The HardiBlog

We are excited to announce that the new University of Galway Research Repository is live. This new repository shows our commitment to Open Research by providing researchers and their collaborators with a dedicated space for all their Open Research outputs. The repository has improved features to support different media types. This helps ensure that different kinds of research are easy to access, preserve, and organise, promoting better visibility and impact for University research. All content from our old platform has been successfully moved to the new repository, and it is now ready to accept submissions from our communities. University of Galway authors can submit their publications, including peer-reviewed articles, conference papers, reports, books, book chapters, and PhD/MD/Research Masters theses. This process is called green open access publishing (or self-archiving), where authors publish in a journal and then deposit the final draft (post-print) in the repository without th

  The Consortium of National and University Libraries (CONUL) held its 2024 conference this year in Belfast, where I gave a 20-minute presentation on the National Open Research Forum (NORF) Open Access Repositories Project . The theme of the talk was how the project is bringing the fragmented repository community together across the island of Ireland. The aim of the project is to create a robust, community-centred open repository network integrated and aligned not only technologically but with a shared sense of purpose and a commitment to sharing knowledge and expertise within an open and interoperable research ecosystem supporting each one of its institutional repository members. Much of the talk was focused on the data gathering conducted previously and the next steps of the project, including piloting OpenAIRE v.4 metadata alignment in four repositories while continuing to develop events and initiatives to foster the community engagement piece of the project. These events, aimed a

MakerSpaces have become common sights in universities and libraries across the world in recent years. They typically have three features in common – an active community of practice, a physical space in which individuals can collaborate and communicate in person, and access to otherwise difficult to obtain tools or technologies.  In our Library MakersSpace, students from various disciplines come together to make, break, remake, experiment, and have fun. One part-time postgraduate student is employed to keep the 3D printers running, while other students work in the space on a volunteer basis. These students help foster a friendly and welcoming environment in the space, and also work in self-managed groups on projects throughout the year. One such project, Make Tobē Mobile has recently concluded its first phase.    MakerSpace volunteers from left to right: Daniel, Xiao, Matthieu, Mustafa, Tristan, Bradley, Amy Meet Tobē Dr Liam Carr of University of Galway’s Discipline of Geography was lo

  The Aebhgréine De Ceabhasa Collection In April 2024, the Aebhgréine De Ceabhasa special collection was catalogued and is now available for research and review . This collection features volumes of Irish folklore, poetry and Irish history from the 20th century. The De Ceabhasa family consisted of Claude Chavasse (later changed to De Ceabhasa), his wife Moirin Fox (Moirín De Ceabhasa) and their daughter Aebhgréine. Claude originally lived in Oxford before moving to Galway where he and his family immersed themselves in Irish culture and history. Moirín was a poet and author. She penned a biography about Irish revolutionary Terrence McSwiney. Originally from Cork, McSwiney was involved in the 1916 Rising, politics and was also a poet. There are several volumes about McSwiney within the collection which highlight his early life and role in politics. Several volumes of McSwiney’s poetry are also included in this collection. As aforementioned, Moirín was also a poet. Included in this collec

We at the University of Galway Library are heartbroken to learn of the passing of a long-time friend of the Library and tireless champion of art and culture in the West of Ireland, Ronnie O’Gorman. Ronnie’s family link to the University’s library dates back to the 19 th century, when his grandfather, Philip O’Gorman, was hired as Clerk in the Library in November 1887 on the recommendation of Acting Librarian, Professor D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson.  He held this position until 1898, after which he went on to rent a shop on High Street before buying the building on the Shop Street end of Church Lane, now Easons, where he opened a book shop which grew into a thriving printing works, the Galway Printing Company, running the length of the lane.   Ronnie was well known to all in Galway as founder of The Galway Advertiser and, as readers of his weekly column will know, he had a keen scholarly interest and contagious enthusiasm for the history of Galway city as well for Irish Art and Irish lite

Archives and heritage collections are enduring, authentic and reliable sources of information, but in the 21st century, it is clearer than ever that they cannot remain static, resisting reinterpretation. Art and cultural productions provide an invitation to engage with complex stories and subjective experience, and increase knowledge and understanding of the past in a way that the realm of history and heritage (certain, quantifiable) finds difficult to achieve on its own. Unlike historical records that are sealed documents of the past, art proposes a continuation of historical moments by pulling them into the present in meaningful ways. Following the launch of the Imirce repository of Irish emigrant letters and memoirs in March 2024, Eibhlίn Göppert and David Burke selected letters from the Kerby A. Miller Collection to underpin an exhibition that creatively explores the enduring themes of migration.  The Exhibition  Port-Tales (2024) is a collaborative exhibition by artist Eibhlίn G

Introduction In recent years, Ireland has emerged as a highly active research ecosystem in the global drive towards full open access infrastructure and transparent research practices. The National Open Access Repository Project is one of the six pilot projects funded by the National Open Research Forum (NORF) to transition Ireland to 100% open access by 2030, now complemented by a further thirteen projects .  As an important output of this project’s data gathering and analysis phase, in March 2024 the project team published Advancing Ireland’s Open Repository Landscape: A Strategic Roadmap . Building on a 2023 project report, Advancing Open Repositories in Ireland: A Survey and Strategic Recommendations for National Progress . This roadmap is a detailed examination of the current state of open repositories within Ireland and provides valuable insights into the hurdles the repository community faces, the potential opportunities for alignment and advancement, and the roadmap for futur