We began today's tour at the Scotland Museum, here they had an exhibit on pride & prejudice, Livingstone's travel in South Africa, and a small room that had outfits, interactive panels, and Conan Doyle displays. while I have to examine my notes more on the Doyle displays, I think it may give me a boost for my research paper.
Eventually we approached the national archives of Scotland. after a bit of a bus ride and a wander down the old streets, we entered Scotland's largest family history centre. The building was designed by a Robert Adam, an architect of his time. According to our tour guide, the library is at a point of transition but keeps their focus on public accessibility. they have three facilities total, and have a person designated both "keeper of the records" & "registration general." [insert taftan guide info]
The archive is home to registration, statistics, and NRS services online. they have census, births/deaths, marriages, Scottish wills, tartan registrar, and more. there are even course taught there. their oldest piece comes from the 12th century, a brieve from King David I(1120s). It was from a charter to build Edinburgh Castle and is apparently quite small. Their library is home to researchers, genealogical seekers, and hold virtual volumes as well as an online catalog to aide them. there are strict rules, no food or drink allowed, noise, mobile phones, etc.
We were given both a tour of physical items they host as well as the staff areas. the staff consisted of catalogers, digitization managers, and more. the digitization process was the coolest part- the machinery consists of high-tech cameras, a cradle for the item, and compressor for the glass cover, a computer screen, and more. they have records for nearly everything- Glasgow games, golf records, colorado letters, pennsylvania newspapers, crime and church records, and more. our second tour guide, jenny cotus, has been at the library in various positions for 13 years. Leslie was our other tour guide when it can to digitization. she informed us that the photos must be recorded, converted to JPEGs, put in volumes, have negatives released, and that the process starts either via request or something else. Overall, the behind the scenes was my favourite part o the visit.
In the evening, AG & LH and myself went in some stores, including the Edinburgh Hard Rock Cafe, but kept our purchases light. Wandering the cobblestones, I discovered very quickly that it was an easy place to navigate, visually speaking. I am loving the accents and have plenty of idea for tomorrow, since Wednesday is not an early morning. By afternoon, we went to a quaint Italian restaurant, which was thrifty and we had a great waitress. This evening we went on an Underground Ghost Tour. for 8 pounds, we wandered beneath the south bridge, listening to stories of olden Scottish times and the people who lived down there, in one form or another. we were told scary stories of past tours. one in particular will stand out for awhile- in our second vault, somehow our group was at the back. I discovered this when I felt like there was someone behind us, turned to look, and discovered that there wasn't. turning, I listened to my tour guide and again, felt like there was a person staring. once more, no one was there. eventually she told us about "the watcher", a man who is always just out of sight, well-mannered, but attentive- hence his name. my friends didn't feel anyone watching, but the sensation did not occur in any other room. it was a relief to exit into twilight, to shake it off before we went home. and somehow we want to do the graveyard one tomorrow. am I asking for trouble? probably, but the stories will be worth it!
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| Our tourguide, she was a toughie! |
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