Central library's archivists appeal for help identifying Edinburgh photographs

THEY may once have taken pride of place in a photo album; treasured snaps of loved ones or images proudly capturing family homes and neighbourhoods.

But some archived pictures of Edinburgh people and their properties now have no identity and instead form part of a batch of "mystery" photographs the city's library staff are struggling to caption.

"We get donations of photographs from the public, yet sometimes they do not say what they are of," explains Fiona Myles, library development officer at the city's Central Library, on George IV Bridge. "Often they can be very hard to identify exactly, so that is where the public come in."

Fiona and her team are calling on the help of Evening News readers as they set about the task of adding exact locations and dates to the piles of mystery images in their archives.

Pictured here is just a small selection of the unidentified material they have in stores at the Edinburgh Room, a collection in the Central Library dedicated only to the Capital and its history.

"This is all about cataloguing research of our city," explains Fiona.

The Edinburgh Room opened in 1932 to store the mountains of material in the city focusing solely on the Capital. It was the first of its kind in Scotland and is bursting not only with photographs, but maps, books and newspapers, available for reference.

"Our dedicated Edinburgh Room staff are some of the most Edinburgh-savvy people you could find anywhere in the city, but even they sometimes need a little help in identifying old photographs," says Councillor Deidre Brock, culture and leisure convener.

"We want to hear from anyone who thinks they recognise the locations or buildings shown in this batch of mystery photographs. Your expert local knowledge will be helping us preserve and enhance the wonderful Edinburgh Room archives, which are a real treasure trove of Edinburgh history dating back centuries."

A full collection of "mystery" photographs can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/talesofonecity/sets/72157622521741976/.

If you can help identify any of the photographs, contact 0131-620 8748 or e-mail catherine.salmond@edinburgh news.com.