RCSI Heritage Collections

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in RCSI Library's Heritage Collections? Preservation and conservation are key tasks that the team carries out on works housed within our collections, and on new items donated. Here, Sarah Timmins of the Heritage Team shares an insider view of that process to mark Archives Week 2019. The gloves are off. Or are they on? If you’ve ever visited a reading room to consult archives or heritage collections, you will be familiar with some handling guidelines - no pens, no drinks, clean hands, no flash photography... These kinds of common-sense rules for readers extend from the duty of Collection Care which is undertaken by the RCSI Library Heritage Team. The long-term preservation of our collections takes on a varied approach. At the heart of it is prolonging the usable life of records and items. The principle concept is minimal intervention but, as long as interventions are carried out properly, every little effort counts towards this preserv...

RCSI’s Charter Day Meeting marks the Annual Commemoration of the granting of our Royal Charter by King George III in 1784. An important event in the College calendar, Charter Day Meeting sees a range of events, lectures and talks culminating in the annual Charter Day Dinner held in College Hall. A facsimile of the document is on permanent display in the main entrance way of 123 St. Stephen’s Green, and gives people a chance to see the wonderful details of this extremely unique and important document. The RCSI Royal Charter of 1784 Studying the document as a physical object allows us to expand on the history surrounding the Charter. First of all, you will see that it is made of two full parchment skins. While this is a typical format for charters in Europe since medieval times, such documents vary structurally in small ways and the RCSI Charter has some notable features. At a glance, you will notice how the Charter is physically put together. The first (rearmost) skin is turned o...