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THE TRINITY LONG ROOM HUB – CAPITAL PHASE

A beacon for world class research

The Trinity Long Room Hub building development in Fellows’ Square will progress world class research in Arts and Humanities at Trinity. It will be a beacon to attract internationally recognized research specialists to work with the Faculty, the Library and on special collections.

Planning permission has been granted for the 1,100 sq m development. The establishment of the External Advisory Board of the Long Room Hub has been instrumental in the development and sourcing of philanthropic funding.

Work is due to commence June 2009 with expected completion March 2010.

With an estimated cost €7m, €5.8m capital funding has been raised under the Government's Programmes for Research in Third-Level Institutions (PRTLI).

Research and outreach activities are also attracting contributions from philanthropic and other sources. Significant operational funding has been received through support from the Trinity Foundation Board.

www.tcd.ie/longroomhub


THE OLD LIBRARY PRESERVATION PROGRAMME

One of the world's iconic library buildings

Preservation activities aim to minimise deterioration and prevent damage to the College collections. Actions include buildings maintenance, environmental control, providing safe storage, handling skills training, and disaster preparedness planning.

The Old Library Preservation Programme aims to ensure that the Old Library Building and contents are preserved, along with its unique character as an 18th/19th century library and academic space.

The Heritage Council and the Getty Foundation have contributed to a feasibility study to look at the structure and fabric of the Old Library Building.

In November 2009 the Library will launch its Patrons of the Library and Images of a Nation, the next step in further engaging academia and public nationally and internationally with the Treasures of the Long Room.

www.tcd.ie/Library/Preservation


SAVE THE TREASURES OF THE LONG ROOM

It is our generation’s privilege to make use of the books for research and to preserve them for future generations

Save the Treasures of the Long Room campaign was launched in October 2005 to raise funds for the cleaning of the historic collection of books and manuscripts housed in the Old Library in Trinity. Since its inception, alumni and friends have responded with unprecedented generosity enabling the Library to appoint conservation staff to speed up the cleaning process.

This aims to remove centuries of dust and pollutants which are contributing to the deterioration of the collection, and to enable the Library introduce a sustainable programme of collection care as part of the Old Library Preservation Programme.

To date, €1.25M has been raised directly from over 2,900 graduates via the Trinity Annual Fund and matched funding from the TCD Association and Trust. This will facilitate the cleaning of almost half of the collection housed in the Long Room and Gallery. Further funding for the ‘Save the Treasures of the Long Room’ will be allocated from the ‘College Environment & Heritage’ fund, see page 26.

www.tcd.ie/alumni/support/longroom


"The Long Room has iconic status as one of the world’s great library spaces and its collections have the potential to bring fresh means of disseminating our holding of scholarly treasures, to bring new dimensions to the study of recorded thought and creativity."
Robin Adams, Librarian