Trinity College Launches the Long Room Hub

Posted on: 14 June 2006

‘Unlocking the Treasures’

Trinity College’s Long Room Hub, a new initiative that is set to transform research in the arts, humanities and social sciences was launched on Wednesday, 14 June by Senator Maurice Hayes and the Chair of the American Ireland Fund, Dr Loretta Brennan Glucksman. To mark the occasion a colloquium and poster exhibition, showcasing some of the new research projects in Trinity was held in the Examination Hall.

The Long Room Hub aims to facilitate research for a new generation of scholars through a better exploitation of the College’s outstanding research collections. Trinity College’s Library, with the Long Room at its heart, is the largest research library in Ireland and one of the finest in the world. Its holdings range from manuscripts dating from the 13th century BC, third century Egyptian papyri, medieval manuscripts such as the Book of Kells, the writings of authors such as Swift, Synge, Beckett and Banville and unique historical records.

The Long Room Hub initiative will enable world-class scholars to make fuller use of the College’s rich resources of materials and collections. It will unlock these treasures through the creation of electronic records and a digitisation programme. The Hub will stimulate individual and collaborative research in existing and new disciplines. Similarly, it will support academic dialogue through an international visiting scholar programme. Trinity College’s Hub also aims to attract the necessary funding to produce world-leading research in the arts, humanities and social sciences which will allow these disciplines to continue to play a central role in the College and in civil society in general.