Books are my business: Head of published collections at the National Library of Ireland

Eoin McCarney developed his love for libraries at Maynooth University and has worked in many different libraries since then

Eoin McCarney: 'People tend to think of the National Library as a place for high-end research but we collect newspapers from all around the country, magazines, journals, children’s books, novels, cookbooks, academic books, everything really. '

Eoin McCarney is head of published collections at the National Library of Ireland at Kildare St in Dublin.

How did you become a librarian?

I didn’t really think about library work until I was an undergraduate at Maynooth University. 

I got a scholarship that paid for a masters degree and as part of that, I was required to work in the library. I really loved working there.

I went on to get a qualification in library studies, and I have since worked in many different types of library — public libraries, small NGO libraries, academic libraries and then I ended up in the collections area. 

I was working in collections at UCD and this opportunity came up in the National Library. It was too good not to go for it because the collections here are superb.

What does your role involve?

The published collections unit in the NLI is the part of the library responsible for trying to collect everything published in Ireland. 

We also try to buy material published elsewhere that is about Ireland or that has a connection with Ireland. 

We catalogue that and make it available here in the library. We collect all sorts of things. 

People tend to think of the National Library as a place for high-end research but we collect newspapers from all around the country, magazines, journals, children’s books, novels, cookbooks, academic books, everything really. 

Once it is related to Ireland we collect it because you never know what kind of material will become important to researchers in the future.

Where do you keep it all? Is space an issue?

Yes, it is one of the biggest concerns we have. We have a number of stores here in the city centre in Dublin and we also have some
material in commercial storage. 

We are hoping in the next few months to get started on a redevelopment project on the west wing of the building. That will create a lot of exciting spaces for visitors and also hopefully give us more space for storage.

 There is also a huge amount of material available online, everything from parish registers, which is one of our most popular online resources, to images and all types of other collections.

How do you know about all the material that is published?

We do all sorts of research, online and otherwise. We consult publishers’ websites, go through book review pages in newspapers and magazines. 

We don’t get lists of material from publishers, some of them would send them in voluntarily, others we have to chase up. 

There is also collaboration between various libraries in Ireland. We have an acquisitions’ team and that is a huge part of what they do.

What do you like most about what you do?

I love working with the collections, that is a real privilege.

I am also very lucky to work with the staff here, who are very passionate about the library and making it as good as possible for visitors.

The collection and the people are what makes the library what it is. It is also a beautiful place to work because the buildings are incredible.

I know it is sometimes difficult for people to come to Dublin, but if they are ever in the city, it is really worth visiting.

What do you like least about it?

Probably the storage issue, we are getting more and more material in all the time, as there is more material being published, and in shorter runs. That is a constant challenge.

Three desert island books

When I was in college, I studied Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. I love it and every time I read it, I find something new. 

If I was to choose something from the collections here, I would probably pick the very first copy of Ulysses, signed by James Joyce and with an inscription to Harriet Shaw Weaver who was his patron. She generously donated that book to the library, it is one of the great treasures. 

My third would be The Butcher Boy by Pat McCabe. It has everything, the whole range of emotions, from funny to sad. I love all of Patrick McCabe’s work, he is a great writer.

• www.nli.ie

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