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.

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
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.
Meet the team behind the
Old Library Redevelopment Project
“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
Image Gallery





