Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Technology helped create amazing book
The historic album has been recreated through precise digital photography; and is accompanied by translations of the pieces of writing within it and copies of more than 3000 signatures from those who wished to convey their thanks for the original“Scottish album”.
It has been printed on special long-life paper to ensure it is highly durable, but is deliberately not on archival paper so that the new document can be handled and used in community and education settings, rather than having to be locked away.
Glasgow Life library collections manager Patricia Grant said:“It’s a totally unique document and it’s an amazing testament to the artists and those who created it, and to the women of Airdrie and Coatbridge and of Leningrad in making their hands-across-thesea gesture of friendship.
“The conservation team have spent time getting everything authentic.
“The feel of the album’s cover is very similar to the original, as are the individual pages and edging details.
“It’s slightly smaller, at A3 size – but if you didn’t know this wasn’t the original, you wouldn’t know.”
“It was created using digital photography.
“There are Leningrad street scenes, lithography prints, greetings and messages. How anybody was able to put this together at that time is simply amazing.”
North Lanarkshire archivist Wiebke McGhee, who also attended the presentation, said:“It’s beautiful and is something special – it really shows off the beauty of the original as close as we can experience.
“The idea is that we’ll have it in the local studies room at Airdrie library, so that the public can see it and learn about its history, and it’s also frequented by lots of schools and can be viewed by the children.”
Also created along with the new copy of the Leningrad Album is digitised images of all its contents, along with the signatures and translation.
Provost Jim Robertson – accepting North Lanarkshire’s new copy as one of his last official duties before stepping down at tomorrow’s election – told the Advertiser: “The quality of the reproduced album is fantastic, and it’s excellent to get copies of all the signatures with it too.
“It’s a very proud honour that this has happened during my Provostship.
“The good women of Airdrie and Coatbridge sent a great gift and received this album in return – it’s great that people will get to see this in Airdrie and spark further interest in it.”
Glasgow Lord Provost Sadie Docherty added: “It’s been an honour and a privilege to have been able to present this to North Lanarkshire’s provost and to Helen.
“It’s a fantastic copy.
“When I heard this story, I was really fascinated and I hope that the people of North Lanarkshire enjoy the album and its history.”