The Board of Trustees

The Library is a public self-governing charitable trust. Registered Charity No. CHY 5879.

Established under the terms of the will of Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, which was granted probate in 1969, the collection is vested in the Trustees who own and operate the Library.

The Board of Trustees consists of a maximum of twelve members, one each of whom is appointed by the President and Taoiseach and three by the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism. The Director of the National Library serves as a Trustee ex officio. All other Trustees are co-opted. The Trustees elect the Chair.

Since 1997 the Trustees of the Library are appointed or co-opted to serve five-year terms. The Trustees of the Library are currently:

Sir Marc Cochrane
Mr Dermot Desmond
Mrs Joan Duff
Professor Sean Freyne
Ms Caroline Gray
Dr Thomas P. Hardiman (Chairman)
Professor Kathleen James-Chakraborty
Ms Elizabeth Maguire
Mrs Madeleine O'Sullivan
Ms Fiona A Ross
Professor Roger Stalley

Although an independent body, the Library receives most of its income from the generous support of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism and must make up any shortfall through earnings and donations.

By agreement with government and with the consent of the High Court, the Library sold its premises in Shrewsbury Road, Dublin in 1999 and moved to take up a leasehold on the Clock Tower Building at Dublin Castle in that year.