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Friends of the Library

Image of cats from the bestiaryThe Friends of Aberdeen University Library is a Registered Charity (SC009009) founded in 1962.

Membership currently stands at more than 200 people with addresses as far afield as Australia and Canada.

By becoming a member of the Friends you will help this unique Library to develop its collections in a way that will benefit the University community and the people of the North of Scotland. 

 

About the Friends

The aims of the Friends are

  • to encourage donations of funds and of books, prints, manuscripts and other items of interest to the Library
  • to help the Library buy special books, manuscripts and other items of interest
  • to encourage interest in the Library and the potential of its collections
About the Library

The Library at the University of Aberdeen is as old as the University itself. It represents a unique resource for teaching, research and scholarship. The Library operates an 'open door' policy whereby the riches of its collections are available for consultation to members of the general public. The Library is central to University teaching and research and it is also a key resource for the local community.

To visit us

To visit the Sir Duncan Rice Library you can register for an access pass at the Welcome desk on the Ground Floor. Please bring photographic proof of identity.

Our Collections

The collections are rich and diverse, ranging from manuscripts and early printed works to the most modern computer-based resources. They include:

  • the MacBean Stuart and Jacobite Collection
  • the Gregory Collection of Scientific and Medical works
  • The O'Dell Collection of books on railways and transport
  • the George Washington Wilson Collection of late Victorian/Edwardian photographs
  • the Local History Collection
  • the European Documentation Centre - with every official publication of the EU (held in Taylor Library)
  • over a million books and journals supporting teaching, learning and research in Arts & Humanities, Medicine, Divinity, Agriculture, Social Sciences, Science and Engineering, Law etc.

View Library Resources

Many of the treasures of the University of Aberdeen's Library have been digitised. View these online or search the Library catalogue for items of interest. Simply click on the resource you would like to see or to use.

 

Membership

Benefits

Members of the Friends benefit from:

  • A newsletter, which appears twice a year, with details of recent purchases made possible by the Friends, announcements and reports on Friends' activities, and news of the Library generally
  • Meetings (usually at least twice a year with one coinciding with the Annual General Meeting). These either feature an invited speaker talking on aspects of the Library's holdings or visits to Behind the Scenes areas which members of the public generally never see (e.g. the University Bindery)
  • The opportunity to become a borrowing member of the Library at special discounted rates
  • The opportunity to contribute to the development of the Library and its holdings

How to become a Member of the Friends

Membership is open to anyone interested in Aberdeen University Library. If you qualify for Gift Aid, the Friends benefit additionally from your subscription.

There are two forms of membership: Annual Membership or Life Membership.

Annual Membership

Minimum donation of £20.00 per annum 
Additionally, this membership allows you to become a borrowing member of the Library. The special discounted rate, in addition to the cost of Friends' membership, is:

  • Aberdeen Graduates
    ​£30.00 returnable deposit plus £15.00 annual subscription
  • Other Friends of the Library
    £30.00 returnable deposit plus £25.00 annual subscription

Life Membership

Minimum donation of £200.00. This can be paid either:

  • in one payment, or
  • spread over up to 4 years

Life Members of the Friends are entitled to free borrowing membership of the Library.

If you would like to join the Friends of Aberdeen University Library please download 
and complete a membership application form or contact:

Honorary Secretary 
Friends of Aberdeen University Library 
The Sir Duncan Rice Library 
University of Aberdeen 
Bedford Road 
Aberdeen 
AB24 3AA

tel: +44 (0) 1224 27 4037  
email: e.fowlie@abdn.ac.uk

Events

Friends of Aberdeen University Library Talks 2017/18

All events are free to attend, and hosted in the Special Collections Centre Seminar Room of the Sir Duncan Rice Library.

Wednesday 11th October 2017, 6pm

Dickens and the Marshalsea

Professor Jerry White, Birkbeck, University of London

In this guest lecture at the University of Aberdeen, the eminent historian Jerry White explores the place of the Marshalsea in the life and fiction of the writer Charles Dickens.

This event will be held in the Craig Suite on the 7th floor of The Sir Duncan Rice Library

For further information please see:

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/library/events/12110/

 

Thursday 23rd November 2017, 6pm

Behind the Scenes with our Collections: Bookbinding Session & Talk

Jane Pirie and Brannah Mackenzie, University of Aberdeen

Exclusive Friends' Event: Behind the Scenes with our Collections: Bookbinding Workshop & Talk.

This event will be held in the Special Collections Seminar Room, Lower Ground Floor, The Sir Duncan Rice Library

For further information please see:

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/library/events/12111/

 

Thursday 15th February 2018, 6pm

A 1594 Aberdonian Schoolmaster's Guide to Politics

Dr Miles Kerr-Peterson, University of Glasgow

This talk will explore a remarkable manuscript held in Special Collections.

This event will be held in the Special Collections Seminar Room, Lower Ground Floor, The Sir Duncan Rice Library

For further information please see:

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/library/events/12112/

 

Thursday 26th April 2018, 6pm

Friends of Aberdeen University Library AGM followed by a talk at 6.30pm: Behind the Scenes of an Exhibition

Jen Shaw, University of Aberdeen

A behind-the-scenes look at how an exhibition is curated. Jen Shaw, Exhibitions Officer for the Special Collections Centre gives a glimpse into how an exhibition comes about: from deciding on a subject or theme, through to the selection of objects, and finally to the week of installation. Fun, fascinating and, at times, frantic!

This event will be held in the Special Collections Seminar Room, Lower Ground Floor, The Sir Duncan Rice Library

For further information please see:

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/library/events/12113/

 

Contact:

Emma Fowlie, Honorary Secretary of the Friends of Aberdeen University Library

e: e.fowlie@abdn.ac.uk

t: 01224 274037

Friends' News

The following issues of Friends' News are available in Adobe PDF format:

Apply for Funding

Friends of Aberdeen University Library Postgraduate Research Bursary 2017

Applications are invited for the Friends of Aberdeen University Library Postgraduate Research Bursary awards 2017. This award of £3000 is offered to a candidate in the early stages of a supervised postgraduate research degree (PhD or Masters by Research). It is a one-off bursary payment designed to support research based on and making particular use of materials held in Special Libraries and Archives or other areas of the University of Aberdeen’s historic collections.

Applicants must hold an offer of study from the University to begin in September 2017 or be less than 50% through their period of study at that time. Applicants should complete the form below. Additionally they should attach a research proposal of 1000-2000 words explaining the scope of the project, the suitability of the research environment at the University of Aberdeen, and the relevance of the University’s collections to the project. This award can be held in conjunction with other funding awards such as those offered by AHRC and ESRC, or an Elphinstone Scholarship.

For further information. contact Professor Hazel Hutchison, Chair of the Friends: h.hutchison@abdn.ac.uk

Please send your completed form to Emma Fowlie, Secretary of the Friends of Aberdeen University Library at e.fowlie@abdn.ac.uk by Tuesday 28th February 2017.

Visiting Scholar Awards

The Friends of Aberdeen University Library have been supporting Humanities research in Aberdeen for over fifty years. We are delighted to be supporting a new research award, 'The Special Collections Centre Visiting Scholar Award', in conjunction with Aberdeen Humanities Fund, the Special Collections Centre and the generosity of Henry Doss and Chris Arvidson. To find out more about this exciting new scheme, please visit the Special Collection Collaborations web pages.

General Funding

The Friends will consider applications for funding, usually up to £3,000, to acquire materials or support projects which enhance the Library’s collections and promote their use. These might include:

  • Acquiring rare and valuable books and others items which the University may not be able to purchase from other resources
  • Building and equipping exhibition areas within the Library
  • Providing research facilities for scholars studying the Library’s special collections
  • Providing other facilities which promote the Library and its use
  • University staff, research students and independent scholars are invited to apply.

To apply, please complete the undernoted form and send to Emma Fowlie, Secretary of the Friends of Aberdeen University Library at e.fowlie@abdn.ac.uk

Please describe the nature of your project, stating how your request will benefit the Library collections and other users, and explaining why alternative funding is unavailable or insufficient. Applications are welcome from students and staff of the University, Friends of Aberdeen University Library and other users of the Library.