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December 11, 2025
Managing Collections: Edinburgh College of Art
One of our largest and most complex collections is that of the Edinburgh College of Art (hereafter named ECA). Transferred to Heritage Collections in 2012 following the merger of the College and University in 2011, the collection spans artwork, objects and paper archives. The paper archives alone total around 200 metres in volume, or well over 1,000 boxes and folders of material.
As a result, it has become one of the largest that requires rehousing and appraising. It is so large that Jasmine and I have had to undertake processing the collection in stages. To read more about appraisal and what it entails, check out last year’s blog by clicking this link.
Two of the five rows that hold the Edinburgh College of Art archives.
Highlights of the OneHealth Project
This spring the short but broad digitisation project, OneHealth, reached its end. The OneHealth project was focused on early animal welfare history, utilising new material brought in from a trio of organisations: Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, and the animal welfare charity OneKind. During those 6 months, we had a vast and diverse materials pass through our studios. From the historically rich early records of Edinburgh Zoo to morbidly curious Veterinary School implements to the delightfully pet centric magazines of the OneKind charity, the project spanned a wide range of items.
Collections Care Task Days
In this post, Technician Robyn Rogers discusses the first events in series of Collection Care Task Days at the University of Edinburgh Heritage Collections.
Highlights from the 2024-25 Digital Research programme at the University of Edinburgh
This is a guest blog from Dr Eleni Kotoula, Lead Digital Research Facilitator, Digital Research Services
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have access to a wide range of digital research services, resources, tools, and support throughout the research lifecycle. Research Facilitators are dedicated to helping the university community make the most of Digital Research Services. To support this goal, they have developed a programme of activities for researchers, research students, and professional staff supporting research, with contributions from the Library, Research Services, EPCC (formerly Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre), and members of the wider University community.
Boost Your Digital Research Skills
In addition to training offered by service providers, schools, and colleges, Digital Research Services have scheduled ten 30-minute webinars from September until the end of the calendar year.
An “Introduction to Digital Research Services” webinar will be offered on various dates throughout Semester 1, tailored for newcomers, early career researchers (ECRs), and anyone who needs help navigating the Digital Research Services.
The “Spotlight on Research Planning” webinar series will address key considerations when planning a research project, including topics such as copyright, research websites, research computing, and data management. These webinars will provide valuable information to help researchers be better prepared for planning and designing their next research project.
Expand Your Network
The Digital Research Services programme also offers networking opportunities during all hybrid and in-person events. Networking receptions will take place on:
- 2nd October at Nucleus during the Ambassadors celebration event and poster exhibition. Book your place here.
- 24th October during the HPC communities gathering event. Find out more and register here.
- 29th January at the Digital Research Conference. More details available here.
All in-person attendees of lunchtime seminars and hands-on training sessions are invited to join us for a networking lunch.
Hands-on Computing Training
With a growing demand from the University of Edinburgh community to enhance research computing skills, Digital Research Services have scheduled three full days of hands-on HPC training:
- “Introduction to Archer2” on 30th October and 6th November. Book your place here.
- “How to Work on Eddie” on 14th November. Find out more and register here.
To stay updated on upcoming events, training and opportunities relevant to data and computational research subscribe to the digital research mailing list. For further queries, contact digitalreseacrhservices@ed.ac.uk.
Keep connected with the team at https://linktr.ee/digitalresearchservices
5 things: getting the best out of your library
Welcome, and welcome back, to all students starting the new academic year this week!
Whether you are one of the many descending on campus or one of our online or distance learners logging in from across the globe, we hope you make full use of our library resources, services and facilities while you are at the University.
Main Library
Our newly refreshed Library website has everything you need to know about the Library, while our Library subject guides help you find the resources you may need for your subject area.
But here are 5 things to help you get the best out of our (or your) library in 2024-25. Read More
A Murder in the Archives
It began as a simple cataloguing exercise. I noticed that a significant document in University of Edinburgh’s history had no representation in our online catalogue and set out to remedy this by creating a basic catalogue entry that could be elaborated on in due course. With a handy ‘caption card’ shelved alongside it, this was not a task that would take very long – or so I thought. I was soon in the midst of a famous murder!
The item in question was described, wrongly as it turned out, as the Clement Litill Charter. Litill, an Edinburgh merchant, had bequeathed a collection of 276 books to the ‘Town and Kirk of Edinburgh’ which effectively laid the foundation for Edinburgh University Library two years before the Charter which established the University itself and three years before the University opened its doors. It marks a foundational milestone in our history
As it turned out, the document was not a charter. In fact there were three documents but with the third appearing to largely a wrapper for the other two. Of the other two, one was a document which was identified as having been drawn up by Alexander Guthrie, the Town Clerk, extracted from the Town Council minutes. As such, it was important to be as precise as possible about who Guthrie was.
Investigation of online sources, including a digitised copy of the Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses and Guild Bretheren, 1406-1700, identified three successive generations of Alexander Guthries who had served as Town Clerk. Which one was it?
Colleagues at Edinburgh City Archives were able to provide a list of Town Clerks and their appointment dates. In 1580, the second Alexander Guthrie took up office but it was unclear if he was in post by 14 October, when these documents were drawn up. At this point there was contradictory information as to who preceded him; the entry for the earlier Alexander Guthrie did not fully agree with the Edinburgh City Archives list. To try and better understand this discrepancy, I began to read the DNB article more fully and realised I was right in the middle of a key event in the history of the Scottish Reformation.
The article in question was written by Prof. Michael Lynch and identifies the eldest Alexander Guthrie as a ‘civic administrator and religious activist’, but that is only the start of the story. His wife, Janet Henderon or Henryson, “was one of the group of wives of influential burgesses with whom John Knox corresponded while in exile in Geneva. She was addressed as his ‘beloved sister’ in a letter of March 1558”. Guthrie himself worked closely with John Knox on consolidating the Reformation in Edinburgh. Unusually, he held both burgh and political office simultaneously. As Lynch notes,
His connections with Edinburgh’s legal establishment and with key protestant dissidents within the royal administration were demonstrated by the appearance in court as one of his sureties of Patrick Bellenden of Stenness, brother of the justice clerk John Bellenden of Auchnoull. In 1556 Guthrie had acted as godfather to one of the children of another influential legal family, the Bannatynes, which was in turn closely connected to the Bellendens.
Guthrie had suffered arrest for his activities during the Reformation crisis of 1559-60 but faced arrest again in 1566 when he was implicated in the murder of David Rizzio (or Riccio). He fled alongside fellow conspirators, was outlawed and lost his position as Town Clerk. This was a revelation. I had not come across Guthrie in any of the many lists of conspirators in academic and other accounts of this incident. Yet, as Lynch points out, “The fact that he was among the last of the Riccio conspirators to be granted a remission, in December 1566, when he was also restored to office, confirms his prominence in the affair.”
Sir William Allan, The Murder of David Rizzio (Scottish National Gallery)
For those unfamiliar with the Rizzio murder, a quick summary. David Rizzio was secretary and possibly a lover of Mary Queen of Scots. On the evening of 9 March 1566, royal guards at the Palace of Holyroodhouse were overpowered by rebels who seized control of the palace. Rizzio was seized from the supper room, taken through adjacent rooms and stabbed 57 times. His body was then thrown down a staircase. (Read more on Wikipedia)
This is not the only high-profile murder of a royal figure in Edinburgh in this period, nor of one with a University connection. In February of the following year, Mary’s husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, who some thought was involved in Rizzio’s murder died as the result of an explosion in Kirk O’ Field House (roughly where our Old College quad is now situated) on. Suspicion fell on Mary and her future husband, the Earl of Bothwell. They were tried but acquitted. (Read more on Wikipedia)
But was Guthrie restored to office? This is where Lynch’s account and the Edinburgh City Archives list part company. His successor in 1566, David Chalmer(s), is recorded on the list with Chalmers then being succeeded by the second Alexander Guthrie in 1580. It may be the case that it was later determined that the elder Guthrie did not require to be reappointed to office – we can but speculate.
In terms of our archives, what is the significance of all of this? First, on the basis of current information, it is unclear which Alexander Guthrie drew up this document.
Second and more importantly, it helps situate the bequest of Littill’s books within the context of the time, this context being not just a backdrop but essential to understanding the significance of these events in the foundation of the University. Regardless of which Alexander Guthrie was involved, these were people working at the highest political levels within Edinburgh and Scotland. William Litill, who was responsible for honouring his brother Clement’s wishes, went on to become the city’s Lord Provost. The bequest was more than a beneficial transaction and those involved in seeing it fulfilled an executed were at the heart of the political turmoil of the period.
Book stamp, Litill bequest
Postscript
As an aside, the elder Guthrie features in elsewhere in our catalogue, in relation to two documents in the Laing collection.
Sources
- Watson, C.B.B., “Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses and Guild Brethern, 1406-1700” [https://www.tradeshouselibrary.org/uploads/4/7/7/2/47723681/roll_of_edinburgh_burgesses_1406_to_1700.pdf, last accessed 13 Septenmber 2024].
- Lynch, M., ‘Guthrie, Alexander (d. 1582), civic administrator and religious activist’ in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography [https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/69904, last accessed 12 September 2024].
- Town Clerks of Edinburgh 1363-1975, Edinburgh City Archives ECA16/1/23.
Kyushu University Library and iSchool Visit
Recently, a delegation of 5 librarians visited Library Research Support in Argyle House on 30 July. Led by Emi Ishita, a Professor in the iSchool and working with the Library on their Data-Driven Innovation Initiative, staff from Kyushu and Chiba Universities and the University of the Ryukyus came for a day of discussion, and a pleasant lunch at the nearby Edinburgh College of Art café.
Prof Ishita enjoys an Irn-Bru – Photo credit: Robin Rice
Questions the delegation had were shared in advance, and assigned to members of the team to respond to, in a round table format. These covered research data services and personnel (skills), service operation and collaboration, service evaluation, user reactions, and data publication and licence support in data repositories as well as repository certification. Other questions were around Open Access promotion and educational activities, as well as REF 2029 and Transformative Agreements.
The librarians from Japan were well informed about our research data management and open access services. Something that they were particularly keen to discuss was the way we conduct outreach with researchers, such as going to academic departments and training postgraduate students on data management planning. They are grappling with the perception of libraries in Japan as more of a physical space where researchers choose to come study; less as a proactive service that helps researchers learn and develop new academic skills, particularly related to Research Data Management (RDM).The delegation had also visited University of Vienna and Leeds University on the same trip. Future collaboration around training of librarians in the Kyushu Department of Library Science (iSchool) is being planned with Prof Ishita.
Robin Rice
Data Librarian and Head of Research Data Support
Library and University Collections
Fantasia: An Exhibition for Young Artists by our Gold Arts Award students
Over the past year, a group of young people between the ages of 14-17 have been completing their Gold Arts Award through our ‘Arts All Around’ programme: a partnership between University of Edinburgh Heritage Collections and the University of Stirling’s Collections. In this blog post, some of our young artists share with us the project they completed for Unit 2 of the Arts Award which requires them to develop their leadership skills and their advice for other young people completing similar projects.
Fantasia: An Exhibition for Young Artists, written by Ella, Emma, Jagoda, Maya and Tanya
Introduction
In the first section of our Arts Award, we mainly focused on looking at different art forms and our own creative projects. We also wrote reviews of exhibitions at the university and elsewhere as well as carrying out work experience placements and writing a debate essay about an arts topic. For the second part of the award, we had to work on our leadership skills and come up with a project together which would allow us to demonstrate these skills. We decide that we’d like to host a exhibition for other young artists as we felt that there were not many opportunities out there for young people to display their work.
Planning
At the start of our planning we researched a few different venues where we could hold our exhibition, ultimately deciding on our first idea of St Cecilia’s Hall as the venue is very accessible in the city centre and we liked the fact that people wouldn’t just have to come for our exhibition but would also be able to look around the museum. From there we met at the venue so we could have a better idea of the space we had and to further our planning. We worked together to come up with a theme for the exhibition by researching other exhibitions and their themes for inspiration and using a generator to give us a few different ideas of themes that we could then build on. We collectively agreed that the theme of Myths felt the best and kept the theme very broad to allow for artists to have more creative liberty. For the submissions to the exhibition we created a Google Form with all the information we needed about the artist’s piece and to reach as many people as possible to try and get submissions from, we sent out a general email to people and made a poster to put up that included information about what the exhibition was and what we were looking for with submissions and a QR to the form.
Intro to the Exhibition
Lead up to exhibition / On the Day
On the day of the exhibition, the group ran into a few issues which we had to solve ourselves using our own initiative. Emma, one of the organisers, had to cancel at the last minute, and Laura couldn’t come before a certain time, meaning we did most of the setting up by ourselves. We were provided with music stands to display artworks on, however more stands were required due to some last minute submissions, so we had to ask the staff at St. Cecilia’s hall to bring more. We also had to solve a few problems regarding technology, as the fairy lights we were using in the displays wouldn’t turn on for a while, however this was fixed after a few attempts. Finally, we had to write extra signs for some people who had submitted art but weren’t able to show up on the day. We used the artists’ form submissions to write descriptions and information about them with the craft supplies provided at the venue.
Some of our display
When the exhibition was being shown, there were Post-it notes set up where people could write feedback on our artworks. The response was very positive, and the number of visitors who came in was higher than expected, making the exhibition a success!
Feedback
Advice for People Planning a Similar Event in future
With these events it is good to plan ahead, do extensive research on the perfect venue, theme and what is needed to put together the exhibition. What is most important is to communicate with your team as a lot can be done in a group, working together can create efficiency and also make it more fun. You have to be open minded, listen to others and learn how to compromise. Of course what is also a key part of planning these events is to be passionate about your project, it keeps you motivated.
One of the works in our exhibition
Reflection
Throughout the planning process we lost track of what each person was in charge of doing. Making sure everyone knows what you are working on is important in a group and getting updates from each other would have been beneficial to everyone. With a few delays we had to move the timeline along & change the dates on the posters but that was handled well and efficiently. Starting the artist form process earlier so that we could exhibit more art by a broader range of individuals would have been beneficial & made the exhibition more substantial but what we had was well received by the turnout. Meeting more often would’ve moved the project quicker but due to the variety in our schedules that was hard to organise. Overall, the exhibit was quite the success & blew our expectations out of the park. Despite the planning sometimes getting muddled, we successfully organised the exhibit and had a great time and turnout!
Another of the works in our exhibition
Exploring Scotland, Uncovering America: Enriching Lyell’s Legacy
Thank you to guest blogger, Andrea Edwards, who shares her experience of spending the ‘summer’ working on the Charles Lyell correspondence…
Andrea at work, studying Lyell’s American correspondence, in the Centre for Research Collections, University of Edinburgh.
Hi! My name is Andrea Edwards. I am an undergraduate student at the University of Wyoming (UW), majoring in History and Environmental Studies, and minoring in Museum Studies. I travelled to Scotland to do a month-long internship, funded my university’s ‘UW in Scotland’ program. On securing funding, I had to find myself a placement, and I contacted Heritage Collections staff at the University of Edinburgh, and agreed a placement based with the Centre for Research Collections (CRC) in order to learn about and gain experience in UK archives.
During my time there, I learned a lot about how archivists work in the UK, which combined with my knowledge and experience of collections management in the US, really extended my understanding. We talked about the current state of the heritage sector, discussing topics such as budgeting, colonial legacies, the climate crisis, and changes in best practice. It was fascinating to see how the staff at Heritage Collections are dealing with these global issues, compared to the US. I was able to meet and work with lots of amazing people, specifically my supervisor Pamela McIntyre, archivist extraordinaire. I also visited many other heritage organizations, such as the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh archives and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, to learn about they manage their collections.
Start of a list of shells, found on the coast of Massachusetts, and identical with shells found on the European Atlantic Coasts, observed by AA Gould 1842, and sent to Lyell
My main project during my time in Scotland was cataloging Charles Lyell’s American correspondence. Charles Lyell travelled extensively throughout the UK, Europe, and Scandinavia, in order to conduct his research. Lyell also visited North America, 4 times, between 1841-1853. During those trips, Lyell made several connections with prominent American scientists and politicians, and continued to stay in touch with many over the years, generating quite a bit of correspondence.
The recent revision of the Lyell collection based at the University of Edinburgh, has identified much more correspondence from American born or based correspondents than perhaps previously has been understood. A lot of this has come from the increase in names ‘agents’ (the writers of the letters) being identified, and extended from 40 to 308; as well as extended by an additional tranche of records coming to the University in 2020. The purpose of my project was to add more detail to the catalogue for Lyell’s American correspondence. I was assigned 19 folders, and went through each, counting the number of letters and making notes of significant people, places, or subjects mentioned in each individual letter, allowing me to create a comprehensive scope and content on each file. I was able to catalogue 93 individual letters, with dates ranging from 1841-1875.
Letter from Ticknor, to Lyell, written at Boston, 23 January 1849.
Through spending time with these records, I got to understand the extent of Lyell’s personal and professional network abroad. Lyell corresponded with people that headed American society: politicians, doctors, university professors, and naturalists. Some characters that he corresponded with include naturalist and conchologist Augustus Addison Gould, and Charles Thomas Jackson, a New England physician and scientist, with a reputation of accusing others of claiming his discoveries. His correspondence with Lyell perhaps confirms Lyell’s position as an ‘authenticator of fact’. Twenty letters to Lyell from George Ticknor, an academic and Hispanist, document his feelings about the Mexican American War, his gossipy tone revealing the friendship between them. William C. Redfield, a meteorologist who gets very excited about fossil fish— content which now flags up another potential topic of investigation in the Cockburn Geological Museum! The correspondence creates a mosaic not only of Lyell’s personal relations, but of the United States’ fledgling academic community, a very tight knit community where everyone writes for the Benjamin Silliman’s journal, is related to a Boston Brahmin family, and knew and extensively talked about each other— the work of Louis Agassiz being regularly mentioned throughout.
This years ‘summer’ backlit Glencoe’s amazing geology, especially for Andrea….
Lyell travelled throughout this life. I felt encouraged by him to explore Scotland, and it lived up to every expectation. I spent most of my time in Edinburgh, exploring all of its nooks and crannies, and absolutely fell in love with the city. It has such a charming and intimate atmosphere, and despite this being my first solo trip, it felt like a home away from home. I took the time to visit Glasgow, Inverness, and bits of the Highlands, all of which were amazing places that I would love to visit again. I loved the public transportation! Throughout my travels, I loved how climate conscious Scotland is, and I was impressed with their mindfulness about waste and their carbon footprint. It was especially interesting how Heritage Collections strive to apply this thinking to their work.
Everyone I met was so nice and welcoming. Everything was so beautiful, from the winding medieval streets of Edinburgh to the lush green peaks of Glencoe. I will always treasure my time spent there. But it’s also gratifying to know that I’ve also made an impression on Scotland. Due to the work that I have done, Lyell’s American correspondence has been enriched— taking their detail from a scant skeleton entry, to exact dates, extent, content and related agents. This had made this special subset of study more accessible to researchers. I wish them luck on their journey.
We also want to express our gratitude to the University of Wyoming for supporting Andrea’s cross-cultural internship, which has enhanced our understanding of Lyell’s global connections. A special thank you to our colleagues at Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and all the staff at Heritage Collections for their warm welcome and mentorship, which made Andrea’s experience both educational and memorable. But, most of all, thank you for all your efforts Andrea.
Shuffling the Corson Collection
In this week’s blog Collections Management Technician Jasmine Hide talks about the rehousing, repitching, and condensing of the Corson collection, and the space saving possibilities of optimal shelf use.
Collections
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Projects
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