Dublin City Public Libraries and Archive, the largest library authority in the Republic of Ireland, serves over half a million people through a network of 41 branch libraries and service points. Specialist services include the Local Studies and Archive, Business Library, Music Library, and an Open Learning Centre. With over three million annual visits, and Wi-Fi Internet access available in all branches, the service actively promotes the concept of lifelong learning in the community, offering an increasing range of opportunities for all ages and backgrounds to develop life chances and new learning skills.
The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is administered by Dublin City Public Libraries.
Services edit
Dublin City Public Libraries provides a range of services for the reader, the learner, the business community, the student, the hobbyist, and many others besides. These include:
- Access to general collections and reference and information services
- Access to Local Studies Collections and Archives in the Reading Room at the Dublin City Library and Archive
- Broadband and Wireless (Wi-Fi) Internet access available in all branches
- DublinHeritage.ie, a history and heritage resource, which includes online databases of baptisms, marriages and burials for Dublin parishes
- Business Information Centre, a reference centre specialising in company and market information. The centre holds books, directories, Irish Government Legislation, business magazines, databases, newspaper cuttings (from the late 1970's), and has a collection of Irish company reports
- Open Learning Centre, located in the Central Library, offers a wide range of computer and language self learning courses
- Music Library, where music is available in a broad range of formats, either recorded, in the case of CDs, DVDs, and CD-ROMs, or printed as with our Vocal Scores, Miniature Scores, Sheet music, Part-works, Libretti, and Songbooks. Other facilities available include CD sampling booths, a keyboard and a song-line and CD-track database.
- An ongoing programme of events including lectures, recitals and exhibitions
- Language learning is also facilitated in the Dublin City Public Library System through a group dynamic process centred around conversation exchange in foreign languages
- Services to particular groups include services to schools, multicultural services, housebound service and services to prisons
- Other services include the provision of meeting rooms to local community groups such as Historical Societies, Painting Groups, Parent & Toddler Groups, Writing groups, Reading groups and book clubs
- Online Ordnance Survey Ireland Historic Mapping Service available at most service points
Dublin City Library and Archive edit
Dublin City Archives contains records of the civic government of Dublin from 1171 to the late 20th century. These records include City Council and committee minutes, account books, correspondence, reports, court records, charity petitions, title deeds, maps and plans and drawings all of which document the development of Dublin over eight centuries.
Dublin City Public Libraries' Dublin and Irish Collections holds an extensive range of books relating to Dublin and Ireland to which are regularly added new publications. In addition to imprints from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, a considerable collection of older material is held of which the Gilbert Collection, comprising material from 16th to 18th centuries, forms the nucleus.
Other outstanding resources include the Dix Collection of mainly 17th and 18th century Dublin and Irish imprints, the Yeats Collection, the Children's Book Collection an imprints of publishers such as the Dun Emer Press and Cuala Press.
The Dublin Collection holds material relevant to Dublin City including books, newspapers and journals, photographs, maps, prints, drawings, theatre programmes, playbills, posters, ballad sheets, political cartoons, audio-visual material and ephemera. A collection of Thom's Dublin street directories and other Dublin and Irish directories is also maintained.
Housed alongside the Dublin Collection, the Irish Collection extends to subjects of national interest and includes books and other materials relating to Ireland, by Irish authors, or in the Irish language. The collection includes available published sources for Irish genealogy and family history.
Dublin City Carnegie Libraries edit
The philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) funded the building of four libraries in the Dublin City Public Libraries branch network, Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street; Rathmines Library; Pembroke Library and Charleville Mall Library. Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street was originally opened in 1909. It was recently renovated and extended into two adjoining late-Georgian houses, reopening in 2003. Rathmines Library was built in 1913. Pembroke Library, built in 1927 and opened in 1929, and was the last Carnegie Library opened in Ireland. The writer Frank O’Connor was appointed the first Librarian of Pembroke Library in December 1928.