Skip to main content

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

Menu Search

Open Day Library Tours – Saturday 23 November

As part of Open Day the Library would be delighted if you could join us for a short tour of the Berkeley, Lecky and Ussher Libraries. Students and their families are all very welcome. Teachers too! Please meet us in the foyer of the Berkeley Library.

Tours will run every 15 minutes from 10:15 to 13:00 and will last about 10 minutes. They will be led by Trinity students so it’s a chance to talk to them about life at Trinity and they might even show you their favourite spot to study in the Library!
We look forward to seeing you.

Library Study Space Campaign

To address the issue of ‘desk-hogging’ (i.e., the practice of leaving books and personal belongings unattended for long periods of time at Library study spaces, thus preventing others from using those spaces), the Library is launching a Study Space Campaign on Wednesday 20 November 2019 in the Berkeley, Lecky, Ussher, John Stearne and Hamilton Libraries. A dedicated study space team, wearing blue t-shirts, will patrol Library reading rooms to free up study spaces that have been unoccupied for more than 60 minutes.

The team will operate using the following procedure:

  • Leaflets will be left at study spaces observed to be unattended. The leaflets will indicate the time at which the study space was observed to be unoccupied and the time at which it will be cleared should the reader fail to return within the allotted 60 minute period
  • Any books and belongings left at the study space will be cleared to a box and moved to a designated storage area on the same floor. This includes laptops and other portable devices, so readers are strongly advised to back-up all work regularly!
  • The information on each leaflet will also be recorded on separate clipboard sheets to ensure transparency

**please note that the above procedure does not apply to officially reserved carrels**

The Library Study Space Campaign relies on the cooperation of all readers. We ask that you support the study space team to ensure a level playing field for those who come to the Library to study and prepare for exams. You can assist us by not leaving laptops, phones, USB drives or any other valuables unattended for any length of time, and by sticking to the 60 minute rule.

The Library shall not be held responsible for damaged or stolen belongings.

For further information about the Library’s seating policy, please see our Library Regulations page.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at: library@tcd.ie.

Library Desk Monitor Vacancies (2019-20)

The Library is recruiting a new team of 8 student Library Desk Monitors as part of a Library Study Space Campaign to address the issue of ‘desk-hogging’ in the contemporary libraries (i.e. the practice of leaving personal belongings unattended for long periods of time at Library study desks, preventing others from using those desks). Applications are now being accepted for the 2019-20 academic year.

Successful applicants will need to be capable of the physical demands of patrolling Library reading rooms and clearing belongings from desks. The Library will be launching a communications campaign over the coming weeks to inform readers of the new policy to ensure that the work of the desk monitor team is as simple and straightforward as possible.

Team members will work a minimum of 10 hours and a maximum of 12 hours per week. Shifts will be 2 hours in duration each day (Monday to Friday) and assigned according to a rota system, with some flexibility to swap and change as may be required. The work will be split into two periods, coinciding with the pre-Christmas and pre-summer exam preparation periods:

 

  • Semester 1, 2019: 18th November – 13th December (4 weeks)
  • Semester 2, 2020: 23rd March – 1st May (6 weeks)

A full job description and short-listing criteria are available on the application website.

**Please note that this webpage can only be accessed locally on the University network**

The closing date for receipt of applications is 12 noon on Friday 1st November 2019.

Interviews for these positions will take place on Tuesday 12th November 2019 with a view to successful applicants starting on Monday 18th November. Candidates shortlisted for interview will be notified by e-mail.

If you have any questions please contact Derek Birney, Reading Room Maintenance Executive, by e-mail: DJBIRNEY@tcd.ie.

Open House Festival: tours of the Berkeley Library – Saturday 12 October

As part of this year’s Open House Festival, the Berkeley Library is being opened up for public tours from 11:00 to 16:00 on Saturday 12 October. This is a special opportunity to welcome members of the public to experience ‘Ireland’s finest modern building’.

The tours are likely to involve some minor noise disruption, particularly on the upper floors, but every effort will be taken to minimise the impact. Please note that alternative quiet study spaces will be available in the Lecky and Ussher libraries.

If you would like to offer any feedback please contact Peter Dudley (peter.dudley@tcd.ie).

Increase in 24-hour Library study spaces during Supplemental Exams

To facilitate students preparing for supplemental examinations, the Library will open all three floors of the 24-hour space in the Ussher Library (i.e., Kinsella Hall) from Monday 19th – Friday 30th August inclusive. This will increase the number of spaces available on a 24-hour basis by approximately 350.

Please see the Library’s opening hours page for details of the relevant changeover procedure.

Reduced Library Services

Due to stocktaking activities, all libraries will be closed on Saturday 27 July, Saturday 3 August and on Monday 5 August. The 24-hour spaces (Kinsella Hall and the 1937 Postgraduate Reading Room) will remain open. Requests from storage will be partially reduced – please contact Library staff for further details.

Normal Library services will resume on Tuesday 6 August 2019.

Banned Books Exhibition in the Library

The Library has a new mini exhibition in the Ussher Library, Orientation Space showcasing some of the books banned by the Censorship of Publications Board since 1930 up to more recent times. Also on show are archival items (including the key to the Banned Books Room) showing how these banned books were dealt with by the Library from the 1960s onwards. The exhibits reflect the history of censorship in Ireland and the sometimes uneasy relationship between the Library and the State authorities.

Trinity Ball 2019 – Library Arrangements

Due to the Trinity Ball, all Library buildings on the main University campus will close early on Friday 12 April 2019.

The Berkeley/Ussher/Lecky (BLU) Libraries and the Hamilton Library will close at 5pm, Friday 12 April and reopen at 9:30am Saturday 13 April.

  • Kinsella Hall, Ussher Library will close at 5pm, Friday 12 April. The 1st floor and the computer room will reopen at 8:30am Saturday 13 April.
  • The 1937 Reading Room will close at 4:30pm, Friday 12 April and reopen at 8:30am, Saturday 13th April.

The John Stearne Medical Library is unaffected as it lies off campus, and will close at 10pm Friday 12 April and reopen at 9:30am Saturday 13 April.

Your Library, Your Views

Library Pop Art

We’re running a short survey to help us understand your experiences of the Library. As a thank you, we will enter you into a draw to win prizes including Trinity Ball tickets, TCard credit and more.

Your views will help us to better appreciate all of our users’ needs and provide valuable insights to enable us to develop responsive services for the future. The survey will take about fifteen minutes to complete. The closing date is 14 December.

Get started here!

The Library Life Pulse survey is being administered by an independent research agency called Alterline, you can view their GDPR policy online.

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

All personal data collected by the University will be processed according to the College Privacy Notice.

 

Postgraduate Tours 2018

The Berkeley LibraryWelcome all incoming postgraduate students! Library staff will be providing 20-minute tours during Postgraduate Orientation Week 2018.

Library Tours for Postgraduate Students from the Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Meeting Point: Foyer, Berkeley Library

Monday 27 August 2018: 12pm – 1pm (BUSINESS)
Tuesday 28 August 2018: 12pm – 1pm (LANGUAGES, LINGUISTICS, RELIGION & THEOLOGY, PHILOSOPHY)
Tuesday 28 August 2018: 4pm – 5pm (EDUCATION, PSYCHOLOGY)
Wednesday 29 August 2018: 12pm – 1pm (SOCIOLOGY, SOCIAL WORK & SOCIAL POLICY, POLITICS, ECONOMICS)
Wednesday 29 August 2018: 4pm – 5pm (HISTORY, LAW, CLASSICS)
Thursday 30 August 2018: 12pm – 1pm (ENGLISH, DRAMA, MUSIC)
Thursday 30 August 2018: 4pm – 5pm (ONLINE, PART-TIME STUDENTS)

Library Tours for Postgraduate Students from the Faculties of Engineering, Mathematics and Science and Health Sciences

Meeting Point: Entrance to the Hamilton Library, 2nd Floor, Hamilton Building

Monday 27 August 2018: 11am – 12pm (ENGINEERING)
Tuesday 28 August 2018: 11am – 12pm (COMPUTER SCIENCE)
Wednesday 29 August 2018: 11am – 12pm (SCIENCE)
Thursday 30 August 2018: 11am – 12pm (MEDICINE, DENTISTRY, PHARMACY)