire Society MA, PhD, FRSA, FEA, FRSE Stair Society Ivor G Lloyd, BA, DipLib, MLib, ALA Mrs A Stamp Peter Kemp, MA, PhD Dr Judith Vincent, BA, PhD Appointed by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities Councillor Bill Lamb Councillor Joy Mowatt Co-opted Lady Balfour of Burleigh, MA, DPhil, FSAScot, FRSE Ishbel Maclean, MA Moira Methven, MCILIP Professor Jane Ohlmeyer, MA, PhD, FRHistS 31

The Conservator "I’m on my feet all day, often moving heavy materials, so you need a high level of physical fitness to do this job, as you can imagine. But it’s rewarding to be playing a part in ‘ The National Library preserving Scottish is an excellent place daily life and delivering it into the hands of our to start my career as readers." a conservator. It gives me the opportunity to work with an interesting variety of historic items and materials, not to mention the professional prestige of developing my craft in a national institution with a strong international reputation.’ Giordana Santoro is an Assistant Conservator in our Preservation and Conservation Division. Conservators play an essential role in carrying out remedial treatment of our more important collections that stretch back into the 9th century. Giordana has moved from Italy to join us after studying at The European School for the Conservation of Books and Library Material and is undergoing a professional accreditation scheme as part of her training in the Conservation Unit. As part of a team of six, Giordana works on all parts of the Library’s vast and varied collections including rare printed books, manuscripts, photographs and maps. Conservators use traditional and modern techniques such as de-acidification, paper repair, leafcasting, parchment and vellum repair, encapsulation and re-sewing books in original format. Treasures that have received some form of treatment in the Conservation Unit include the Last Letter of Mary, Queen of Scots and The Murthly Hours. 32

Annual Statistics 2004-2005

General Reading Room 47,403 Microform Reading Room 2,084 Total reading room North Reading Room: Manuscipts 3,760 visitors North Reading Room: Rare Books 2,997 56,244

2k 4k 6k 8k 10k 20k 30k 40k 50k

Enquiries Correspondence/Telephone 30,067 Total Enquiries Enquiries dealt with in person 43,575 73,642

20k 50k

Website user sessions 1,299,214 Website page views 15,012,944 Website user sessions 1,299,214

2 10 20 million million million

Volumes bound or conserved 580 Other printed items conserved 7,572 Total items receiving Photographs conserved 893 conservation treatment Volumes cleaned 78,458 87,503

1k 5k 10k 50k 80k 100k