Today in 1451 a Papal Bull was issued by Pope Nicholas IV which permitted the foundation of the University of Glasgow. The document was issued at the request of King James II of Scotland and Bishop William Turnbull. The university was modelled on its counterpart in Bologna, Italy and became Scotland’s second university. In 1577 a new charter, the ‘Nova Erectio’ was issued detailing the university’s revised Protestant constitution which came about due to the Reformation.
The library holds collection material that provides further information on Glasgow University and the individuals involved in its history. ‘The University of Glasgow 1451-1577′ by John Durkan and James Kirk (1977) provides details of the earliest history of the institution, as does David Murray’s ‘Memories of the Old College of Glasgow: some chapters in the history of the University’ (1927). A more comprehensive history can be found in ‘The University of Glasgow 1451-1996′ by A L Brown and Michael Moss (1996).
Transcribed early documents from the University can be viewed in Cosmo Innes’s four volume work, ‘Munimenta Alme Universitalis Glasguensis: Records of the University of Glasgow, from its foundation till 1727′ (1854). More recent information regarding the management of the organisation can be found in ‘Who, Where and When: the history & constitution of the University of Glasgow’ (2001) by Michael Moss et al. If the architecture of the university buildings is of interest then the comprehensive and lavishly illustrated ‘Building Knowledge: an architectural history of the University of Glasgow’ (2013) by Nick Haynes showcases the physical structure of the university from the medieval period to the present day.
Publications focussing on specific groups of individuals connected to the university include Donald Wintersgill’s ‘Rectors of Glasgow University 1820-2000′ (2001). This volume covers 63 former Rectors as well as providing background information on the Scottish Rectorial system. Peter Hoare has contributed an article to ‘Library Review’, volume 40, numbers 2/3 (1991) on ‘The Librarians of Glasgow University over 350 years: 1641-1991′, while A D Boney’s article ‘Servants of the Old College, University of Glasgow: Misdemeanours and Disciplinary Methods’ can be found in ‘Review of Scottish Culture’, number 14 (2001-2002).