Dun's Librarians
National Library Week is scheduled for the 11th
to the 15th of November 2013 which is only 3 weeks away. We have a
fantastic library here in the Heritage Centre called Dun’s Library which was established
in 1713 due to a bequest by Sir Patrick Dun (1642-1713). From its
foundation to the 1960s, the library was a working research library for medics.
Since the 1960s, Dun’s Library has stopped collecting current medical texts,
and now focuses on historical medical works and the history of medicine in
Ireland. While Library Week will be all about the library we thought that it
would be nice to focus on the librarians and honorary librarians that have made
Dun’s library what it is today in the weeks leading up it.
The most recent librarian, Robert Mills, retired in May of
this year. He had held the position of RCPI librarian since 1978. However, the
position of Dun’s Librarian has been in existence since 1787 and was first held
by Dr Stephen Dickson. The Dun’s Librarian has always been a Fellow of the College,
and appointed by RCPI to look after the library collections. Originally, it was
a working position and the holders of the title worked as librarians as well as
being trained doctors.
In 1865 H.J. Fennell, the first lay librarian, was hired for
the college but the position of Dun’s Librarian remained as an honorary
position for Fellows. The Dun’s Librarian is still appointed by RCPI’s Fellows
and their role is to oversee the management of the Heritage Centre and to chair
the Library Committee. The current Dun’s Librarian is Dr Paul
Darragh.
When Robert Mills retired, Harriet Wheelock took over as
Keeper of Collections, looking after both the archive collections and the
library. Harriet is ensuring that the archive and library catalogues are up to
date by following international standards to ensure that the items in the
collections can be easily found. To help with her work, Harriet has employed
us, two new library interns, Sarah Kennedy and Jenny O’Neill. We will be
cataloguing the collections, assisting with genealogical research and other
bits and pieces including adding to this blog.
This internship is a fantastic opportunity for us to work
with a very unique and interesting collection; a collection that wouldn’t be
available today without the hard work and care of the librarians. So let’s
celebrate them and their contributions.
Sarah Kennedy
Library Intern