view of old library in trinity college

The Old Library
Redevelopment
Project

Conserving the Old LIbrary for future generations.



The Old Library’s precious collections, spanning millennia, have been in our care for over 400 years. The Library now faces conservation challenges with pollution and dust accumulation taking their toll, and an urgent need to improve re-protection and environmental controls.

Safeguarding the Old Library

The Old Library Redevelopment Project draws on the best 21st century design and technology to safeguard the 18th century building and conserve its precious collections for future generations. You’ll see progress underway with the team decanting 200,000 early printed books from the Library shelves.

Conserving the collection

One by one, each book is cleaned with a specialised vacuum, measured, electronically tagged and linked to a catalogue record, before being safely relocated to a climate-controlled storage facility. The collection will remain accessible in our interim study centre during this landmark conservation project.

Book tickets

Meet the team behind the
Old Library Redevelopment Project

woman speaking in trinity long room

Helen Shenton,
Librarian and College Archivist

The Old Library Redevelopment Project draws on the best 21st-century design and technology to safeguard the Old Library building and conserve its precious collections for future generations. Learn more from Helen Shenton, Librarian and College Archivist at Trinity College Dublin.
woman in front of historical books

Susie Bioletti,
Head of Conservation and Preservation

A once in a lifetime event is currently taking place it the Old Library. Susie Bioletti, Head of Conservation and Preservation at Trinity, explains more.
man with glasses speaking in library

Dr Christoph Schmidt-Supprian,
Head of Content Management and Open Scholarship

Learn about the monumental digital cataloguing project that is underway at the Old Library, with Head of Content Management and Open Scholarship Dr Christoph Schmidt-Supprian.
woman with red jumper in trinity long room

Laura Shanahan,
Head of Research Collections

A new state-of-the-art Research Collections Study Centre will transform the Old Library’s world-class collections. Learn more with Laura Shanahan, Head of Research Collections at Trinity.
“The Old Library and its collections are some of Ireland’s greatest cultural heritage, which we must conserve for generations to come.”
— Helen Shenton, Librarian and College Archivist

The Decanting Process

Remove

Books are removed one by one from the shelves in the Long Room.

Clean

A specialised vacuum is used to clean each book.

Measure

Each book is carefully measured.

Tag

Books are electronically tagged and linked to a catalogue record.

Secure

Delicate books may be tied white cotton chord or encased in a temporary cover.

Box

Books are systematically boxed before they are relocated.

Explore our decant
timelapse videos

person adding books to an old shelf carefully

Bay B – Old Library Decant

person replacing books on a shelf in an old library

Bay C – Old Library Decant

person placing old books on a library cart

Bay D – Old Library Decant

person removing an old book from a shelf

Bay E – Old Library Decant


woman pointing at shelves of old books

Bay F – Old Library Decant



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