MyGlasgow News

Staff, students and members of the public will be able to access the Janey Buchan Political Song Collection, a major collection of materials relating to political song and songs of social justice.

Containing around 3,000 items, the collection includes song sheets and scores, books and serials, archive materials and sound recordings. All the materials were collected by Janey Buchan over the course of her life and they incorporate artefacts relating to politics, social studies and the performing arts from the 18th century to the present day.

The archive will be maintained by the University of Glasgow and will give researchers and members of the public unlimited access to what is one of the most diverse and influential collection of print, manuscript and audiovisual recordings of political song and songs of social justice in existence.

John Powles, who curates the collection, said: “Janey always said that many libraries had political and social justice songs in their collections, but nowhere was there a Political Song Collection per se, hence her determination to establish one.

“The main significance of the collection is as a record of the human struggle for rights and freedoms, and we hope that her efforts will now be preserved digitally as a teaching and research tool for future generations, not only for academics, but for members of the public.”

Janey Buchan (30th April 1926 – 14th January 2012) was a Glasgow-born cultural and political activist who demonstrated a lifelong commitment to social justice and egalitarian ideals. She was also a fierce civil rights campaigner and patron of the arts. In over 60 years of public life she spent time as a Strathclyde councillor (1974-79) and member of the European parliament for Glasgow (1979-94).

You can access the full collection at www.gla.ac.uk/jbpsc.

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First published: 14 March 2013