Answering Research Questions

Guidance about which records are best suited as a source of different types of information

How long has this book been in the collection?

For questions such as how long has this book been in the library? When was it purchased or donated? The reader needs to work backwards, and look at author catalogues from the most recent to the earliest ones. [The timeline document mentioned in the first section might be a useful tool for such purposes]. Below is a list of author catalogues, for which date ranges are given.

Reference code

Date

(Digitised Guard book)

(1922-1985)

(3-volume published catalogue)

(1918-22)

LIB/1/1 

(c.1827-1920)

LIB/1/Da.1.12

(1817-1827)

LIB/1/Da.1.13

(1815-21)

LIB/1/Da.1.7, 8, 9 & 10

(1750s-1815)

LIB/1/Da.1.11

(-1799)

LIB/1/Da.1.6

(-1752)

LIB/1/Da.1.3

(1670s-1743)

LIB/1/Da.1.4

(1670s-1742)

LIB/1/Da.1.5

(-1711)

LIB/1/Da.1.2

(1678-1693)

LIB/1/Da.1.1

(1670s)

 

To find out how long a book has been in the collection, we suggest looking at the 1918 printed author catalogue, which is very clearly laid-out and on open access. Then, items LIB1/Da.1.7- 10 might be a convenient next step. Items LIB1/Da.1.2 to 4 would be the next author catalogue to look at, since it was started in the 17th century. LIB/1/Da.1.1, which also dates to the 17th century, should probably only be looked at if absolutely necessary, as its access is restricted due to its significance to the collection.

The following account books might also be of use here: LIB/2/Da.1.32-34 and LIB/2/Da.1.43, as they contain lists of books purchased with student fees. Other useful items are the accessions books, items LIB/2/Da.1.46- 49.

Reference code

Date

Type of record

LIB/2/Da.1.32

(1627-1696)

donations from candidates

LIB/2/Da.1.33

(1653-1704)

Matriculation book

LIB/2/Da.1.34

(1695-1769)

account book and borrowing register

LIB/2/Da.1.43

(1791-1800)

List of students/library accounts

LIB/2/Da.1.46

(1762-1792)

Accession book

LIB/2/Da.1.47

(1768-1809)

Accession book

LIB/2/Da.1.48

(1783-1809)

Accession book

LIB/2/Da.1.49

(1787-1809)

Accession book

 

Which books were acquired through the 1710 Copyright Act?

 LIB/2/Da.1.49 contains titles received from Stationers’ Hall. Many of the books which were acquired that way were stamped, and this is sometimes mentioned in the current catalogue. This area of enquiry was beyond the remit of the Early Library Records project, but we do hold some more records which could shed light on the topic.

What did the library look like?

For questions relating to the lay-out of the library, press and subject catalogues might be the best place to look. The press catalogues reveal how the collection was arranged intellectually, for example, all the bibles were grouped together, but also physically. Below is a list of such catalogues, which come in different groups as the shelf-mark system, dependent on the physical lay-out and the furniture of the library, changed over the centuries. The place where the shelf-mark was inscribed on the books also changed over the years. Pre-1750s, the shelf-mark was usually to be found on the head of the title-page. Between the 1750s and 1827, the shelf-mark would be situated on the title page – these were the lengthy shelf-marks such as G.H.b.22. Post-1827, after the collection had been moved to the Playfair library, shelf-marks were written on the inside of the front cover. This is still done today.

To locate books with shelf-marks like K.3.18 (Letter. number. number):

Reference code

Date

LIB/1/Da.1.14/15

(1636-1640s)

LIB/1/Da.1.27

(-1664)

LIB/1/Da.1.17

(-1669)

LIB/1/Da.1.16

(-1691)

LIB/1/Da.1.18

(1695-1724)

LIB/1/Da.1.19

(1695-1742)

 

To locate books with shelf-marks like G.H.b.22 (Letter. Letter. letter. number):

Reference code

Date

LIB/1/Da.1.26

(1801)

LIB/1/Da.1.21/22

(1807-1818/19)

LIB/1/Da.1.23

(1813-1820)

LIB/1/Da.1.24

(1810-1821)

LIB/1/Da.1.25

(1821- )

 

LIB/1/Da.1.20 (-1762): this press catalogue’s shelf-marks match only partly with author catalogues of the same period.

We have very little information as to the use of space and the furniture of the library, but we are given some clues in a few items. LIB/1/Da.1.21, which dates to the early 19th century, mentions a ‘New Room’, while LIB/1/Da.1.19 and LIB/1/Da.1.20 mention a pluteo vitreo, which suggests that some items – here probably iconic ones- were stored in a glass press or something similar. LIB/1/Da.1.18-19 usually mention the subject area assigned to each bookcase.

What about iconic items, curiosities and non-books?

For questions about iconic items housed in the library, there are lists of them in LIB/1/Da.1.18, LIB/1/Da.1.19, LIB/1/Da.1.20 and LIB/2/Da.1.31.[1] In these records, we find the date of acquisition and sometimes provenance of iconic items, such as the Bohemian Protest and portraits held in the library. Lists of items related to the discipline of anatomy can also be found in them.

Benefactors & donations

LIB/2/Da.1.31, Henderson’s donations book, contains donations made by major patrons, but also by students, merchants and other people not considered as ‘key benefactors’. Items LIB/1/Da.1.18, LIB/1/Da.1.19, LIB/1/Da.1.21 and LIB/2/Da.1.32 contain substantial lists of names of contributors and the items or sums of money associated with their names. Items LIB/1/Da.1.29 and LIB/2/Da.1.30 are collections of documents relating to major 17th -century bequests. The documents in them are listed individually on the online catalogue.

Reference code

Date

LIB/1/Da.1.18

(1695-1724)

LIB/1/Da.1.19

(1695-1742)

LIB/1/Da.1.21

(1807-1818)

LIB/1/Da.1.29

(17TH C.)

LIB/2/Da.1.30

(17TH C.)

LIB/2/Da.1.31

(1667-1824)

LIB/2/Da.1.32

(1627-1696)

 

Item LIB/2/Da.1.32 lists donations made by students, either of books or money. It also, in some cases, gives the titles of the books that were bought with the money thus donated. LIB/1/Da.1.15 contains a list of mathematical instruments.

We possess examples of printed catalogues of two major 17th century donations, that of William Drummond of Hawthornden and that of James Nairn. We do have several examples of the 1627 printed Drummond catalogue and examples of a re-printed version of 1815, all on open access and searchable on DiscoverED with the following shelf-marks: De.3.77, De.3.78, De.3.79 and De.3.79/2. For further information about chief donations, the reader is referred to the Collections Directory of the library.[2]

What was borrowing like?

Item Da.1.11 seems to contain fees associated with specific items for borrowing purposes. However, it seems to be a borrowing register for medical works only, probably used until the late 18th century. Da.1.34 is partly a borrowing register. It was used as such in the 1760s, although it served as an account book before that. It mentions titles of books borrowed and names of borrowers, but the entries are all crossed, which can make their deciphering difficult. Borrowing registers were outwith the scope of the project. However, we do hold a series of them, with the earliest dating to 1763, with shelf-mark Da.2.2. More information about these records can be found on request.

Who were the students and what did they study?

For questions about students, size of classes, disciplines taught and other related questions, the library account books, which are also matriculation books, might be useful, see: Da.1.35, 1.36, 1.37 and 1.38. The set of ‘list of students’ books will be of help: Da.1.39 to Da.1.45. These registers can also be used for researching names of professors, and examples of signatures of renowned scholars are numerous (e.g. David Hume, Dugald Stewart, Hugh Blair). Items 32 and 33, which are account books, also contain lists of students. For further help in this direction, it is worth noting that the CRC website has a database dedicated to listing names of former students.[3]

Reference code

Date

LIB/2/Da.1.35

(1694-1764)

LIB/2/Da.1.36

(1695-1746)

LIB/2/Da.1.37

(1696-1766)

LIB/2/Da.1.38

(1697-1765)

LIB/2/Da.1.39

(1763-1769)

LIB/2/Da.1.40

(1764-1774)

LIB/2/Da.1.41

(1774-1784)

LIB/2/Da.1.42

(1783-1790)

LIB/2/Da.1.43

(1791-1800)

LIB/2/Da.1.44

(1801-1808)

LIB/2/Da.1.45

(1808-1811)

 

Who was Principal or Librarian at the time?

Account books and matriculation registers are a great place to look if one wants to know who the principal of the university was at a specific time, and who the librarian was. Such items are: LIB/2/Da.1.32, LIB/2/Da.1.33, and LIB/2/Da.1.35-44. Notes by librarians can also be found in the catalogues. For these, the reader should refer to the information available on the online catalogue.

A few items in the early records collection are found to have been compiled, for the most part, by a specific, known individual. Such items are: Da.1.20, a press catalogue compiled by George Stuart, library keeper in 1747, LIB/1/Da.1.26, a catalogue compiled by John Lee M.L., and LIB/2/Da.1.31, a book of donations compiled by William Henderson, library keeper between 1667 and 1683/4.

Where did the paper come from?

For the study of watermarks and paper makers, the following items offer varied examples: LIB/1/Da.1.1, LIB/1/Da.1.7-13, LIB/1/Da.1.15, and LIB/1/Da.1.21-26.

Potential routes for further research

There still remain some foggy areas in the library’s history. For instance, the arrangement of the collection in each successive building before the collection was moved to the Playfair library in 1827 is far from clear. Several movements of the collection are recorded but there are some contradictions in dates, and we know very little about the physical lay-out of the library in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Looking at press catalogues and early building plans of the library and old College could yield precious information with regards to this topic. The university having been under the control of the Town Council until 1858, much essential information about its management and that of the library could be found in the Town Council’s minutes, now held in the City Archives.[4]  Research into the donations made to the library could also yield fruitful results. We do have many lists of benefactors, with more or less information about the people and gifts themselves, and research in that area could enlighten us as to what class of people were more likely to donate to the library, who they were, what their motivations for donating were, and other related issues. We also know little about the borrowing system, but as we do hold some borrowing registers, research in that area could be productive. It might even be possible to follow the borrowings of one single individual over several years.

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