Robert MacLeod papers

Correspondence; testimonials; photographs; books and pamphlets; reminiscences recorded in 1958; biographical account by Margaret Nicoll, with research notes and correspondence; obituaries.

Robert Duncan MacLeod was born in Greenock in 1885, although his parents originally came from Harris. A pioneer of the library profession, MacLeod began his career as an assistant at Greenock Public Libraries in October 1902. In 1905, he moved to Glasgow Public Libraries, where he served under city librarians, Francis Thornton Barrett and SA Pitt. He was a founder member of the Scottish Library Association and other library professional groups and wrote articles for librarianship journals and newspapers. In 1915, MacLeod was appointed Librarian to the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust which was initiating a scheme to circulate books to rural areas in Scotland, a precursor of the county library network. This work was interrupted by war service in India during the Third Afghan War. On his return. MacLeod accepted the post of Library Consultant with W & R Holmes (Booksellers) of Glasgow, one of the early library supply companies, and later became a director.

MacLeod showed an aptitude for journalism and the culmination of this interest was his founding of 'Library Review' to publish articles of a general, educational and literary nature. He edited 'Review' until 1964. His literary interests included John Davidson, the Greenock poet whose 'Poems and ballads' he edited, and the literature of the Scottish Literary Renaissance of the 1930s, which he promoted in a major exhibition in 1933.

MacLeod died in 1973.

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Robert Duncan MacLeod was born in Greenock in 1885, although his parents originally came from Harris. A pioneer of the library profession, MacLeod began his career as an assistant at Greenock Public Libraries in October 1902. In 1905, he moved to Glasgow Public Libraries, where he served under city librarians, Francis Thornton Barrett and SA Pitt. He was a founder member of the Scottish Library Association and other library professional groups and wrote articles for librarianship journals and newspapers. In 1915, MacLeod was appointed Librarian to the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust which was initiating a scheme to circulate books to rural areas in Scotland, a precursor of the county library network. This work was interrupted by war service in India during the Third Afghan War. On his return. MacLeod accepted the post of Library Consultant with W & R Holmes (Booksellers) of Glasgow, one of the early library supply companies, and later became a director.

MacLeod showed an aptitude for journalism and the culmination of this interest was his founding of 'Library Review' to publish articles of a general, educational and literary nature. He edited 'Review' until 1964. His literary interests included John Davidson, the Greenock poet whose 'Poems and ballads' he edited, and the literature of the Scottish Literary Renaissance of the 1930s, which he promoted in a major exhibition in 1933.

MacLeod died in 1973.

Correspondence comprises mainly photocopies from originals held in private hands.

Created by Victoria Peters, December 2009.

Correspondence and papers of Robert Duncan MacLeod (ref: GB 246) (Mitchell Library, Glasgow)
R.D. MacLeod papers (ref: GB 233) (National Library of Scotland)

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