Special collections
A number of special collections have been donated to the library
service over the years and are now housed in the local studies
section. The most important are:
Mackintosh Collection
This library was donated to the Sandeman Library in 1933. It had
been the personal library of the Reverend Donald Mackintosh before
he left it to the city of Dunkeld to be used as a public library.
It contains many theological texts as well as histories,
geographies and poetry. We have recently been working on the
collection and have added many of the titles to a British Library
Database called the English Short Title
Catalogue. You can search for books in the AK Bell Library by
searching under Perth.
Atholl Collection
Consisting of around 600 books and manuscripts of Scottish music,
some from the seventeenth century, this has been described as one
of the most important collections of its kind in existence. A
catalogue was published in 1999 and is available from the library
service at a cost of £4.95 plus postage. A card index to the
tunes has been compiled by a volunteer and this is currently being
transferred to an Access database. Please give us a ring or send us
an email if you are looking for a particular tune.
Perth and Kinross Sound
Archive
This consists of many hours of recorded conversations between
field workers and elderly residents of rural Perthshire, some of
which have been transcribed. Topics include farming, fishing and
many other aspects of rural life. The archive also includes several
hundred photographs.
Dr Mary Noble
Beatrix Potter’s connections with Perthshire have become
better known in recent years, and some of the credit for this must
go to the distinguished scientist, Dr Mary Noble. It was she who,
when researching the life and work of Charles McIntosh, the Inver
postman and local naturalist, discovered a number of letters from
Beatrix to Charles concerning the fungi of the area. While most
people are aware of her furry creations such as Peter Rabbit, few
know that she was also a highly talented amateur mycologist.
Following the discovery of the letters Dr Noble herself became an
acknowledged expert on Beatrix, collecting over fifty books about
her and co-authoring at least one. Dr Noble died in July 2002 and
her Beatrix Potter collection, together with photographs and a
large number of slides, has been given by her niece to the A K Bell
Library in Perth. The
collection has been kept intact and is available for
consultation in the local studies section on the first floor.
Gaelic Society of Perth
The library of the Gaelic Society has been housed in the AK Bell
Library for many years and includes books published up until 1929.
A full
list of the holdings is now available. please contact Local
Studies if you wish to consult any of the titles.
