Memories of Paisley Industries

Our next talk on 12 October will be by Prof. John Hume on the above subject.

Dr Hume started his career in 1964 as an assistant lecturer in the Department of Economic and Industrial History in the University of Strathclyde. His main topics were the history of science and technology, and industrial history. He particularly studied industrial archaeology (the buildings and machinery of past industry). From 1984-1999 he worked with what is now Historic Environment Scotland. involved in the protection and preservation of a wide range of buildings, sites and structures. More recently he has been involved with the Paisley centre for Business and Industrial History in the University of West of Scotland.In the mid 1960s Prof. Hume started photographing teh industrial buildings of Paisley.

About his talk Prof. Hume says:

'My talk will be based on my personal experience, both of active Paisley industries, from the 1960s, and of the remains of past industries still surviving during that period. It will look at Paisley’s important engineering firms and at some of the many smaller-scale industries, not so well known that were parts of the fabric of this wonderful town, as well as its justly famous textile industries. It will be largely illustrated by my own photographs.'

The talk will be held in the Paisley Museum, Lecture Theatre at 7.30 pm. visitors are welcome and are asked to make a donation of £3.00.

The Myth of The Universal Library?

Our first meeting of the new session will be on 28th September 2017 in the lecture room of the Paisley Museum at 7.30. The speaker will be Dr John Scally on the above subject.

The event is free to members and £3.00 to non-members.

Dr Scally has provide the following information. He is on twitter as @scallyjj

John Scally is National Librarian and Chief Executive of the National Library of Scotland. The National Library is Scotland’s legal deposit library giving it the right to claim a copy of everything published in the United Kingdom. The Library holds over 26 million physical items and has an even greater digital library of electronic formats. It is one of the world’s leading centres for the study of Scotland and the Scots. The National Library recently opened a new library centre in Glasgow at the Kelvin Hall, offering a range of resources to the West of Scotland community.

Dr Scally grew up in Paisley and was educated at St Mirin’s Academy, the University of Strathclyde, the University of Cambridge and the University of Wales. He has a number of research interests including aspects of 17^th and 18^th Century British history, the history of the book and book illustration. He has published on a range of topics such as the Scottish parliament before 1707, the British Civil Wars of the 1640s, popular print in Scotland and a book on Robert Louis Stevenson. He has taught and guest lectured on many subjects in a number of institutions most recently on the impact of technology on libraries.

Synopsis

The Myth of the Universal Library?

Throughout history there have been attempts to assemble the complete range of human knowledge in one place. Often the aspiration has been triggered by an advanced society or a technological breakthrough that appeared to bring the possibility closer than before. The Library of Alexandria, the Renaissance and the Internet have framed some of the attempts that will be surveyed during the course of the talk. Will the universal library remain a worthy aspiration for society in the internet age or merely a figment of our collective imagination?