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EU-China Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2012
2012 is the designated year to mark cultural relations between Europe and China. The Library is delighted to celebrate this with a series of exhibitions, events and partnerships.
China through the Lens of John Thomson 1868-1872 is an exhibition of photographs taken in the late part of the 19th century offering fascinating insights into life in China. The exhibition runs until the 26 February 2012 with a series of public events. The exhibition is on loan from the Wellcome Trust.
Chinese New Year - Year of the Dragon
From the 20 January - 3 February Dublin sees the return of Dublin City Council's Chinese New Year Festival. The Library is a long-standing partner and events can be viewed on www.cny.ie
Multi-Media Project for Young People
The Library and the Forum on Migration and Communications (FOMACS) will run training sessions for young adults to develop curatorial skills around China through the Lens of John Thomson 1868-1872 utilising multimedia to communicate with their peers. The project will be showcased in September.
Finally, the Library wishes to thank the Irish Chinese community for their contribution and support through the Exhibition and Education and Outreach Programmes.
TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2011
We are thrilled to have been awarded this certificate which certifies that the Library has achieved a TripAdvisor rating of 4.5 out of 5 by its visitors. Comments include: 'Extraordinary collection', 'a rare world treasure', 'best museum in Dublin - a gem.' You can read complete reviews here.
New Islamic Seals Database
The Library has launched its Islamic Seals Database, a new online, interactive database of seal impressions found in the manuscripts of its Islamic Collections. Throughout the centuries, each time a manuscript passed to a new owner, that individual—whether a prince, sultan or someone of more humble origins—might impress his personal seal on one of the flyleaves of the manuscript, thus leaving a historical record of his ownership of it. Each seal usually bears the name of an individual and perhaps a date. Knowing who these persons were and when and where they lived can provide much valuable and intriguing information on the history of a manuscript. The database is designed to let anyone with an interest in Islamic art and culture and a knowledge of Arabic contribute to this exciting research project. The Islamic Seals Database is part of the larger Arabic Manuscripts Project, a project aimed at producing a new, comprehensive catalogue of the Library’s more than 2600 non-Qur’anic Arabic manuscripts.
We would like to thank The Islamic Manuscript Association (TIMA) for its generous funding of this project.
Members' Film Club
Following on from the success of our Members’ Book Club we are delighted to announce the launch our new Film Club which will feature a wide variety of critically acclaimed classic and contemporary films and documentaries from Ireland and around the world. Each film screening will be followed by a themed guided tour in the Chester Beatty Library.
Library launches Mobile Website
The Library has launched a mobile version of its website for smartphone and handheld computer users. The mobile website will enable people to access basic information on the CBL quickly and easily. While it will have special appeal for tourists, who are by definition mobile, it will appeal to anyone planning a visit or just interested in getting information on the Museum. The mobile site has the same overall look and feel as the main CBL website. The number of images and pages is contained however, to facilitate faster download. The result is a rich, icon-driven mobile website that can be accessed quickly and easily on the go.
The new mobile website was developed with support from the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport.
Library Participates in New Online Gateway
to Irish Cultural Artefacts
Deputy Seán Sherlock, Minister of State for Research and Innovation, launched discovery.dho.ie on 31 March 2011; a website where users can find and explore Irish cultural artefacts. Speaking at the launch, Minister Sherlock said ‘The DHO:Discovery website is yet another innovative project developed by the Royal Irish Academy in cooperation with higher education and cultural institution partners as it seeks to promote excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. The new website will give users access to over 6,000 digital artefacts from a range of world class collections held here on the island of Ireland. This project illustrates how we have combined innovation and technology to provide Ireland with a world class platform that provides outreach and education on our rich cultural heritage.’
The Library has contributed over 180 images to the website.
Library Appoints New Director
12 Jan 2011 - The Chairman and Trustees of the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, today announced the appointment of Ms Fionnuala Croke as Director of the Library. The appointment follows an international search for a Director to succeed Dr Michael Ryan who retired from the post at the end of December.
Ms Croke, who has been Keeper and Head of Collections at the National Gallery of Ireland since 2008, will take up her position at the Library on 1 March. She joined the Gallery as a research fellow in 1987 and has held several key positions there including Senior Curator and Head of Exhibitions. She has had overall responsibility for managing the Gallery’s permanent collection and exhibitions and has been centrally involved in the redevelopment of the Gallery.
From Churchtown in Dublin, Ms Croke has published widely on a wide range of art-related subjects and is an internationally respected museum professional. She received a BA with honours in History of Art & Archaeology from UCD. She was awarded an MA from UCD and an MBA from the Smurfit Business School. She has also attended the prestigious Getty Museum Leadership Institute in Los Angeles. On being offered the role, Ms Croke commented: “While I have hugely enjoyed my time at the National Gallery, I am delighted to take up this position as Director of the Chester Beatty Library. With its magnificent collections the Library is truly a jewel in the heart of Dublin. It has gone from strength to strength since its move to Dublin Castle, and I consider this appointment a great opportunity to build on the tremendous work of Dr Michael Ryan and his team.’
Welcoming the appointment, the Chairman of the Chester Beatty Library, Dr TP Hardiman, said: “We are very happy to welcome Fionnuala as the new Director of the Library. She has a wealth of achievement in museum management and development as well as curatorial expertise of international standing. The Library is fortunate to have such an eminently qualified and experienced museum professional take over as Director as we consolidate ten successful years at Dublin Castle and plan for the next stage of our development in a challenging environment”.
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