ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

American librarians visit Northern Ireland

From January 25 to February 5 a contingent of 14 American librarians toured libraries and archival collections in Northern Ireland and met with Irish colleagues. The Americans represented a cross section of institutions from the U.S. and visited a similar cross section of Irish institutions.

This library tour was sponsored by the British Council and is part of an ongoing effort to promote a balanced view of Northern Ireland and its political context. The tour was based in Belfast, with day trips to view collections throughout the country. Included in the tour were an introduction to the politics of Northern Ireland and a visit to the parts of Belfast that have seen the most damage from 25 years of civil unrest. The British Council clearly supports the English presence in Northern Ireland, but tour participants enjoyed frank and open discussions of Irish politics and the impact of “The Troubles” on funding for Irish libraries and public institutions.

Participants were treated to evenings of theater, storytelling, and receptions by both the Northern Ireland Library Association and the British Council’s office. The tour provided a valuable overview of the priceless library and archival collections held by various institutions in Northern Ireland including the University of Ulster and Queen’s University, two major institutions of higher learning. All libraries have strong Irish collections but, due to the introduction of technology, OCLC, and the Birmingham Library Cooperative Mechanization Project network, materials of all types are easily accessible to all users in the United Kingdom.

For information on upcoming study tours and opportunities for the pursuit of individual projects in Northern Ireland contact Kathy Culpin, Cultural Affairs Assistant, Northern Ireland Cultural Programme, The British Council, Cultural Department, The British Embassy, 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008-3600; (202) 588-6500; fax (202) 588-7918; http://www.britcoun.org/usa.—Ann Snoeyenbos, New York University, and K. N. Sharma, West Virginia State College