There are a number of smaller collections within both the Somerset Studies library, and the West Country Studies library: some are on permanent loan to the South West Heritage Trust, others have been gifted or bequeathed

  • Somersettings: This is the county's collection of literature and poetry inspired by Somerset.  The works include novels, short stories, poetry and drama written about or inspired by Somerset, or by authors with a close affinity to the county.  Books from the Somersettings Collection can be requested from the strongrooms and can be read in the searchroom. They can either be searched for by title, author, or by searching on "B 823*" for fiction or "B 821*" for poetry, checking the 'Somerset Studies Library' checkbox. A hand-list of all items in the collection is available in the Somerset Heritage Centre searchroom.
  • Professional library: This is made up of works on the science and theory of archiving, librarianship and museum curatorial management. It holds, text books, guides, journals & histories of the different disciplines. They can be searched for by general keyword, or by searching on “professional library” in the Keyword field.

  • Somerset Military Museum Trust:  Deposited in 2012, this collection contains printed Army Lists from 1809 to 2005 and the ‘Silver Bugle’ the journal of the Light Infantry (The Light Bob Gazette, the journal of the Somerset Light Infantry can be found in the regimental archive under sub-series DD\SLI/18/1). These items can be searched for by general keywords, or by searching on "Somerset Rifles Collection" in the Keyword field. A printed hand list is available in the Somerset Heritage Centre searchroom.
  • Etched on Devon’s Memory: The Etched on Devon’s Memory project ran from 2002-2003 and digitised over 3,500 topographical prints of Devon, dating from 1660-1870.  A catalogue of these, compiled by John Somers Cocks, was published in 1977.  The prints depict a wealth of Devon scenes including landscapes, townscapes, buildings and some interior views.  All the images are available via the online library catalogue, and are best searched using the Advanced Search options, where there is an option to exclusively search images.  Details on how to get the best from your search are included in the Help Guide under ‘Etched on Devon’s Memory Image Collection’. The project also created thematic information and a biographical list of illustrators to accompany the images.  These are available as research guides.  Below are some handy hints on searching for illustrations in this and other collections:
    • Book. The search facility also includes other types of material, including illustrations.
    • Title. This will only retrieve records where all the words input appear in the title: if you are uncertain of the exact title, try using keywords instead
    • Author. This field searches for all creators of a work, including illustrators, engravers, lithographers, photographers etc. If you are uncertain of the exact spelling or variant of their name, try searching in keyword instead.
    • Keyword. The keyword search is a useful catch-all option for searching as it will pick up terms in all fields. This is where it is possible to search for the number in the Somers Cocks catalogue. Input e.g. sc1234. Truncation can limit the numbers of records, for example sc078* will retrieve records for Somers Cocks prints numbered sc0780 to 0789. The truncation sc* will limit the search to all records with "sc" (Somers Cocks) control numbers but will also retrieve other records with words which start "sc" e.g. "schools". Another way of limiting searches to a particular type of image is to put in a wildcard to truncate of the term: engrav*, etch*, litho* etc.
    • Date of Publication. It is possible to search for a period or a specific year: however, if you’re searching for a single year, the date must be put in both boxes. As many dates are estimates, this type of search has its limitations for topographical prints.
    • Place. Insert the name of the place, normally parish or town to see all prints for a particular locality.
    • Subject. This search locates the principal subject of the print as assigned by the cataloguer, e.g. General views, Churches, Hotels, Houses. The subject headings come from a pre-set list, so if you don’t find anything searching for one term, try another or a variant spelling.
    • Select which library/ies to search in. Limit the search to Devon Libraries.
    • Only include records with images. If this box is checked, records which do not have images attached will not be listed.