Kilkenny’s rich history now available on national archive database
By COLIN BARTLEY
KILKENNY County Library has joined the Digital Repository of Ireland – making Kilkenny’s rich history available to the world at the click of a button.
The partnership will see the records currently held by the Kilkenny County Library, including information on the county’s history, geography, antiquities, archaeology, folklore and culture, being added to the national archive database.
The Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) is a national digital archive for Ireland’s humanities, social sciences, and cultural heritage data.
Executive Librarian at Kilkenny County Council Declan Macauley said by becoming a member of DRI, the vast collection from Kilkenny will be more available to people around the globe.
“Kilkenny County Library Service has joined DRI as a Member. The Archives contain a wide variety of material from local authority and business collections. The local authority collections include materials from 19th century District Councils and Poor Law Unions, while the 20th century collections contain materials from Kilkenny County Council and Kilkenny City Corporation.”
“We are endeavoring to make our collections more accessible through digitization,” Mr Macauley added
DRI Director Natalie Harrower said she was delighted to add Kilkenny’s history to the DRI archive.
“Kilkenny Country Library is a rich hub for the history of Kilkenny city and county, and already provides a wealth of information online through their Local Studies department,” she said.
“By joining DRI, they will open a number of their collections online to an even wider audience, while also preserving them in digital form for the long term.”