Gaelic Collection - Cruinneachadh Gàidhlig

Gaelic as the mother tongue in the Western Isles plays a significant role in the literature and religious, cultural, social and educational life of the community.

The Library Service aims to provide access to all aspects of Gaelic in its printed and recorded form through its branches. One copy of each book is kept in a study collection in Stornoway library.

Books

Language, literature, folklore and religion are the traditional subjects of Gaelic books but the range is expanding. The largest growth area is in children's books.

Periodicals

Gairm, TGSI and Scottish Gaelic Studies are available for consultation, together with a number of older series such as An Gaidheal and Guth na Bliadhna. There is a lot of useful historic material in these magazines.

Newspapers

Alba and Mac-Talla from yesteryear make fascinating reading. Sruth from the late 1960s was billed as Scotland's bilingual newspaper. Today the Stornoway Gazette and West Highland Free Press frequently carry Gaelic features.

Maps

19th Century Ordnance Survey maps are an invaluable source for Gaelic placenames. A number of useful modern maps are available too.

Children's Books

New children's and teenage fiction and factual books are available in all libraries. There has been a considerable publishing growth in this area in recent years.

Cassettes

Gaelic songs and sermons on cassette may be borrowed from most libraries. A reference collection is available in Stornoway library for study purposes.

Curriculum Support

The Education Development Centre library can provide a range of bilingual and Gaelic medium curriculum support materials to teaching staff. E-mail: kay-mackinnon@cne-siar.gov.uk

Copies of Gaelic schools programmes made under educational licence are also available from the Education Development Centre.

Gaelic Resource Database (GRD)

The Gaelic Resource Database (An Stòrdàta Fiosrachaidh) contains information on approximately 13000 Gaelic educational materials including books, teaching packs, rhymes and songs. The Internet address: http://db.svtc.org.uk/grdb/grdmain.htm

Language Learning Courses

Language learning courses are available, many with accompanying audio and video cassettes. These may be borrowed initially for 8 weeks but the loan can be extended depending on demand.