Library Collections
The RDS Library collections contain over 100,000 items and comprise of monographs and journals of Irish and general interest. Open access material is available for loan by RDS Members and all other material is available for consultation in the Library. The Library also has a range of electronic resources for use by RDS Members at home or in the Library.
The RDS Library collections reflect our interest in the RDS foundation areas of arts, agriculture, science, industry and equestrianism. The RDS Library offers a lending service to RDS Members, including a wide range of popular fiction and non-fiction titles and, is a beautiful space in which to work and study. As well as printed book and journal collections the Library provides a host of electronic resources to RDS Members including, Press Reader, covering magazines and newspapers across the globe.
The Library has reopened and returned to its usual opening hours and services. Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 10:00am – 17:00pm and any overdue books can be returned within those business hours.
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Works of general interest published after 1970, with subject areas of:
- Fiction
- History and Biography
- Art and Humanities
- Science
- Agriculture
On open access in the Library and available for loan by RDS Members.
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Works of general interest published 1820-1969, with subject areas of:
- History and Biography
- Art and Humanities
- Science
- Agriculture
On closed access and available for consultation in the Library only.
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Works on Irish interest published 1820 to the present, with subject areas of:
- Literature
- History and biography
- Art and humanities
- Agriculture
Books in the Irish Collection published after 1960 are on open access in the Library and are available for loan by RDS Members. Books published 1820-1960 are on closed access and are available for consultation in the Library only.
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Periodical titles published from the 17th century until the present day, mainly collected as part of the Learned Societies exchange programme from the 19th century to the mid-1980s.
The Journal Collection is on closed access and is available for consultation in the Library only.
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The RDS Library & Archives holds the library collections of the Old Dublin Society on permanent loan. The Old Dublin Society Library can be consulted by appointment only.
Access
The RDS Library Collections are available for consultation by RDS Members and researchers by appointment.
Please contact: librarydesk@rds.ie +353(0)1 240 7254
