The Collections contain student drawings, teaching equipment, photographs and ephemera relating to the history of the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment.

We hold an important and valuable collection of antiquarian books mainly concerned with architecture but also including landscape architecture and art. Part of the collection comes from the original Aberdeen School of Art which pre-dates the founding of Gray's School of Art in 1885. Some of the more important volumes from this period were awarded as national prizes as a result of medals won by Aberdeen art students from the Science and Art Department at South Kensington.

In addition many volumes have been donated over the years by former students of the school of architecture, some of the volumes having belonged to prominent Aberdeen architects. In particular around 140 volumes were donated by the late John Maclennan, having belonged to himself or his father, Harbourne Maclennan, both partners in the long established firm of Jenkins and Marr.

In 2007, the university began to collect examples of student project work from the annual Degree Show, by means of purchase prizes. These additions complement the collection of student drawings from the 1920s to the 1970s that are already in the collections.

The art collection from Gray's School of Art forms the largest proportion of the University Collections.

The collection consists of approximately 1,600 artworks in a wide range of media, along with other material relating to the history of the School, such as photographs, posters and oral history recordings.

The majority of the artwork dates from after the Second World War, but there is important pre-war material including work by Robert Brough, William Etty, James Cowie and DM Sutherland.

We continue to collect work from the Gray's School of Art Degree Show and also collect through purchase and donation of work by successful alumini and former members of staff.

The Engineering collection contains examples of teaching equipment and photographs.

The School of Engineering and Chemistry was established in 1910, following the creation of Robert Gordon's Technical College. Initially, the School incorporated Pharmacy.

We look after around 100 embroidery and needlework items from the Needlework Development Scheme collection.

The Needlework Development in Scotland Scheme was a collaboration between art and design, education and industry, sponsored by J&P Coats Ltd. The scheme encouraged needlework and therefore also the sale of J&P Coats thread. This developed into the nationwide Needlework Development Scheme managed by The Central Agency Ltd, which sold thread for J&P Coats Ltd.

Loan collections of historical and modern embroideries from around the world were developed with examples being purchased by, or donated to, the Scheme. These collections were then exhibited and loaned to schools in order to help teach and promote embroidery as an art form. The Scheme was disbanded out the outbreak of WW2, but re-established in 1944 at the instigation of the Glasgow School of Art. At this stage, each of the 4 art schools were allowed to keep 30 of the specimens in their care and it was agreed each would receive 70 more should the scheme disband again.

The Scheme was originally centred on Scotland but slowly expanded into the rest of the UK in the early 1950s. During the 1950s, exhibitions of the Scheme's pieces were held throughout the UK, including the Festival of Britain in 1951. In 1961, J&P Coats Ltd withdrew funding for the Scheme and it ceased to function. The collection of over 3,500 textile items was broken up and disseminated between around 14 universities, colleges and museums around the UK.

The School of Pharmacy was the first such school in the UK. The collection largely consists of teaching equipment and photographs.

Of particular interest is a copy of Landseer's portrait of James Bell, a founding member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. The painting, believed to be by one of Landseer's students, was donated to the University in recognition of the pioneering teaching work carried out by the Aberdeen Society of Chemists and Druggists, which pre-dated the RPS.