Library Association of Ireland

The Library Association of Ireland (LAI) (Cumann Leabharlann na hÉireann) is a professional body representing librarians in the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1928.

Objectives
The Association works to develop high standards of librarianship and library information services in Ireland, and increase co-operation between libraries. It also represents the interests of its members in dealings with local governments and the Government of Ireland. The Association provides conferences, courses, examinations and certifications in library science to its members. giving recognition to degrees, diplomas or other professional qualifications in librarianship; it has also conducted courses of study, set examinations to test the proficiency of candidates, and issued diplomas.

The LAI is a Company Limited by Guarantee and operates under Part 18 of the Companies Act 2014. The current constitution of the Association was adopted in 2021; a Working Group was convened in 2023 to examine the Constitution and Rules.

Membership
The Association has personal and institutional memberships. Personal members include professionals and para-professionals in Ireland and abroad, students, and supporters of the library sector. Institutional members include libraries, library schools, corporate and government bodies, institutions and societies.

There is also the Honorary Life Membership and Honorary Fellowship of the Association, for those who have made significant contributions to the library profession and or to the Library Association of Ireland.

Governance and groups
With no paid staff or secretariat, the operations of the association are divided among committees of volunteers, which are divided into thematic groups, as outlined below.

Management
The association's ultimate governing forum is its annual general meeting. Strategy and policy are in the hands of the association's council, while day-to-day finance and administration is handled by a management committee. As of 2024, the Association's president is Eileen Morrissey, who is County Librarian, Wexford County Council. The association has no paid staff, but events are organised by workgroups and there is a communications team.

Development of the profession

 * Education Committee: Professional Standards
 * Education Committee: Continuing Professional Development
 * Libraries Ireland Week taskforce
 * Literacies Committee

Communication

 * Website and social media
 * An Leabharlann: The Irish Library (editorial board)

Cooperation

 * North-South Liaison Committee (with CILIP Ireland)
 * Joint Annual Conference Committee

Sectoral groups

 * Academic and Special Libraries Section
 * City and County Librarian’s Section
 * Government Libraries Section
 * Public Libraries Section

Special interest groups

 * Career Development Group
 * Cataloguing and Metadata Group
 * Genealogy and Local Studies Group
 * Health Sciences Libraries Group
 * Library Publishing Group
 * Open Scholarship Group
 * Rare Books Group
 * School Libraries Group
 * Youth Libraries Group

Regional groups

 * Western Regional Section
 * There was also a Munster Section for many years.

Activities
The association publishes a journal, An Leabharlann – The Irish Library, and organises regular conferences. It participates in annual LAI and CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) Ireland Annual Joint Conferences. The LAI also organises an annual Library Ireland Week to celebrate libraries.

In 2021 the LAI announced that it had agreed to sponsor a category at the An Post Irish Book Awards. The new category, LAI Author of the Year, is awarded to an Irish author whose works contributed significantly to the reader experience and enjoyment of Irish books during the year, as nominated by librarians and library book club members.

The LAI awards a number of professional awards and a President's medal to recognise and celebrate an individual who, while not directly working in libraries, has an exceptional track record of promoting libraries and/or issues of interest or concern to libraries. The inaugural recipient of the President's medal was the President of Ireland Michael D Higgins who was presented with the medal at Áras an Uachtaráin on 12 June 2022. The second recipient, in 2023, was Ryan Tubridy, for his work promoting reading and libraries.

In 2019 it was announced that the LAI would host the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Dublin in 2020. However, in early 2020 this was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic until July 2022.

The #ebooksos campaign, highlighting the limitations and restrictions imposed on libraries when sourcing and lending ebooks, was strongly supported by the LAI. In 2022, the LAI, with the Consortium of National and University Libraries (CONUL), the Irish Universities Association Librarian’s Group and the Technological and Higher Education Association Librarians’ Group, published a statement condemning the withdrawal of over a thousand ebook titles from library subscription packages by the publisher Wiley, and the relabelling of key ebook titles as etextbooks which would be sold as a subscription model to students based on class size.

Previous organisations
Prior to the establishment of the Library Association of Ireland, several library associations had existed in Ireland. In 1904, Cumann na Leabharlann was established at Kevin Street Library and was the first publisher of An Leabharlann, from 1905 to 1909. Also in 1904, the Irish Rural Libraries Association was established. There had been a meeting of County Librarians in 1923 at University College Dublin which may have influenced the development of the LAI.

Foundation and early years
In 1927, library officers in local government held a general meeting with the aim of developing a library service branch of the Irish Local Government Officials’ Union. On 28 October 1928, the Library Service Branch of the Irish Local Government Officials’ Union held an Irish Library Conference at the Mansion House in Dublin, and at this conference, the Library Association of Ireland was founded. The first President of the LAI (from 1929 to 1930) was Dr Robert Lloyd Praeger.

Early Councils of the LAI included representation from many professional bodies, including the National Library, the Royal Irish Academy, the Universities, the Royal Dublin Society and the School of Library Training at University College Dublin. A Liaison Committee was set up in 1929 between the LAI and their colleagues in Northern Ireland after a meeting at the Library Association Conference in the United Kingdom. The School of Library Training at University College Dublin was established in 1928 and a Diploma in Library Training was available. The Constitution for the LAI was approved in 1932. Two sections of the LAI had been established by this time: these were the Library Assistants’ Section and the County Libraries Section.

Later years
The Presidential chain was created in 1972 and the first LAI president to have their name inscribed on the chain was Seamus Ó Conchubhair of Kildare County Libraries.

Notable members

 * Beatrice Doran, former chief librarian at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and former president of the LAI
 * Robert Lloyd Praeger, founder member and first president of the LAI in 1928
 * Róisín Walsh, (1889–1949) Dublin's first chief librarian.

An Leabharlann
An Leabharlann is the journal of the Library Association of Ireland. A first series of An Leabharlann was published in three volumes between 1905 and 1909 by the preceding body, Cumann na Leabharlann. A new series of An Leabharlann was commenced by the LAI in 1930, with the numbering starting afresh with Volume 1, Issue 1.

Dr Mary Delaney of South East Technological University (SETU) Libraries became editor of An Leabharlann in 2023. The previous editor was Margery Sliney, who held this post for over 14 years.

In the year 2013, the journal became available electronically. As of 2024, the journal has published 32 volumes, with, for many years, 2 issues per annual volume. The most recent issue was that of spring 2024.

Books and reports

 * Accent on Access : Proceedings of an Irish Joint Conference held 19–22 April 1994 in Enniskillen
 * Books Beyond the Pale: Aspects of the Provincial Book Trade in Ireland Before 1850
 * The Borrowers at School: A Report on Primary School Libraries
 * Celtic Connections: Proceedings of the Conference held 4th – 7th June, 1996 in Peebles
 * Commitment to Quality: Proceedings of an Irish joint conference held in Cork, 19–23 April 1993
 * Consumer Health Information Database Feasibility
 * Directory of Libraries & Information Services in Ireland; 5th Ed.
 * Information for Health: Access to Healthcare Information Services in Ireland. A Research Report on the Information needs of Healthcare Professionals and the Public
 * Libraries – Information and Imagination : Proceedings of an Irish Joint Conference held 25–28 April 1995
 * Library Development in Second Level Schools : Seminar Proceedings
 * Library File: Making a Success of the School Library
 * Public Information in Private Places: Proceedings of the 1997 Annual Joint Conference held in Letterkenny Co Donegal, 22nd – 25th April, 1997
 * School Libraries: Guidelines for Good
 * Standards for Irish Health Care Libraries and Information Services (2nd ed., 2005)
 * Standards for Irish Health Care Libraries
 * Striving for Excellence: Proceedings of an Irish Joint Conference held 27th April – 1st May, 1992 in Malahide, Co. Dublin
 * Towards the Global Library: Networking Revolution in Action. Seminar proceedings 12–20 March 1992
 * Well Read: Developing Consumer Health Information in Ireland