Summary
In May 2004 the Islands Book Trust was awarded £28,000 through HLF’s Your Heritage programme to preserve and make available to the public a collection of local archive material. The collection belonged to the crofter and historian Angus MacLeod, who was born in South Lochs, Isle of Lewis, and lived on the island until his death in 2002.
The archive collection includes manuscripts, books, oral history records, recordings of traditional music and old photographs of island life. The material relates to a variety of subjects including crofting history, genealogy, fishing, local place names and settlement history. Much of the material is in Gaelic.
What does the project involve?
Two members of staff (one full time and one part time) have been employed to oversee public access to the collection and prepare publications.
At least two publications relating to the life of Angus MacLeod and his archive collection will be produced by the Islands Book Trust
Exhibitions based on the archive will be prepared for display at the local centre where the archive is housed.
An annual memorial lecture will be given to further the understanding of the significance of Angus MacLeod's work.
How did the project meet HLF’s funding priorities?
Conservation - the collection will be catalogued and made available for reference and research at the Ravenspoint Centre, South Lochs, Lewis, where there is also a community shop and hostel. At the time of application, the collection was in private ownership and therefore not accessible to the public. A loan agreement between the MacLeod family and the Pairc Historical Society was set up to ensure the long term maintenance of the collection. The grant covered the cost of storage containers and environmental monitoring equipment.
Involvement – the project is a partnership between two local organisations - the Islands Book Trust and Pairc Historical Society. 12 volunteers from the local community will also be involved in providing public access and preparing exhibitions.
Access – the project provides public access to the archive collection for the first time. A large number of local people will benefit from the project, including a significant proportion of Gaelic speakers.
Education – the project involves good learning opportunities through a well thought out events programme. Several events are planned including the annual memorial lectures, evenings of Gaelic story telling, publications, and exhibitions.