| The Library of Trinity College Dublin | |
|---|---|
 The Long Room in the Old Library | |
 | |
| 53°20′38″N6°15′24.5″W / 53.34389°N 6.256806°W /53.34389; -6.256806 | |
| Location | College Street,Dublin2,Ireland |
| Type | Academic library |
| Established | 1592 |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | Books,journals,newspapers,magazines,sound and music recordings,databases,maps,prints andmanuscripts |
| Size | c. 7,000,000 volumes |
| Criteria for collection | Acquisition through purchase, bequest and legal deposit |
| Legal deposit | Republic of Ireland (Copyright and Related Rights Act, 2000) andUnited Kingdom (Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003) |
| Access and use | |
| Access requirements | Staff, graduates (reading privileges only) and students of the university. Other readers admitted under cross-institutional arrangements, or if material is unavailable elsewhere. Old Library and Library Gift Shop open to public |
| Other information | |
| Director | College Librarian and ArchivistHelen Shenton |
| Employees | Around 120[1] |
| Website | www |
TheLibrary of Trinity College Dublin (Irish:Leabharlann Choláiste na Tríonóide), informally known as theOld Library, is the main library that servesTrinity College, and is the largest library inIreland. It is alegal deposit or "copyright library", which means that publishers in Ireland must deposit a copy of all their publications there without charge.[2] It is the only Irish library to also hold such rights for works published in theUnited Kingdom.[2] It is one of the most iconic landmarks of the university and a major tourist attraction housing numerous Irish artifacts and exhibits, including theBook of Kells since 1661.
The Library is also the permanent home to theBrian Boru harp, a national symbol of Ireland, as well as a copy of the 1916Proclamation of the Irish Republic. One of the four volumes of the Book of Kells is on public display at any given time.[3] The volumes and pages shown are regularly changed; a new display case installed in 2020 facilitated all pages to be displayed, including many which had not been seen in public for several decades.[4] Members of theUniversity of Dublin also have access to the libraries ofTallaght University Hospital and theIrish School of Ecumenics,Milltown.
The library proper occupies several buildings, six of which are at the Trinity College campus itself, with another part of the Trinity Centre atSt James's Hospital,Dublin:
Further materials are held in storage in Stacks, either in closed access within the College or at a book depository in the Dublin suburb ofSantry.
The Library began with the founding of Trinity College in 1592. In 1661,Henry Jones presented it with theBook of Kells, its most famous manuscript.
James Ussher (1625–56),Archbishop of Armagh, whose most important works wereVeterum Epistolarum Hibernicarum Sylloge (1632) andBrittanicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates (1639), left his valuable library, comprising several thousand printed books and manuscripts, to the Library. His complete works were published by the Library in twenty-four volumes.[10]
In 1712, building began on the construction of the library building. Records show that a type of limestone was used, extracted from a quarry inPalmerstown, located some 8 km to the west.[11] Patrick Wyse Jackson, curator of the Geological Museum at Trinity, assessed the Old Library in 1993, and made the following observations:
"The Old Library was built between 1712 and 1732... The lower storey is built of muddy, well-bedded Calp Limestone, cut into regular rusticatedashlar blocks, which were quarried at Palmerstown... This rock is quitefossiliferous and contains tiny cubic crystals ofiron pyrites or 'fool's gold'... The Calp has weathered to a pleasant, warm, brownish colour which contrasts well with thegrey Ballyknockan Granite of the upper storeys. Originally these levels were faced with whiteSt Bees Sandstone fromWhitehaven inCumbria, but this disintegrated quickly and all but the carvedcornice was replaced."[12]
In 1801, the Library was givenlegal deposit rights, making it the only library in Ireland to have such rights for the United Kingdom at that time.[10]
In August 2025, Trinity College Dublin Library was ranked first in a global literary tourism initiative called "1000 Libraries".[13]
In accordance with the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000, the library is entitled, along with theNational Library of Ireland and the libraries of theNational University of Ireland, theUniversity of Limerick, andDublin City University, to receive a copy of all works published in the Republic of Ireland.[14][15]
Also, as a result of theBritishLegal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, which continues a more ancient right dating from 1801, the Library is entitled, along with theBodleian Library atOxford,Cambridge University Library, theNational Library of Wales and theNational Library of Scotland, to receive a copy on request of all works published in theUnited Kingdom.[16] Many works are now being received electronically rather than in print under new UK regulations which came into force in April 2013.[17]
The 65-metre-long (213 ft) main chamber of the Old Library, the Long Room, was built between 1712 and 1732 and houses 200,000 of the Library's oldest books. Initially, The Long Room had a flat ceiling, shelving for books only on the lower level, and an open gallery. By the 1850s the room had to be expanded as the shelves were filled due to the fact that the Library had been given permission to obtain a free copy of every book that had been published inIreland and Britain. In 1860, The Long Room's roof was raised to accommodate an upper gallery.[18]The Long Room is lined with marble busts. The marble bust collection was formed when 14 busts from the sculptorPeter Scheemakers were acquired by the college. Many of the busts are of great philosophers, writers, and men who supported the college. The most outstanding bust in the collection is of the writerJonathan Swift, created byLouis François Roubiliac.[18]
In November 2020, Trinity College announced the addition of four marble busts featuring female scholars:Rosalind Franklin,Ada Lovelace,Augusta Gregory, andMary Wollstonecraft. Notably, it is "the first time in over a century that Trinity has commissioned new sculptures for the Long Room of the Old Library." Following the unveiling, Trinity archivistHelen Shenton remarked, “As the first woman Librarian in the College’s 428-year history, I am especially delighted to champion this initiative to address the historic inequity in the Long Room.”[19]
The Long Room also holds one of the last remaining copies of the 1916Proclamation of the Irish Republic. This proclamation was read byPatrick Pearse near the General Post Office on 24 April 1916. Visitors may also view theTrinity College harp (also known as the "Brian Boru harp") in the Long Room which is the oldest of its kind in Ireland dating back to the 15th century. The harp is made out of oak and willow and includes 29 brass strings.[18] The library was broken into and the Trinity College harp was stolen in March of 1969.[20] The Harp was recovered by police a month later and returned to the library.
Beginning in 2022, the Long Room has undergone a €90m restoration project, utilizing €25m of government funding. The project is said to have "taken on a degree of urgency following the catastrophic fire which destroyedNotre-Dame de Paris cathedral in 2019." Accordingly, the project prioritizes the modernization of environmental control and fire protection measures.[21][22] In 2023 a large illuminated globe was hung in the Long Room. The artwork, called “Gaia,” was treated by British artistLuke Jerram.[23]
TheJedi archives of the Jedi Temple in the movieStar Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones bear a startling resemblance to the Long Room of the Trinity College Library. This resemblance resulted in controversy as permission had not been sought to use the building's likeness in the film. However,Lucasfilm denied that the Long Room was the basis for the Jedi archives, and officials from Trinity College Library decided not to take any legal action.[24][25]
In theFoundation TV series the Long Room was a stand-in for a reading room in the imperial capital ofTrantor.[26]
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53°20′38″N6°15′24.5″W / 53.34389°N 6.256806°W /53.34389; -6.256806
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