The Glasgow school of Art have begun an appeal to replace books that were in demand before the tragic fire which destroyed parts of the iconic building. The main GSA library and lending collections were unaffected by the fire in the Mackintosh Building on 23rd May and the main library remains open for normal hours and normal service.
However the fire caused the school to lose the internationally important Mackintosh Library and its precious collections. Since that tragic event, the school have been touched by the many offers of donations they have received and continue to receive from individuals and institutions, for which they are very grateful.
The rebuilding of the lost collections will take many years. The school intends to pursue a targeted rebuild, tightly aligned to both the illustrious history and future direction of the Glasgow School of Art. Just as the loss of the Mackintosh Library interior allows them to re-imagine the future use of the space, the loss of these collections, though tragic, provides the opportunity to revisit the collecting strategies and to rebuild in a highly strategic and targeted way.
In the short term however, the school needs to replace the volumes that were in high demand and used regularly by students, staff and researchers. In particular, they need to replace those volumes required by the PhDs. In addition, they also seek to replace those volumes that complemented the Archives and Collections, including the many treatises and illustrated books written, designed and made by past Directors, tutors, and alumni. The quick replacement of these volumes is a priority for the Library.
The GSA Librarians have compiled a wants list, which is kept updated on a weekly basis and publicly available here: The mackintosh Library Collections Wants List – Updated. At this time, GSA are only seeking very specific titles that hold particular relevance to the school’s history, their alumni, and the learning, teaching and research activities. If anyone holds any of the titles below and would like to donate them to the Library, please contact the Librarian Duncan Chappell at d.chappell@gsa.ac.uk.
Please note that the GSA Archives and Collections Centre also suffered some damage, however the bulk of the holdings are fine and have been removed from the site for an assessment of their condition. Unfortunately, the Archives and Collections service will be closed for the foreseeable future, a spokesperson for the GSA added.
If you would like to donate to the Mackintosh Building Fire Fund you can do so here.