The James Hardiman Library (Irish: Leabharlann Shéamais Uí Argadáin) serves the University of Galway in Ireland. It is a legal deposit or "copyright library", which means that publishers in the country must deposit a copy of all their publications there, free of charge. The James Hardiman Library is home to an extensive range of cultural artefacts, particularly relating to the history of theatre. This includes the largest digital theatre archive in the world, a joint project with The Abbey, Ireland's national theatre, to preserve material that institution has compiled since its foundation. Other theatre archives found at the James Hardiman Library include those of the Gate Theatre, An Taibhdhearc (the national Irish language theatre), the Lyric Theatre and the Druid Theatre Company (Ireland's first professional theatre company established outside Dublin). In addition, manuscripts collected by Douglas Hyde, the first President of Ireland, are deposited at the James Hardiman Library, as is a manuscript personally donated by James Joyce in 1932.
"Access to Research at NUI Galway" (ARAN) is the university's repository of research publications, including peer-reviewed articles, working papers and conference papers by the university's researchers, and is maintained by the James Hardiman Library.[1]
The James Hardiman Library is situated centrally, close to the Concourse, the Arts Millennium Building and Áras na Gaeilge.
The Library is named in honour of James Hardiman who was the University's first Librarian.
According to the Ireland's Copyright and Related Rights Act, 2000, the James Hardiman Library is entitled, along with the National Library of Ireland, the British Library and Trinity College Library, as well as libraries at UCC, UCD, MU, UL, and DCU, to receive a copy of all works published in the Republic of Ireland. Section 198(1) of the Act states "the publisher of any book published in the state, shall, within one month after publication, deliver, at his or her own expense, a copy of the book to each of the following…", then lists the libraries concerned.[2]
The James Hardiman Library houses more than three hundred archival collections which range from the fifteenth century onwards.[3] Numerous archives relating to literature, theatre and other items of cultural merit to be found there include the following:
According to an internal newsletter from February 2009, the James Hardiman Library at that time spanned four floors and housed 424,843 books and 1,645 study spaces.[17]
The new Nursing & Midwifery Library opened in June 2009. It spans three floors and can be accessed via the James Hardiman Library.[18][19] The University's Nursing Library had previously been located in Dangan.[citation needed]
In other archival news, in May 2016, NUI Galway announced receipt of a significant donation of books about the Williamite Wars (1689-91) in Ireland and its aftermath, from Colman Morrissey, son of a graduate of the university, Meanwhile, a collection of artefacts relating to the life and work of Irish language poet, Máirtín Ó Direáin, was also generously given to the University in June 2016.
The collection is being processed and will be available to researchers from August 2011.
Perhaps the archive of An Taidhbhearc theatre at the James Hardiman Library in NUI Galway may draw attention to the seminal work he carried out at this important artistic venue.