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Lyric Feature focuses on an 18th century Tipperary woman whose extraordinary memoir survives in the Library

Last Sunday’s Lyric Feature, Dorothea the doozy, presented by Trinity alumna  and radio documentary maker Angie Mezzetti, brings to light the work of Dorothea Herbert, a long-overlooked 18th Century writer, diarist, poet and artist from Carrick-on-Suir.  Herbert’s memoir, which she called ‘Retrospections of an Outcast’, was written between 1780 to 1806 and was published for the first time in 1929. In this documentary, Manuscripts Curator Dr Jane Maxwell, a specialist in the history of women in the 18th century, introduces this memoir, beautifully illustrated with watercolours by the author – which has been in the care of the Library since the 1980s.

This document is of immense significance to the social history of Ireland in the 18th century, and especially for the history of women in a century which saw them emerge more clearly into society. What gives this document added significance is that the author was clearly suffering severely from a mental illness at a time when there was little understanding for such afflictions.

Readers can listen back to the feature here.

Reader’s Choice is now Reader Recommendation

Based on the popularity of the Library’s Reader’s Choice pilot scheme for books received under UK electronic legal deposit (UK eLD), the Library has extended the scheme’s scope and improved how it works in Stella Search. Under the pilot scheme, print requests were limited to specific publishers and publication years and were mediated by single-purpose, pre-loaded records in Stella Search. With Reader Recommendation, the UK eLD records themselves include the link to the recommendation form; purchased print copies will be requestable via new records for the print version. Of course, the Library continues to be under pragmatic constraints in operating the scheme, particularly the availability of the print titles from its suppliers, and the availability of funds. As before, it will monitor and review the scheme in the context of evolving collection development policies and practices.

Digitising Cultural Heritage Collections: Lessons Learned and Forging Ahead

A seminar organised by the Library of Trinity College Dublin and the Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERL).

The Library of Trinity College Dublin and Trinity Centre for the Book Research Seminar will host the Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERL) Annual Seminar on Tuesday October 4, 2022 (9:30am – 5pm), at the Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute. Ten years since digitisation was last the subject of a CERL Seminar, we wish to bring people together to discuss the varied challenges research libraries face in the planning and realising of internal and collaborative programmes of digitisation for cultural heritage materials. 

Speakers from various international and Irish libraries will comment on the state of the art of digitisation and the role of research libraries therein, presenting a variety of recent and ongoing projects. These include the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Folger Shakespeare Library, John Rylands Library, and the libraries of the National University of Ireland Galway and Royal Irish Academy. Through the seminar we hope to instigate a community-focused discussion to problematise the maturing field of cultural heritage digitisation. 

The full programme is available here for the event
Registration is open to all. Please register before September 26 by emailing secretariat@cerl.org.

Campus LocationTrinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute
For further information contact Unlocking the Fagel Collection Project Manager, Dr Ann-Marie Hansen, anhansen@tcd.ie

#TCDLIBRARYSURVEY What we’re doing with your feedback

Last year, 1,189 of our readers responded to the Library Life Pulse survey conducted during Ireland’s fourth and strictest lockdown. The findings showed that the impact of the Library on our readers’ wellbeing was significant and up 10% from pre-Covid times to 61%.

We were delighted that you agreed positively with the following statements:

It is easy to access help and support when I am in Library buildings (71%)
The Library offers relevant training and skills support for students and staff (71%)
The Library has the right resources for my course/research degree programme/role (74%)
The Library is helping me to succeed on my course/research degree programme/in my role (76%)
I am satisfied with how the Library communicates with me (74%)

We acknowledge there is room for improvement with the following:

Suitable study/work space is readily available in the Library building(s) (46%)
It is easy to find the location of suitable study/work spaces in the Library building(s) (53%)
It is easy to access help and support when I am using Library services online (50%)
The Library has helped me to develop the skills I need for my studies/role (51%)

How are we acting on your feedback?

The high-level findings of this survey have been shared with the Library’s Leadership team and the university’s Library and Information Policy Committee. In the months following the survey, we have been exploring ideas and discussing solutions to issues you have identified in key areas of Space; Access to Resources; Training and Support and Communications. You can find out more about the survey findings and our action plan here:

We will be consulting with staff and students in making those improvements and will provide updates as they are being implemented.

#TCDLibrarySurvey – have your say

A Library survey was launched College-wide today seeking feedback from all staff and students on their experience of using the Library.

The Library is at the heart of the University, providing services, resources, training and space. Its important role within the College community has been further highlighted over the past year during Covid-19. This is an opportunity for you to have your say in relation to your Library and how it can best support you currently, and in its future development.

The survey is being administered on behalf of the Library by an independent research agency called Alterline. The first survey, which ran in December 2018, received 2,540 responses across six core metrics. It is a biennial survey and in response to feedback received in 2018, the Library has embedded a series of additional services and resources across the Library.

Your views will help us understand your needs as readers and will provide valuable insights to enable the development of responsive services for the future.

As a thank you for taking part, at the end of the survey all participants will  have the option to be entered into a prize draw to win AirPods, a Fitbit tracker, Trinity Gift Shop online gift cards, One4all vouchers and T-card top-ups.

Click on the survey link to get started, or copy and paste the link into your browser: https://www.tcd.ie/library/survey

If you have any queries about this survey, please contact us at library@tcd.ie

Paying tribute to our friend and colleague Clíona Ní Shúilleabháin

Clíona Ní Shúilleabháin worked as an Assistant Librarian in the Library of Trinity College Dublin from  1987 until her untimely death in February 2021. She was a Trinity graduate with a degree in French and Modern Irish. Starting work as a subject cataloguer in Celtic and other languages, over the course of her career, Clíona moved within the Library from Collection Management to Digital Systems and Services and to Reader Services. In Digital Systems and Services, she worked as Electronic Resources Librarian. As Subject Librarian in Reader Services, she supported the staff and students in the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies, the School of Religion and the School of Creative Arts and was longstanding member of the Library’s User Education Group.

Continue reading “Paying tribute to our friend and colleague Clíona Ní Shúilleabháin”