The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland’s Dun’s Library is a unique national treasure, which forms part of the historic legacy of medicine in Ireland. Dating back nearly 300 years, Dun’s Library contains many fascinating and historically important texts, which are, in many cases, the only copy in Ireland.
The conservation and preservation of a library with so many rare and historic books is an ongoing challenge. Through the adopt a book programme we are encouraging friends and supporters of the library to invest in the future of the library and its collections. Allowing future generations to make use of this valuable resource.
How does it work
The library maintains a list of books in need of conservation work. Books requiring immediate adoption can be views on the books waiting for adoption page. A full list of all books requiring restoration is available here. Donors can select a work themselves, or ask the librarian to pick one for them. If you want to adopt a book on a specific topic, or by a specific author and can’t see what you are looking for on the list then please contact the Heritage Center, email heritagecentre@rcpi.ie or phone +353 (0) 1 6698817.
Once a book has been selected for adoption please complete this form, and return it to Heritage Centre. We will then process the adoption, and send the volume to the conservation team for treatment. A personalised book plate with the donor’s name will be added to the book. Once the book has been returned to the library the donor will be invited to come and view the item in the library and have a tour of the building. To see the results of the programme have a look at some of the books already adopted.
The perfect gift
The adopt a book programme make a perfect gift for the medic or book lover in your life. As with standard donations a bookplate will be inserted into the restored volume with the name of the gift recipient. A certificate of adoption will also be sent to the recipient, with an invitation to come and view the volume in the library.
Contact Us
If you have any further questions please contact the Heritage Centre;
Email – heritagecentre@rcpi.ie
Phone - +353 (0) 1 6698817
