“Trinity’s Old Library is set for a major reconfiguration, which will see many of its oldest manuscripts moved to a new research space on the ground floor and involve the embedding of the library’s shop into the podium outside the Berkeley …” (more)
[Aisling Marren, University Times, 3 September]
“Sir, – Your guide to college life in Ireland (August 13th) details the realities of student life and includes ‘what’s hot’ and ‘what’s not’ for a number of university campuses. For DCU the author unfortunately notes in the latter category, that one would ‘have conquered Everest sooner’ than walk to the library. I can only deduce that he is referring to the O’Reilly Library on the Glasnevin campus …” (more)
[John McDonough, Irish Times, 19 August]
“Northern Ireland’s universities generated more than £400,000 in student library fines over the last five years, the BBC has learned. Figures show that Ulster University and Queen’s University in Belfast amassed a total of £423,000 since 2013 …” (more)
[BBC News, 12 August]
“The question of whether – and, if so, to what degree – Sci-Hub and similar pirate portals will lead (or are already leading) libraries to cancel journal subscriptions has been a fraught one for some time, and the debate doesn’t seem likely to settle down anytime soon …” (more)
[Rick Anderson, The Scholarly Kitchen, 3 July]
“Universities are increasingly extending their main library closing times into the early hours of the morning to cope with a surge in demand for late-night study. Colleges say they are responding to demand for extra study time in the run-up to the exams, while trying to balance this with student welfare …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 6 May]
“Dundalk Institute of Technology has renamed its library in honour of retired general John de Chastelain, the man who oversaw arms decommissioning in Northern Ireland. At a ceremony to mark the occasion on Thursday evening, Mr de Chastelain noted the ‘true architects’ of the peace process were the people of the region …” (more)
[Mark Hilliard, Irish Times, 2 May]
“Students have blasted the College after the library’s opening hours were cut over the Easter weekend, with a crowd of more than a hundred left waiting outside this morning ahead of the start of exam season next Tuesday …” (more)
[Eleanor O’Mahony and Donal MacNamee, University Times, 19 April]
“A male student was removed from Trinity’s library by the Gardaí for being abusive to other students this afternoon. At around 4pm, Gardaí escorted an unnamed student from the first floor of the Berkeley library …” (more)
[Robert Quinn, University Times, 3 April]
“As I write this in the library, I suddenly hear the dreaded tones of the librarian’s bell begin to echo through the various floors of the Ussher. I wonder, has my time come? Do I need to start hiding my books? Thankfully, it turns out that the bell is only meant for Ussher 1, so I’m safe …” (more)
[Hugh Whelan, Trinity News, 24 March]
“Maynooth University has moved to abolish library fines, marking the first time a higher education institution in Ireland has made the shift away from fines for late returns. Fines for standard loan items, which may be borrowed from the library for three weeks, are to be abolished under Maynooth University’s new loan scheme …” (more)
[Lauren Boland, Trinity News, 18 February]
“Trinity’s Santry stacks depository, which houses the majority of the College’s books, is to be replaced in the near future, after being deemed ‘not fit for purpose’. The College is also considering the possibility of disposing of its properties on D’Olier St and in Foster Place …” (more)
[Kathleen McNamee, University Times, 30 November]
“NUI Galway’s James Hardiman Library has not been invested in or improved upon since 1999, SIN has learned. The other six Irish universities have made investments of at least €20 million in the past ten years to modernise their library buildings, by either extending or replacing them. NUI Galway has made no such investments …” (more)
[Áine Kenny, SIN, 6 November]
“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) expresses its support and solidarity with Dublin Institute of Technology Students’ Union (DITSU) as they protest the severe and recurrent staffing shortages across their college, which have now had a hugely detrimental impact on library opening hours …” (more)
[USI, 17 October]
“It goes without saying that a university’s library is one of its most important institutions. Without a functioning library, the very idea of a university becomes untenable. From an academic standpoint at least, libraries are at the heart of what colleges do …” (more)
[Jack Synnott, University Times, 8 October]
“A book vault that can store half a million volumes in little more than a tenth of the space occupied by conventional shelving is one of the stand-out features of the new Glucksman Library that was officially opened last Friday. The Automated Reserve Collection (ARC) comprises of a 10 meter high book vault and robotic crane that will allow UL’s historic collections, currently housed off-site, to be returned to campus …” (more)
[Limerick Post, 25 June]
“Thousands of bookworms, students and digital researchers will soon experience a unique lounge atmosphere, thanks to the much-anticipated €31m library transformation at University of Limerick. A number of eminent figures attended the launch of the Glucksman Library 7,600 squaremetre expansion, which now optimises student space, specialist facilities, acoustics and research zones …” (more)
[Fintan Walsh, Limerick Leader, 22 June]
“Maynooth University in Co. Kildare has become the first Irish college to install pods on its campus to allow students to take naps. Two hi-tech EnergyPods have been set up in the library and one in the access office …” (more)
[Irish Examiner, 26 February]
“Maynooth University (MU) has begun introducing sleeping pods, or isolation pods, in its library. The pods were introduced through a winning idea by an MU student in their inaugural Innovation Competition. MU has described the ‘Energy Pods’ as “ideal for commuting students or just someone who simply needs a nap or a time alone to recharge” …” (more)
[Cian Mac Lochlainn, Trinity News, 22 February]
“Maria Byrne (Fine Gael): I welcome the Minister of State and thank her for coming here to take these matters. I wish to highlight the importance of Mary Immaculate College in Limerick in terms of teacher training. The college was founded in 1898 and is the oldest training college in the State for primary school teachers. It was started by the Sisters of Mercy as part of their convent on the South Circular Road and has expanded over many years …” (more)
[Seanad debates, 3 October]
“Irish university libraries have seen an average reduction of 22% in staffing levels since the recession, with UCD experiencing one of the largest staff cuts. While the declines began to occur in the late 2008s during the last recession, staff numbers are still slowly dropping in some institutions or just stabilising at others. The drop in staffing figures was revealed from records requested from each university library released under the Freedom of Information act …” (more)
[College Tribune, 11 April]
