In 2012 Trinity College Library Dublin will mark the tercentenary of the laying of the foundation stone of the Old Library, one of the great libraries of the Western world. The balance and symmetry of the architecture have made the building an icon for the organisation of human thought and expression. Its collections span over a millennium of recorded thought.

To commemorate the occasion a one-day conference will be held on the 25th June 2012. The conference will examine aspects of the physical structure of the Library, and its alterations through the centuries, as well as focusing on the context within which its renowned early printed books and manuscripts holdings have developed. The day promises to deliver fascinating insights into the progress of social and intellectual endeavour in Ireland, and the emergence of a world-class research library in Dublin.

The panel of eminent speakers includes:
Toby Barnard (University of Oxford) on the social and political history of Ireland
Charles Benson (Former Keeper, Trinity College Library, Dublin) on the history of the Old Library collections
Elizabethanne Boran (The Edward Worth Library) on James Ussher
Bernadette Cunningham (Royal Irish Academy) on Early Modern Ireland
Marianne Elliot (University of Liverpool) on Wolfe Tone
Peter Fox (University Librarian Emeritus, University of Cambridge) on the Old Library building
David McKitterick (Trinity College Cambridge) on the history of libraries in the 17th century
Jane Ohlmeyer (Trinity College Dublin) on 17th-century Ireland in conflict

The conference will be held on Monday 25 June, 2012 in The Thomas Davis Theatre, at Trinity College Dublin, followed by a celebratory reception in the Long Room.

For details about the conference and how to register please go to: www.tcd.ie/library/tercentenary