For a number of years now, the Manuscripts & Archives Department (M&A) and the Department of Early Printed Books and Special Collections (EPB), together with Maps and Music here in TCD Library, have been nominally one department, known as Research Collections. Gradually we have been coming closer to a physical merger.
During the pandemic, M&A and EPB have been operating a joint reading room when regulations have permitted us to open to readers. Work has begun on clearing the basement of the Ussher Library prior to setting up a temporary joint space there for us while the Old Library is reconfigured. Plans for the latter are well under way and we look forward to our brand new study centre in the refurbished building.
For almost ten years we have been publishing posts here on Tales of Mystery and Pagination. The Manuscripts at Trinity blog is only slightly younger. Now it is time to unite them under the title New Tales from the Old Library; we hope you will continue to follow us. If you already follow the Manuscripts at Trinity blog, you do not need to do anything – just sit back and wait for the next notification to land in your inbox. If you don’t yet follow them (why don’t you??), please visit the blog and enter your email address at the foot of the page.
There’s an interesting post here by the founder of the Folger Library blog about the history of library blogging, written this month to celebrate the tenth anniversary of that blog. (Yes, I have notified the owner of the Wiki mentioned that we have moved.)