Dublin City Libraries is the public library service for

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It is largest library authority in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

, serving over half a million people and around 2.6 million visits annually through a network of 21 branch libraries and a number of specialist services.

History

A free public library service in Dublin had its origins when a public meeting on 19 March 1877 prompted by the Dublin Municipal Council agreed to adopt the Public Libraries Act 1855 and requested the Dublin City Corporation apply its terms to Dublin. On 2 October 1884 two branch libraries were opened - one in Thomas Street, the other in Capel Street. Further branches were opened including Charleville Mall Library in 1899, Kevin Street in 1904, and Pearse Street in 1909. The Pearse Street branch had a difficult start as it was closed shortly after opening because of a lack of financial support for staff or books. However, with the philanthropic support of

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

it reopened in 1914. These branches ran as independent libraries until the 1930s when Dublin's first Chief Librarian, Roisin Walsh was appointed in 1931 and organisational restructuring established the Dublin City Libraries as a centralised service.

Branches

As of December 2023, Dublin City Libraries has 21 branches. * Ballyfermot Library * Ballymun Library * Cabra Library * Central Library * Charleville Mall Library * Coolock Library * Dolphin's Barn Library * Donaghmede Library * Drumcondra Library * Dublin City Library and Archive * Finglas Library * Inchicore Library * Kevin Street Library * Marino Library * Pearse Street Library * Pembroke Library * Phibsboro Library * Raheny Library * Rathmines Library * Ringsend Library * Terenure Library * Walkinstown Library

Dublin City Library and Archive branch

The Pearce Street branch, now known as Dublin City Library & Archive, was extensively renovated including an extension into two adjoining late- Georgian houses. It reopened in 2003. This branch houses historic print collections including the Dublin City Archives, the Dublin and Irish Collection of books with imprints dating from the 19th century, the Dix Collection of mainly 17th and 18th century Dublin and Irish imprints, the Yeats Collection, the Children's Book Collection, imprints of publishers such as the

Dun Emer Dun most commonly refers to: *Dun gene, which produces a brownish-gray color (dun) in horses and other Equidae *Dun (fortification), an ancient or medieval fort Dun or DUN may also refer to: Places Scotland * Dun, Angus, a civil parish in S ...

and

Cuala Press The Cuala Press was an Irish private press set up in 1908 by Elizabeth Yeats with support from her brother William Butler Yeats that played an important role in the Celtic Revival of the early 20th century. Originally Dun Emer Press, from 1908 ...

. and a collection of material dating from the 16th to 18th centuries with the Gilbert Collection forming the nucleus. The Dublin City Archives contains records of the civic government of Dublin from 1171 to the late 20th century including

Dublin City Council Dublin City Council () is the Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authority of the city of Dublin in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the authority was k ...

and committee

minutes Minutes, also known as minutes of meeting, protocols or, informally, notes, are the instant written record of a meeting or hearing. They typically describe the events of the meeting and may include a list of attendees, a statement of the activit ...

, account books, correspondence, reports, court records, charity petitions,

title deeds A deed is a legal document that is signed and delivered, especially concerning the ownership of property or legal rights. Specifically, in common law, a deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, affirms or confirms an interest, right ...

map A map is a symbolic depiction of interrelationships, commonly spatial, between things within a space. A map may be annotated with text and graphics. Like any graphic, a map may be fixed to paper or other durable media, or may be displayed on ...

s and plans and drawings all of which document the development of Dublin over eight centuries.

Dublin City Carnegie Libraries

County Dublin - Charleville Mall Library - 20200907143550

The

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

(1835–1919) funded the building of four Carnegie Libraries in the Dublin City Libraries branch network. These were: * Charleville Mall Library, opened 1899 * Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street, opened in 1909 and reopened following renovation in 2003 *

Rathmines Rathmines (; ) is an inner suburb on the Southside (Dublin), Southside of Dublin in Ireland. It begins at the southern side of the Grand Canal of Ireland, Grand Canal and stretches along the Rathmines Road as far as Rathgar to the south, Ranela ...

Library, built in 1913 and reopened following renovation in 2011 * Pembroke Library, built in 1927 and opened in 1929. This was the last Carnegie Library opened in Ireland.

One Dublin One Book

Since 2006, Dublin City Libraries have promoted a particular book with a series of public events.

Other activities

The

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award (), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. It promotes excellence in world literature and is solely ...

is administered by Dublin City Libraries. The application for designation as a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

City of Literature UNESCO's City of Literature programme is part of the wider Creative Cities Network. The ''Network'' was launched in 2004, and now has member cities in seven creative fields. The other creative fields are: Crafts and Folk Arts, Design, Film ...

, part of the

Creative Cities Network The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) is a flagship city programme of UNESCO launched in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities which have recognized culture and creativity as strategic drivers of sustainable urban development Urban means ...

was initiated and led by Dublin City Libraries.City of Literature
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References

External links

Dublin City Libraries websiteDublin City Libraries blogLibraries Ireland Catalogue

Libraries and Archive - Heritage Databases
{{National cultural institutions of Ireland Public libraries Libraries in Dublin (city) Archives in the Republic of Ireland Culture in Dublin (city) Irish genealogy Carnegie libraries in Ireland