Introduction

The National Museum of Ireland (NMI) Library supports the work of the NMI by providing relevant print and online resources, which may be used to research, manage and interpret the NMI’s collection of museum objects.

The NMI Library comprises several discrete library collections across the museum’s sites and stores:

• Main Library at the Collections Resource Centre (CRC)
• Art and Industry Library at Collins Barracks
• Natural History Library at the CRC
• Irish Antiquities Library at Kildare Street
• Irish Folklife Library at Turlough Park House
• Ethnography Library at Collins Barracks
• Conservation Library at Collins Barracks
• Photography Library at Kildare Street
• Education Libraries at each site

The work of the NMI Library aligns with the Museum’s strategic principles: for the planet; for shared knowledge; for the community. The NMI Library’s work is:

• for the planet by working with sustainable library practices; contributing to the Circular Economy; ranking green criteria highly in library procurement works; supplying key resources to biodiversity researchers.

• for shared knowledge by providing up-to-date and relevant resources to NMI colleagues to enable continued excellent research to be shared across and beyond the Museum.

• for the community by supporting NMI’s position as a research centre with excellent collections that can be used by anyone with reason to do so, commited to expanding public accessibility of the collections.

Legislative Basis

In relation to section 11 of the National Cultural Institutions Act, 1997, the NMI Library supports the principal functions of the Museum,

to maintain, manage, control, protect, preserve, record, research and enlarge the collection of museum heritage objects (11.1)

Furthermore, the NMI Library directly fulfils three of the nineteen secondary functions of the Museum as given in the same Act:

(e) to promote research and scholarship
(f) to disseminate and promote the dissemination of literature and information relating to the collection of the Museum
(o) to compile, publish and distribute (with or without charge) books, magazines, journals, reports or other printed matter.

In order to successfully fulfil these functions at all museum sites, the NMI Library collections must be fastidiously developed, maintained and managed.

Acquisitions

The NMI Library will acquire books, journals and other bibliographic resources in print and digital formats that are relevant to the function of the NMI and the use of its collections.

Acquisition may occur through purchase, gift or bequest, but any acquisition must be assessed by the NMI Librarian in advance.

Disposal

Reflecting the practice of the NMI and its collection of museum heritage objects, the NMI Library considers that its holdings are in perpetuity. As such, the NMI Library will retain all its holdings unless there are specific reasons, of the kind listed below, for the disposal of specific holdings.

The reasons for deaccessioning and/or disposal of NMI Library holdings include:

• Legal; lack of title or cases where the holding of an item in the library is brought into question,
• Condition; damaged or deteriorated beyond use or representing a health and safety hazard,
• Format; audio-visual formats that are no longer readable or superseded by newer versions,
• Relevance; lack of relevance as judged against collection development criteria,
• Duplication; excessive level of duplication of identical copies across and within sites.

A clearly defined procedure, prioritising sustainable practices and ensuring transparency over ownership, will be followed when withdrawing and disposing items from the NMI Library collection, as per NMI’s Collections Deaccession and Disposal Policy.

Appendix

This list includes the associated policies and strategies in the National Museum of Ireland:

• Archives Policy
• Art & Industrial Division Acquisitions Strategy
• Collections Acquisitions Policy
• Collections Deaccession & Disposal Policy
• Collections Documentation and Information Policy
• Irish Antiquities Division Acquisitions Strategy
• Irish Folklife Division Acquisitions Strategy
• Learning Policy
• Learning Strategy
• Library Policy
• Loss, Damage and Near Miss Policy
• Natural History Division Acquisitions Strategy
• Publications Policy
• Research Policy