Making the Most of the Intern(et)

Our wonderful Intern Gemma is leaving us today, but she has managed to squeeze in one more post before she goes. Gemma has done some really amazing work for us, after completing her cataloguing project of Oriental Manuscripts (her work can be seen here http://images.is.ed.ac.uk/luna/servlet/UoEsha~4~4 ) in record time, she has helped out with Flickr, Walter Scott and a new project about not yet officially started too. I’d like to say a very big thank you to Gemma for all her hard work- we’re going to miss her! Over to Gemma…

Since I finished my project with the Oriental Manuscripts Collection a few weeks ago (see my blog below for more info http://libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk/diu/2014/07/02/discovering-the-orient/#more-931 ), I’ve been working on a few other projects to make the most of my remaining time here at the CRC. Of these, one of my main tasks has been to update the department’s Flickr account (https://www.flickr.com/photos/crcedinburgh/).

A fantastic resource which helps our images reach a much wider audience, from members of the public, to other heritage institutions, Flickr is often overlooked by many in favour of more popular social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It also takes a comparatively long time to update (it can take an hour to upload an album as opposed to the five minutes it takes to compose a tweet), and so is not a practical option for our busy staff members! Nevertheless, it does allow us to connect with other similar institutions, and to present the images that are created here in the DIU to the wider world. Using the maps function, we can even plot the exact locations which some of our images depict, which is great when you’re working on a local collection (I don’t know about you, but I would love to know what my street looked like in 1855, even if it was just a field).

As such, in addition to adding a selection of miscellaneous images to a new album entitled Gallimaufry (check it out here), I have uploaded an album of historical images of Edinburgh, which come from the CRC’s collection of Walter Scott novels. They show a number of famous locations from around the city, such as Edinburgh Castle and Arthur’s Seat and seem to have been really well received by our followers: in recent weeks, our engagement figures have jumped dramatically! This is obviously great for the CRC as it means that more people are able to see the fantastic collections which we are lucky enough to look after. Take a look for yourself and see what you think:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/crcedinburgh/sets/72157645197625560/

The Salisbury Crags are described in Sir Walter Scott’s Provincial Antiquities & Picturesque Scenery of Scotland (1826). According to the General Preface to the Magnum Opus Edition of the Waverley Novels (1829) Scott entertained his school-friends with his story-telling abilities during long walks in their vicinity. According to Lockhart, Scott also first tried his hand at composing verse during rambles on the Crags.

The Royal Palace of Holyroodhouse appears in a number of Scott’s works, most notably in Waverley (1814) where it is occupied by Prince Charles Edward Stuart and is the scene of a ball (chapter 43). The Palace is also described in Provincial Antiquities & Picturesque Scenery of Scotland (1826) and is repeatedly mentioned in Tales of a Grandfather, First to Third Series (1828-30).

There are several anachronisms in this engraving, notably the presence of the 17th-century Tron Kirk and the absence of the Netherbow Gate which divided the High Street from the Canongate.

For more information on the Walter Scott Collection, please visit: www.walterscott.lib.ed.ac.uk

Or alternatively, view the blog of Dr Paul Barnaby, the curator of the collection: palimpsest.blogs.edina.ac.uk/

Gemma Scott, Digital Collections Intern.