Recent Developments in the National Library of Ireland
The provisions of the National Cultural Institutions Act 1997, which will establish the National Library of Ireland as an independent statutory body under a new Board, are due to be implemented in 2005. The years since the Act was passed have seen substantial increases in funding and staff numbers, albeit from a very low base. A phased building programme has delivered improved visitor and administration facilities, but crucial storage and reading room elements have been delayed. Collection development has benefited from government measures including legislation for tax credit for the donation of important material and for a Heritage Fund. A new Genealogical Service has been an outstanding success, but other substantial improvements in service are contingent on the building programme. Retrospective catalogue conversion projects have been completed for the core Irish printed collections and these catalogues are available online. A substantial amount of retrospective conversion of catalogues of other collections remains to be done. Digital projects are underway which will lead to an increased amount of material from the graphic collections coming online. A major new state of the art exhibition facility opened in 2004 with the inaugural exhibition James Joyce and Ulysses at the National Library of Ireland. Progress has been made in securing conservation resources, and in preservation microfilming and reformatting programmes. The major challenges facing the Board will be to push through the building programme, to carry through digital and retrospective conversion programmes, and to secure adequate staffing and financial resources.