UTC’s Partnership with the Agency Continues

19 February 2025

Since 2020 the Gamble Library of Union Theological College has worked in partnership with the Ulster-Scots Agency.

This has proved extremely beneficial for the Library, and the wider College. In December 2024 the Gamble Library received a generous donation from the Ulster-Scots Agency. This funding was used to purchase specialist conservation materials, a digital camera and stand.

Support from the Ulster-Scots Agency in 2023 enabled us to train our first batch of seven conservation volunteers in December of that year. More volunteers have been trained during 2024 bringing the total to around eighteen.

These dedicated and hard-working volunteers have cleaned and conserved 3,000 of our rare books to-date, collecting information about the conserved works. The Agency’s continued support has enabled us to purchase conservation materials to continue this vital project.

Some very interesting volumes have been discovered by the volunteers such as an Erasmus New Testament from 1543. The rare books collection contains books dating back to the 1540s, with numerous excellent examples of early printed works. Many were donated by important Irish Presbyterians such as, Rev Prof Henry Cooke, College Principal from 1847-68, Rev Prof Thomas Witherow, Professor of Church History and Pastoral Theology at Magee College and College Librarian, and Rev Prof James Seaton Reid, author of the influential History of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

The Agency’s support has enabled the purchase of a digital camera and stand with lighting. This will allow library staff to take professional quality photographs of items in the collections to share with researchers. It will also be used to create online exhibitions incorporating photographs showcasing our collections.

In future this equipment will be used for making recordings about our rare books and special collections, library training videos, and other Library events. Being able to take professional quality photographs will be a significant improvement to Library services in terms of supporting researchers and promoting the Library and its collections.    

Our collections are of central importance to the history of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and therefore the Ulster-Scots community of this island. The support given by the Ulster-Scots Agency will help with the vital work of preserving and promoting these unique collections, and by doing so will enable historical and theological research using our collections to continue for many years to come.

We would like to convey our sincere thanks to the Board of the Ulster-Scots Agency, Ian Crozier (CEO), and David Gilliland (Director of Development) for their support throughout 2024.

With kind thanks to Union Theological College for the use of this post.