Trinity’s Old Library maintains MSPI full accreditation

Posted on: 22 July 2016

Trinity’s Old Library has maintained its Museum Standards Programme of Ireland (MSPI) Full Accreditation, initially awarded in 2012. The MSPI Assessor, said “as with the original application for accreditation, the quality of the application and standards demonstrated during the site visit was extremely high, reflecting the continued professionalism and commitment of the staff at the Old Library. The Old Library is currently facing a future where they are responding to rapidly increasing visitor figures and audience expectations for digital access to collections, whilst balancing these drivers with the needs of a nationally important collection. The Old Library has continued to provide a high level of collections care and access in a challenging environment. In particular areas of work, particularly collections care, preservation and training, the work of the staff continues to exceed current best practice and stands as an exemplar of high quality stewardship”.

Director of Conservation and Preservation, Susie Bioletti, and Visitor Services Manager, Anne-Marie Diffley, accepted the award from the Chairman of the Heritage Council, Conor Newman at a function in the Royal Academy Dublin earlier this month.

The Heritage Council’s main commitment to collections care comes through its support of the MSPI. This important initiative, with participants from a wide range of Irish collecting institutions, sets out to raise standards of care across Irish museums and galleries. This programme, the first of its kind in the Republic of Ireland, sets out to improve all aspects of Ireland’s museum practice. A voluntary programme, it has attracted involvement from across the cultural spectrum – from national institutions to small, volunteer-led organisations. It is complemented by a full training programme, with a targeted post-graduate museum course which is supported by the Heritage Council and delivered by the University of Ulster.

Also of note this month was the appointment of Principal Curator, Manuscripts and Archives Research Library, Jane Maxwell, to the board of the Heritage Council this month. The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys, announced the appointment of the new board members on 14th July, after all appointees had been vetted by the Public Appointments Service and were found to have the requisite experience to serve on the Board.