‘Scholar-archivist’ Brian Smith recognised for 50 years of service
- Edinburgh University awards honorary degree in recognition of pioneering role in establishing Shetland’s archives
- ‘A true scholar, with a wide breadth of interests and a remarkable record of practical achievement’
SHETLAND’s long serving archivist Brian Smith said he feels “enthusiastic” about being awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Edinburgh.
Described as the “embodiment of the scholar-archivist”, Smith was awarded the Degree of Doctor honoris causa during a ceremony at the university on Wednesday morning.
It recognises the 74-year-old life’s work as Shetland’s archivist, as an eminent voice in writing Shetland’s history and as a trade unionist.
Smith, who is due to retire from his post as archivist in October, said Edinburgh University had been “exceptionally important” to him.
“Being honoured by Edinburgh University certainly is something that I like very much; I am enthusiastic because it is ‘my’ university and I owe it a great deal,” he told Shetland News.
Born in Shetland in 1951, Smith studied history at Edinburgh, graduating with first class honours in 1973. He became Shetland Islands Council’s first archivist in 1976, which involved setting up a new service in small and changing premises that were poorly suited to serve as an archive.
He had to collate local authority records that were held in many different places, negotiate the ‘repatriation’ of sheriff and procurator fiscal records to Shetland, and build the reputation Shetland archives has today.
During the last 50 years Smith has also written extensively about the histories of Shetland, Orkney and Scandinavia, dealing with a vast range of topics from Iron Age archaeology, the Vikings, to the Middle Ages and Scotland’s annexation of Shetland.
Marking five decades of working as an archivist and historian, the university’s Sir William Fraser professor of Scottish history, Ewen Cameron, said Smith was one of the few people who continue working as a scholar archivist.
Smith was so much more than just as a manager of data and information, he said, but someone who curated historical evidence and also contributed to historical literature.
“His collection is not elitist or exclusive, but is for the whole community, rooted in the interests of the people of Shetland and interested visitors,” Professor Cameron said in his laureation address on Wednesday.
“Brian’s dedication and patience in helping researchers is legendary. Virtually every book published on Shetland history in the last 50 years contains an acknowledgement to him.
“In 1977 Brian wrote that it was time for a ‘clear unsentimental history’ of Shetland. Few scholars have done more to fulfil that mission than Brian Smith.”
Professor Cameron added that the collection Smith and his team have built over the years are “far beyond the statutory responsibility to curate local-authority records and now contains a wealth of documents, material culture and photographs relating to all aspects of the life and history of the islands.”
However, it was only in 2005 when the newly built Shetland Museum and Archives opened that Shetland’s large and ever-growing collection moved into premises that were designed to be an archive.
Photo: Shetland News
Today, Shetland Archives also looks after a huge collection of private records, the record of estates and businesses, records of authors and much more, including a significant collection of audio records ranging from people speaking about their life’s histories to Tom Anderson’s tapes of Shetland music.
“We also have the biggest and best collection of printed works about Shetland, bigger than any library anywhere else,” Smith added. “Many, many thousands of books, pamphlets and other publications about Shetland.”
One who knows him well and has been involved in many debates with Smith over the years is retired journalist and book author Jonathan Wills, who travelled to Edinburgh to witness Smith receiving his honorary degree.
“Brian Smith’s honorary doctorate is richly deserved, not only for his extraordinary service to Shetland Archives during the past half century, but also for the amazing number of learned papers he’s published over the years,” he said.
“His subjects have ranged from Iron Age archaeology, the Vikings, Scandinavian trade in the Middle Ages, witchcraft trials, Scotland’s annexation of Shetland and the role of Hansa merchants, to 18th and 19th century landlordism, 20th century Shetland politics and a large number of obituaries, including many contributions to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
“In addition, for many years Dr Smith was joint editor of the New Shetlander, compiler of the weekly ‘Times Past’ column in The Shetland Times and a regular speaker at academic conferences.
“In short, Dr Brian Smith (as his friends will now call him, doubtless to his embarrassment!) is a true scholar, with a wide breadth of interests and a remarkable record of practical achievement. He is a credit to Edinburgh University and to Shetland. We should all be very proud of him.”
Smith is currently working on a history of socialism in Shetland and added when speaking to Shetland News that he is considering writing that “unsentimental history of Shetland” in the near future.
A formal recognition of this work came with the publication in 2024 of a Festschrift, appropriately entitled History Maker which honours his work as an archivist, historian and trade unionist. It is available here.
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