Endangered Language, Endangered Identity, Endangered History: Exploring Scotland’s Libraries Role in the Preservation and Revitalisation of Endangered Scottish Languages

Abstract

This research explored the role of libraries in the endeavour to preserve and revitalise endangered languages within the context of Scotland. Two of the country’s indigenous languages, Scots and Scottish Gaelic, are considered endangered. The Scottish Government has implemented a variety of strategies to aid the revitalisation of both languages, though Scottish Gaelic is the primary focus. The goal of this study was to gain insight into Scotland’s librarians' views on the value of this work within libraries.

Taking an inductive, qualitative design, the study employed a multimethod approach to data collection which included semi-structured interviews and secondary resources. Five librarians and library-adjacent staff from a variety of Council Areas and library types across Scotland were interviewed. Reflexive thematic analysis was employed to generate detailed data on the unique perspectives of Scotland’s librarians.

Results suggest the negative perception of Scots and the stigmatisation of Scots speakers needs to be improved before Scots can be better preserved and revitalised within libraries. The Scottish Gaelic perspective was severely lacking due to low response rates so it is recommended that this language be studied further. In terms of libraries, there are currently very few current practices, but the ongoing evolution of the library field is laying a good foundation for effective language preservation and revitalisation activities in the future.