Hidden Treasures: The Library Special Collections at Highland Theological College UHI

Abstract

This paper details the library special collections material held at the library of Highland Theological College, University of the Highlands and Islands. Our three primary special collections are the focus of this article, The William Temple Collection, The Rutherford House Collection, and the Fort Augustus Collection. We detail here the story behind these collections entering our custody and proceed to highlight a selection of monographs of provenance and personal interest. This paper constitutes original research into the collections, building upon a foundation laid by the late college librarian, Mr. Martin Cameron, (1953-2019) who curated the collections over some twenty years. We also discuss the curation two new collections – The Liturgical Music Collection, comprising sheet music and musical sources from the Fort Augustus Collection, and the Historical Texts Collection, comprising the library’s oldest books of academic interest.