Day 8: A Day in the County
Innerpeffray
I would have thought the National Library was my favorite part of the trip until we came here. It was quite a drive and I can see why very few Glasgow locals had ever heard of it before. I can also see why many displaced Scotsman settled in Appalachia after the Jacobite uprising. It also looked very similar to some places in my own home state. Kelli commented that this was the first day she felt at ease and I think it was due to the fact that this looked very much like home. The staff at Innerpeffray were so welcoming and inviting it was hard not to feel at home. Here we were encouraged to browse as we please and if there was something we wanted to see we just had to ask and they would get it out for us. The library was small, but had so many interesting books. It was founded in the 1680s and they had all of their ledgers.
One of my favorite stories the librarian told us was about a family from the US who had trace their family roots back to this area. They made a trip to find out more and they were able to come to the library and look at their families library records and hold the book their distant relative had borrowed. A prime example of why I love libraries. It makes me a little sad to think that future generations of Americans won’t be able to do that since most library records are deleted to keep them private after the National Home Land Security Act.
In and Around the Library
The “new” section of the library was my favorite because of the little old man giving us all homework assignments. He handed Kelli one of the volumes from the complete Benjamin Franklin set and told her to sit in his chair and find something interesting to share with us. He handed me a book written in the early 1800’s with a chapter about America and told me to see what the British had to say about us back in the day. The best part about this room was the set up. There were wall to wall bookshelves and a little desk with a tin of Werther’s Original and a thread bare chair overlooking the old Roman fort (or where it was) with his jacket casually hung on the back.
My favorite book was the Historie of Foure Footed Beastes by Edward Topsell, (1607). Some of the pictures were ridiculous made up animals that “lived on boys who cried too much” and others were of menacing field mice and smiling tigers.
I also liked the Discovery of Witchcraft in which they described how to torture and kill jugglers and other street magicians. Also how to bring back the dead so you can have your own undead slave and expel demons.
This book of mythical monsters told the reader to behead anyone telling the truth.
And this is The Historie of Scotlande where Shakespeare got his idea for Macbeth, you can see the three witches pictured here.
After we had our fill of books, we were served tea and biscuits in the old school house. Then we were able to walk around the grounds and see the chapel and the old castle ruins (a fortified manor house according to our guide).
I think this was by far everyone’s favorite visit! I know I daydreamed afterwards about moving to the grounds and helping run and preserve this little piece of Scottish history. Later that evening Kelli and I were talking about it and she asked why it was my favorite place. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the reason, but it felt very at home and alive in a way the other libraries didn’t or couldn’t. This was Kelli’s favorite place too and it was because the people there were interested in their books and us. They didn’t want to just show off their collection, but they catered our time there to what we wanted to do! I realized she was right-everyone bent over backwards to find out what we were interested in as library students and personally. This was a great lesson in user services and outreach. We need to listen to what the user needs and wants and tailor our services accordingly.
I didn’t know what to get my husband, so I decided to befriend a book of the library. I donated £20 to repair a page in a book that needed some love.
I didn’t know what to get my husband, so I decided to befriend a book of the library. I donated £20 to repair a page in a book that needed some love.
Crieff
While I was disappointed when I couldn’t find Ewan McGregor, I couldn’t have asked for a sweeter town! We found a little sandwich shop and had brie and ham baguettes, but the best was this quaint little bakery that had all kinds of yummy treats in honor of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, including corgi cakes!