The English Department’s Centre for Children’s Literature and Culture and the Cregan Library in St. Patrick’s College Drumcondra welcome an exciting new development in children’s books. Pádraic Whyte of Trinity College Dublin and Keith O’Sullivan of the Church of Ireland College of Education have been awarded significant funding from the Irish Research Council to establish a catalogue of children’s books in Dublin over the next two years. The Cregan Library’s important collection of both literary and pedagogical texts will be included in the overview of children’s books.
Establishing a central catalogue of children’s books held in St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, Trinity College, National Library of Ireland, Church of Ireland College of Education, and Pearse Street Library will provide an invaluable tool for the future. Researchers, educationalists, and librarians will be interested to learn that from this catalogue of approximately 40,000 texts (English language at this stage), 1,000 of both literary and educational interest will be selected so that images and digitized versions might be created. In addition, a seminar on the project for May 2015 as well as an edited volume of essays will accompany this major undertaking.
Orla Nic Aodha, Head Librarian of the Cregan Library and Julie Anne Stevens, Director of the Centre for Children’s Literature, have encouraged interest in Cregan Library’s children’s books by compiling
information about its holdings. They believe that the project will offer significant potential for Irish and international researchers in different areas of children’s literature, childhood studies and education, and library studies.
