Research collections in a digital age: the development of special collections in Glasgow 1977‐1997

Throughout his 20 years as university librarian and keeper of the Hunterian Books and Manuscripts, Henry Heaney has shown an abiding interest in the rich and varied collections contained in Glasgow University Library’s Department of Special Collections. The article traces the unprecedented growth in the collections themselves, and in readers’ use of them, which have taken place during Heaney’s librarianship. Tribute is paid both to the sustained efforts made by Special Collections staff in promoting the scholarly community’s awareness and use of the collections, and to Henry Heaney’s active encouragement. The impact of the Funding Councils’ Non‐Formula Funding,and of digitisation, is considered, and the conclusion is drawn that at his retirement, Henry Heaney is leaving the Department of Special Collections well placed, both in its new location and in its collections and services, to meet the opportunities and challenges of the digital age.