News in brief: conserving the Trinity College Dublin’s Old Library, and mapping the BBC

Renovating the Old Library at Trinity College Dublin

An ambitious conservation and redevelopment project focused on the Old Library at Trinity College Dublin has begun.

Rafa Esteve Image: Wikimedia Commons/Rafesmar

This monumental task required the careful packaging up of the library’s entire collection: a total of 700,000 items, including 350,000 early printed books, as well as its most famous tome, the Book of Kells.

As part of this process, each book was meticulously cleaned, measured, and electronically tagged so they can easily be found, before being stored in a temporary climate-controlled facility (although the Book of Kells will remain on display in the university’s Printing House).

The Old Library will remain closed until the end of autumn 2023, but readers will still have access to the collection while the work continues.

Mapping the BBC

A new, interactive map highlighting 100 buildings and places that have defined the BBC has recently launched and is available here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/243e6f47644b43119aaab3362643d62d.

The list was put together as a collaboration between Historic England, Historic Environment Scotland, Historic Environment Division, Northern Ireland Communities Department, and Cadw.

It includes such locations as the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, home of Strictly Come Dancing; Gilbert Mackenzie Trench’s police box design in Buchanan Street, Glasgow, which served as inspiration for the Doctor Who TARDIS; and Aberystwyth County Hall, which featured in Hinterland – the first BBC drama with both English and Welsh dialogue.