Library of Trinity College Dublin

{{Short description|Library in Dublin, Ireland}} {{for|the library of Trinity College, Cambridge|Wren Library}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Infobox library | name = The Library of Trinity College Dublin | logo = | image = Long Room Interior, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland - Diliff.jpg | caption = The Long Room in the Old Library | country = [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] | location = College Street, [[Dublin]] [[Dublin 2|2]] | type = [[Academic library]] | coordinates = {{Coord|53|20|38|N|6|15|24.5|W|display=inline|type:landmark}} | established = 1592 | num_branches = | items_collected = [[Book]]s, [[Academic journal|journals]], [[newspaper]]s, [[magazine]]s, [[Sound recording|sound and music recordings]], [[database]]s, [[map]]s, [[Printmaking|prints]] and [[manuscript]]s | collection_size = c. 7,000,000 volumes | criteria = Acquisition through purchase, bequest and legal deposit | legal_deposit = [[Republic of Ireland]] (Copyright and Related Rights Act, 2000) and [[United Kingdom]] ([[Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003]]) | annual_circulation = | pop_served =  | members =  | req_to_access = Staff, graduates (reading privileges only) and students of the university. Other readers admitted under cross-institutional arrangements, or if material is unavailable elsewhere. Old Library and Library Gift Shop open to public | budget = | director = College Librarian and Archivist [[Helen Shenton]] | num_employees = Around 120<ref>{{cite book |year=2022 |title=College Calendar, Trinity College Dublin |chapter=College Administrative, Executive and other Officers |url=https://www.tcd.ie/calendar/general-information/complete-part-I.pdf |page=H11 }}</ref> | website = {{URL|http://www.tcd.ie/library/}} }} [[File:Trinity college library.jpg|thumb|The Old Library Building]] [[File:Arnaldo Pomodoro's 'Sfera con Sfera' at The Berkeley Library, Trinity College Dublin.JPG|thumb|[[Arnaldo Pomodoro]]'s ''Sfera con Sfera'' (''[[Sphere Within Sphere]]'') at The Berkeley Library]]

The '''Library of Trinity College Dublin''' ({{Langx|ga|Leabharlann Choláiste na Tríonóide}}) is the main library that serves [[Trinity College Dublin|Trinity College]], and is the largest library in [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]. It is a [[legal deposit]] or "copyright library", which means that publishers in Ireland must deposit a copy of all their publications there without charge.<ref name="TCDDeposit">{{cite web |url=https://www.tcd.ie/library/about/legal-deposit.php |access-date=16 November 2018 |title=Legal Deposit (Copyright Libraries) |work=Trinity College Dublin}}</ref> It is the only Irish library to also hold such rights for works published in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref name="TCDDeposit"/> It consists of [[The Old Library, Trinity College Dublin|The Old Library]], which was constructed during the 18th century, and the "[[Library of Trinity College Dublin#Long Room|Long Room]]", which is one of the most iconic landmarks of the university. A major tourist attraction housing numerous Irish artifacts and documents, it contains the 8th-century manuscript known as the [[Book of Kells]], which arrived at the college in 1661.

The Old Library is also the permanent home to the [[Trinity College harp|Brian Boru harp]], a national symbol of Ireland, as well as a copy of the 1916 [[Proclamation of the Irish Republic]]. One of the four volumes of the Book of Kells is on public display at any given time.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Old Library and the Book of Kells|url=https://www.tcd.ie/library/old-library/|access-date=2021-11-11}}</ref> The volumes and pages shown are regularly changed; a new display case installed in 2020 facilitated all pages to be displayed, including many which had not been seen in public for several decades.<ref>{{cite web|date=2020-09-14|title=Trinity unveils New Book of Kells Treasury and Display Case|url=https://www.tcd.ie/library/news/trinity-unveils-new-book-of-kells-treasury-and-display-case/|access-date=2021-11-11|publisher=Tcd.ie}}</ref> Members of the [[University of Dublin]] also have access to the libraries of [[Tallaght University Hospital]] and the [[Irish School of Ecumenics]], [[Milltown, Dublin|Milltown]].

==Constituent buildings== The library proper occupies several buildings, six of which are at the Trinity College campus itself, with another part of the Trinity Centre at [[St. James's Hospital|St James's Hospital]], [[Dublin]] and more held at the College's book repository in Santry: *[[The Old Library, Trinity College Dublin|The Old Library]], is one of [[Thomas Burgh (1670–1730)|Thomas Burgh]]'s magnum opus. Construction began in 1712. A large building which took twenty years to complete in its original form, it towered over the university and city after its completion in 1732. Even today, surrounded by similarly scaled buildings, it is imposing and dominates the view of the university from Nassau Street. The Book of Kells is located in the Old Library, along with the [[Book of Durrow]], the [[Garland of Howth]] and other ancient texts. Also incorporating the Long Room, the Old Library is one of Ireland's biggest tourist attractions and holds thousands of rare, and in many cases very early, volumes. In the 18th century, the college received the [[Trinity College Harp|Brian Boru harp]], one of the three surviving medieval Gaelic harps, and a national symbol of Ireland, which is now housed in the Library. *The Library Complex, incorporating: **The [[Eavan Boland]] Library, in Fellows' Square. Designed by [[Paul Koralek]] of [[ABK Architects]], an imposing [[Brutalist architecture|Brutalist]] structure opened in 1967 as the "New Library". It was renamed after [[George Berkeley]] in 1978. In April 2023, the college decided to "dename" the library due to Berkeley owning and working slaves on his property in Rhode Island.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Trinity College Dublin to dename the Berkeley Library |date=26 April 2023 |publisher=Trinity College Library |url=https://www.tcd.ie/library/news/trinity-college-dublin-to-dename-the-berkeley-library/}}</ref> The library was renamed after Boland in October 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=The Library of Trinity College Dublin |title=Trinity renames the Library (former Berkeley Library) after poet Eavan Boland |url=https://libguides.tcd.ie/blogs/news/trinity-renames-the-library-former-berkeley-library-after-poet-eavan-boland |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=News & Events}}</ref> Previous to the renaming, Trinity asked members of the public to vote on a figure for the library to be named in honour of. [[Wolfe Tone]] won the poll with 31% of the vote, while Boland netted 7%. Trinity subsequently chose to ignore the vote.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=20 March 2025 |title="Tone Deaf" Irish times |url=https://www.thephoenix.ie/article/tone-deaf-irish-times/ |work=[[The Phoenix (magazine)|The Phoenix]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=20 March 2025}}</ref> **The [[William Edward Hartpole Lecky|Lecky]] Library, attached to the Arts Building. Also designed by [[ABK Architects|ABK]], officially opened in 1978. **The [[James Ussher]] Library, overlooking [[College Park, Dublin|College Park]]. Designed by [[Valerie Mulvin|McCullough Mulvin Architects]], officially opened in 2003. ***This includes the Interim Research Collections Study Centre<ref>{{Cite web |last=The Library of Trinity College Dublin |title=Opening of the New Interim Research Collections Study Centre |url=https://libguides.tcd.ie/blogs/news/opening-of-the-new-interim-research-collections-study-centre |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=News & Events}}</ref> and Kinsella Hall, a 24-hour study space.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kinsella Hall - The Library of Trinity College Dublin - Trinity College Dublin |url=https://www.tcd.ie/library/opening-hours/kinsella-hall/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=www.tcd.ie}}</ref> **The Glucksman Map Library. **The Preservation and Conservation Department. *The [[William Rowan Hamilton|Hamilton]] Science and Engineering Library, located within the Hamilton Building. *The 1937 Reading Room (for postgraduate use). *The [[John Stearne (physician)|John Stearne]] Medical Library (JSML), housed at St James's Hospital.

Further materials are held in storage in Stacks, either in closed access within the College or at a book depository in the Dublin suburb of [[Santry]].

==History== [[File:Colledge Library.jpg|thumb|An image of the Colledge Library (sic), taken from [[Charles Brooking's map of Dublin (1728)]].]] The Library began with the founding of Trinity College in 1592. In 1661, [[Henry Jones (bishop)|Henry Jones]] presented it with the [[Book of Kells]], its most famous manuscript.

[[James Ussher]] (1625–56), [[Archbishop of Armagh]], whose most important works were ''Veterum Epistolarum Hibernicarum Sylloge'' (1632) and ''Brittanicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates'' (1639), left his valuable library, comprising several thousand printed books and manuscripts, to the Library. His complete works were published by the Library in twenty-four volumes.<ref name="Library History">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcd.ie/Library/epb/history.php|title=History of the Library|publisher=Tcd.ie|access-date=28 January 2013}}</ref>

In 1712, building began on the construction of the library building. Records show that a type of limestone was used, extracted from a quarry in [[Palmerstown]], located some 8 km to the west.{{sfn|Hussey|2014|page=18}} Patrick Wyse Jackson, curator of the Geological Museum at Trinity, assessed the Old Library in 1993, and made the following observations: <blockquote> "The Old Library was built between 1712 and 1732... The lower storey is built of muddy, well-bedded Calp Limestone, cut into regular rusticated [[ashlar]] blocks, which were quarried at Palmerstown... This rock is quite [[fossiliferous]] and contains tiny cubic crystals of [[iron pyrites]] or '[[fool's gold]]'... The Calp has weathered to a pleasant, warm, brownish colour which contrasts well with the [[Ballyknockan quarry|grey Ballyknockan Granite]] of the upper storeys. Originally these levels were faced with white [[St Bees]] Sandstone from [[Whitehaven]] in [[Cumbria]], but this disintegrated quickly and all but the carved [[cornice]] was replaced."{{sfn|Wyse Jackson|1993|page=31}}</blockquote>

In 1801, the Library was given [[legal deposit]] rights, making it the only library in Ireland to have such rights for the United Kingdom at that time.<ref name="Library History"/>

In August 2025, Trinity College Dublin Library was ranked first in a global literary tourism initiative called "1000 Libraries".<ref>{{cite web | last1=Holder | first1=Sophie | last2=Keane | first2=Daniel | title=Libraries in SA and Victoria among top 10 most beautiful in the world | website=[[ABC News (Australia)]] | date=5 August 2025 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-06/sa-second-most-beautiful-library/105614516 | access-date=12 August 2025}}</ref>

==Legal deposit library status== In accordance with the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000, the library is entitled, along with the [[National Library of Ireland]] and the libraries of the [[National University of Ireland]], the [[University of Limerick]], and [[Dublin City University]], to receive a copy of all works published in the Republic of Ireland.<ref>{{Cite ISB|title=Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000|year=2000|number=28|section=198|stitle=Delivery of certain materials to libraries|date=10 July 2000}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=O'Keeffe|first1=Hazel|last2= Gaffney|first2=John|date=2005| url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1796.2002.tb00175.x|title=The Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000|journal=The Journal of World Intellectual Property|volume=5|issue=4|pages=613–629|doi=10.1111/j.1747-1796.2002.tb00175.x|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Also, as a result of the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003]], which continues a more ancient right dating from 1801, the Library is entitled, along with the [[Bodleian Library]] at [[Oxford]], [[Cambridge University Library]], the [[National Library of Wales]] and the [[National Library of Scotland]], to receive a copy on request of all works published in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>{{Cite legislation UK|type=act|chapter=28|act=Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003|section=13|year=|date=2003-10-30}}</ref> Many works are now being received electronically rather than in print under new UK regulations which came into force in April 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcd.ie/library/using-library/eLD/|title=Electronic Legal Deposit (UK) |website=The Library of Trinity College Dublin|access-date=2019-02-26}}</ref>

==Long Room== [[File:County Dublin - Long Room-Trinity College - 20180703092642.jpg|thumb|Detail of Long Room shelving]] [[File:James_Malton_Trinity_College_Library_Dublin.jpg|thumb|Watercolour of Long Room before the roof was raised]] The {{convert|65|m|ft|adj=mid|-long}} main chamber of the Old Library, the Long Room, was built between 1712 and 1732 and houses 200,000 of the Library's oldest books. Initially, The Long Room had a flat ceiling, shelving for books only on the lower level, and an open gallery. By the 1850s the room had to be expanded as the shelves were filled due to the fact that the Library had been given permission to obtain a free copy of every book that had been published in [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Ireland and Britain]]. In 1860, The Long Room's roof was raised to accommodate an upper gallery.<ref name="Old Library">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcd.ie/library/old-library/long-room/|title=The Long Room|publisher=Tcd.ie|access-date=20 April 2017}}</ref> The Long Room is lined with marble busts. The marble bust collection was formed when 14 busts from the sculptor [[Peter Scheemakers]] were acquired by the college. Many of the busts are of great philosophers, writers, and men who supported the college. The most outstanding bust in the collection is of the writer [[Jonathan Swift]], created by [[Louis François Roubiliac]].<ref name="Old Library"/>

In November 2020, Trinity College announced the addition of four marble busts featuring female scholars: [[Rosalind Franklin]], [[Ada Lovelace]], [[Lady Gregory|Augusta Gregory]], and [[Mary Wollstonecraft]]. Notably, it is "the first time in over a century that Trinity has commissioned new sculptures for the Long Room of the Old Library." Following the unveiling, Trinity archivist [[Helen Shenton]] remarked, "As the first woman Librarian in the College's 428-year history, I am especially delighted to champion this initiative to address the historic inequity in the Long Room."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://trinitynews.ie/2020/11/four-statues-of-female-scholars-to-be-added-to-the-long-room/|title = Four statues of female scholars to be added to the Long Room|date = 26 November 2020}}</ref>

The Long Room also holds one of the last remaining copies of the 1916 [[Proclamation of the Irish Republic]]. This proclamation was read by [[Patrick Pearse]] near the General Post Office on 24 April 1916. Visitors may also view the [[Trinity College harp]] (also known as the "[[Brian Boru harp]]") in the Long Room which is the oldest of its kind in Ireland dating back to the 15th century. The harp is made out of oak and willow and includes 29 brass strings.<ref name="Old Library"/> The library was broken into and the Trinity College harp was stolen in March of 1969.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 1969 |title=Ancient harp of Irving Brian Boru was stolen from the Trinity college library in Dublin |work=Wilson Library Bulletin}}</ref> The Harp was recovered by police a month later and returned to the library.[[File:Gaia at Trinity College Dublin Library.jpg|thumb|“Gaia” artwork hanging in the Long Room]]

Beginning in 2022, the Long Room has undergone a €90m restoration project, utilizing €25m of government funding. The project is said to have "taken on a degree of urgency following the catastrophic fire which destroyed [[Notre-Dame de Paris]] cathedral in 2019." Accordingly, the project prioritizes the modernization of environmental control and fire protection measures.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/trinity-college-to-move-750-000-books-during-restoration-of-old-library-1.4570808|title=Trinity College to move 750,000 books during restoration of Old Library|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=O’Loughlin |first=Ed |date=2022-05-28 |title=An Irish National Treasure Gets Set for a Long-Needed Restoration |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/28/world/europe/dublin-trinity-library-restoration.html |access-date=2022-05-29 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In 2023 a large illuminated globe was hung in the Long Room. The artwork, called “Gaia,” was treated by British artist [[Luke Jerram]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gaia at the Old Library |url=https://www.visittrinity.ie/book-of-kells/gaia/ |website=Trinity College Dublin}}</ref> ===In popular culture=== The [[Jedi]] archives of the Jedi Temple in the movie ''[[Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones]]'' bear a startling resemblance to the Long Room of the Trinity College Library. This resemblance resulted in controversy as permission had not been sought to use the building's likeness in the film. However, [[Lucasfilm]] denied that the Long Room was the basis for the Jedi archives, and officials from Trinity College Library decided not to take any legal action.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Williams|first1=Eoghan|title=Trinity to strike back at return of the Jedi|url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/trinity-to-strike-back-at-return-of-the-jedi-26244343.html|access-date=30 July 2015|agency=The Irish Independent|date=29 September 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Jedi Archives Clones Long Room, Trinity Attacks|url=http://archiseek.com/2002/jedi-archives-clones-long-room-trinity-attacks/|website=Archiseek|date=6 October 2002|access-date=30 July 2015}}</ref>

In the ''[[Foundation (TV series)|Foundation]]'' TV series the Long Room was a stand-in for a reading room in the imperial capital of [[Trantor]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Power |first1=Ed |title=Foundation: It stars Jared Harris, was filmed in Ireland and cost $45m to make. So is it any good? |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/foundation-it-stars-jared-harris-was-filmed-in-ireland-and-cost-45m-to-make-so-is-it-any-good-1.4682747 |access-date=5 October 2021 |publisher=The Irish Times}}</ref>

==See also== * [[List of libraries in the Republic of Ireland]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

=== Sources === {{refbegin}} * {{cite journal |last = Hussey| first = John |title = Granite as a Building Material in Dublin in the Early Eighteenth Century| journal = [[History Ireland]]| volume = 22| issue = 6 | pages = 18–20| publisher = Wordwell Ltd.| location = Dublin| date = 2014-11-01| jstor = 44897444| url= https://www.jstor.org/stable/44897444}} * {{cite book |last=Wyse Jackson |first=Patrick |title= The Building Stones of Dublin: A Walking Guide |url= https://archive.org/details/buildingstonesof0000wyse/mode/2up|year=1993 |publisher= Town House and Country House |location=Donnybrook, Dublin |isbn=0-946172-32-3}} {{refend}}

==Further reading== *[[Peter Fox (librarian)|Fox, Peter]] ''Treasures of the Library: Trinity College Dublin''. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, 1986 {{ISBN|978-0-901714-45-9}} * Fox, Peter. ''Trinity College Library Dublin: A History'' (Cambridge University Press, 2014). * Fox, Peter "The Librarians of Trinity College", in: Vincent Kinane, Anne Walsh, eds., ''Essays on the History of Trinity College Library, Dublin''. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2000 {{ISBN|1-85182-467-7}} * Rogers, Charles. "Notes in the History of Sir Jerome Alexander, Second Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, and Founder of the Alexander Library, Trinity College Dublin." ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'' 1 (1872): 220–40. doi:10.2307/3677907 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3677907 online].

==External links== {{Commons category|Trinity College Library, Dublin|Trinity College Library}} *[http://www.tcd.ie/library/ The Library of Trinity College Dublin] *[http://stella.catalogue.tcd.ie Search the Library's catalogue] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160627123404/https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/partner/trinity-college-dublin-library The Library of Trinity College Dublin at Google Cultural Institute] *[https://panoramicireland.com/guide-to-ireland/360-degree-panoramas-of-ireland/trinity-college-360-degree-panorama 360-degree panorama of the Long Room Library]

[[Category:Academic libraries in Ireland]] [[Category:Trinity College Dublin buildings and structures|Library]] [[Category:Deposit libraries]] [[Category:History of Dublin (city)]] [[Category:Libraries in Dublin (city)]] [[Category:Trinity College Dublin|Library]] [[Category:Library of Trinity College Dublin| ]] [[Category:1592 in literature]] [[Category:Educational organizations established in the 1590s]] [[Category:Libraries established in the 16th century]]

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