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About GLAM
Drawing from Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast notebooks at the British Library. Image courtesy of the Mervyn Peake Estate
The Group for Literary Archives and Manuscripts (GLAM) was established in 2005 to bring together archivists, librarians, curators, writers, researchers, and anyone else with an interest in the collecting, preservation, use and promotion of literary archives and manuscripts in Britain and Ireland.
Initiated by The John Rylands University Library, The University of Manchester, GLAM is an independent organisation which currently has over eighty members.
The next GLAM meeting is being held at the John Rylands Library, Manchester on 1/10/15.
This meeting will focus on our 10th Anniversary, Copyright & Orphan Works.
GLAM’s initial project – launched in 2006 – was a survey relating to literary archives and manuscripts held in Britain and Ireland.
- To promote awareness and raise the profile of literary archives and manuscripts within the curatorial professions.
- To provide a support network for those who specialise in the field of literary archives and manuscripts, sharing information and giving advice.
- To create a framework for building partnerships to undertake inter-institutional projects relating to literary archives and manuscripts.
- To encourage a collective approach to particular aspects of literary archives and manuscripts stewardship.
- To establish a literary archives and manuscripts network for the purposes of communicating with the wider literary community.
- To develop ways of encouraging and enabling research and learning by developing partnerships with a wide range of audiences in the literary community.
- To encourage cross domain working with rare book librarians, museum curators and others working with collections connected to those in the literary community.
- To engage in dialogue, within the British Isles and internationally, with major institutions, agencies, and organisations with regard to the stewardship of literary archives and manuscripts.
A full copy of the GLAM Constitution 2015 is available here to download.
Rationale and Parameters
GLAM is founded on a strong conviction that literary papers are sufficiently ‘different’ from other archives and manuscripts to justify a special interest group dedicated to their preservation and use.
You can download a document outlining the rationale for GLAM’s formation here. [PDF]
GLAM defines ‘literary’ as creative writing in all genres, whether or not intended for publication, including:
- Poetry
- The novel
- Other forms of fiction (including short stories and novellas)
- Other prose writing, such as essays and letters by or relating to ‘literary’ figures
- Writing for drama, in the theatre, or for radio, television and film
- Life writing, including literary biography, autobiography and self-representation
- The writing of criticism (both theoretical and practical) relating to creative writing, including editing, reviewing and the histories of literature
- The process of publishing or otherwise supporting the production and dissemination of literature
GLAM recognises that literature has no boundaries of language, geography or ethnicity. For practical purposes GLAM is likely to focus its interest on Literatures in English, and the other languages which are indigenous to, or have taken root within, the archipelago of the British Isles (including England, Wales, Scotland, and the whole of Ireland). However, it also takes account of: literatures in other languages which have been translated into English; and foreign language material represented in literary collections held by British and Irish institutions.
The chronological remit of GLAM spans from the end of the Middle Ages to the present. However, the work of the group is likely to focus on the modern period, particularly the 19th-21st centuries.
6 Responses to About GLAM
I am in possession of an unpublished manuscript, written by my grandfather, James Forthrop Bruce (OX. Balliol. ca1920) entitled Kipling’s India. I think it might be helpful to Kipling scholars and would be happy to donate this to your archives. (JF Bruce began the history dept a University of Delhi and lectured in Britian and the US.) If this is of interest, please let me know.
Dear Louise,
GLAM is an umbrella organisation for literary archives rather than a collecting institution in itself. If you would like to contact one of our members direct please see the Member Institutions page for links to their website. You might also find the National Register of Archives (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra) helpful if you’d like to check which institutions have Kipling holdings.
Zoe Wilcox
GLAM Web Officer
Dear Louise,
I am currently in talks with a British university regarding the depositing/donation of my father’s literary archive. My primary concern is to find a good home for the papers, but am somewhat at sea as to how to proceed regarding matters such as copyright (for unpublished material), fair use, etc. Is there an advisory body who deals with these matters?
Many thanks,
Isabel
Dear Isabel,
You may find the Intellectual Property Office’s guidance useful. There have been a number of changes to copyright law this year and these are summarised in the IPO documents. See in particular the guides for copyright owners and libraries, archives and museums:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-copyright-law
Despite the recent changes to UK copyright law, unpublished works still remain in copyright until 2039, although the Government has launched a consultation on this matter:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reducing-the-duration-of-copyright-in-certain-unpublished-works
Hope this is of some use. If you require further advice, the Society of Authors may be able to help:
www.societyofauthors.org
Best wishes,
Zoe
Dear Sir
I have collection of ” PUNCH-THE LONDON CHARIVARI”.
1)PUNCH Vol.CLXXVIII Jan.–June 1930.
2)PUNCH Vol.CLXXX Jan–June1931
I wanted to know, whether your institute is interested in having these volumes.
thanks, yours, Dr.Ravindra Yedekar
Dear Dr Yedekar,
Thank you for your message. GLAM is not a collecting organisation in its own right and our membership is primarily concerned with archives and manuscript, rather than printed books. Have you tried your local public or university library?
Best wishes,
Zoe Wilcox
GLAM Web Officer