In pictures: Glasgow School of Art fire

It has been reported that firefighters succeeded in saving 90 per cent of the school’s infrastructure and 70 per cent of its contents. However, the pictures in this gallery show extensive damage to the school’s library, which was home to a number of periodicals from the early 19h century as well as other special collections.

Conservation staff from Historic Scotland are working alongside the school’s archivists to recover and restore contents damaged by the fire, which broke out on 23 May.

Muriel Gray, chair of governors at the institution, told Channel 4 News that losing the library was “an enormous blow”, but she said she was thankful that “the majority of the building is still intact”.

The school is understood to be offering bursaries to students whose work was worst affected by the fire, providing them with studio space and accommodation for up to six months.

Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first minister, has said he will donate as much as £5 million in match-funding for the newly launched Mackintosh Building Fire Fund to help restore the building.

He said: “The ‘Mack’ … is an architectural gem and the artistic heart of Glasgow. It can and will be restored, and everything which can be done must be done to deliver this.”

The campus will be closed until 30th May to allow the salvage operation to proceed.