Local Studies Reading and Research Room opens at Tullamore Library

OFFALY Libraries proudly marked a major milestone in January, with the official launch of a new Local Studies Reading and Research Room at Tullamore Library. The event was formally opened by Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council, Cllr John Leahy, and attended by Deputy Chief Executive Ann Dillon, elected members, representatives from Offaly Archives, and many local history enthusiasts.

The new dedicated space offers an accessible hub for research, reading, and digital preservation. Equipped with stateoftheart technology, it enables users not only to explore Offaly’s rich heritage but also to preserve their own personal memories for future generations.

In launching the facility, Cllr John Leahy praised both the innovation and the investment behind the initiative: “Offaly Libraries’ Local Studies Service promotes and preserves Offaly’s rich history, heritage and culture. This bespoke facility provides a dedicated point of access for researchers, students and visitors to connect with a vast suite of resources.”

He drew particular attention to the new digitisation tools, available free of charge to library members, describing the room as: “A Memory Capture Lab accessible to all - equipped to preserve media stored on ageing formats such as film negatives, cassette tapes, CDs, DVDs and floppy disks. As the invitation to this event reads — Preserve Your Story!”

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He also complimented Offaly County Council’s investment and acknowledged the support of the Department of Rural and Community Development, whose funding helped to provide some specialist technology.

Deputy Chief Executive Ann Dillon highlighted the countywide significance of the project, noting: “Although this new Local Studies Reading & Research Room is situated in Tullamore Library, it is not a Tullamorecentric service – but an important addition to Offaly Libraries’ countywide Local Studies Service.”

She also acknowledged the collaboration that made the project possible: “Curation of Offaly Libraries’ Local Studies collections is born of significant research and consultation with many local community partners. […] The Local Studies resources complement Offaly County Council’s archival collections housed in the jointly managed Offaly Archives facility.”

Reflecting on the journey to this launch, County Librarian Eimear McGinn noted the substantial work involved: “The team have been busy behind the scenes researching, devising and delivering on our commitment to establish this Reading & Reasearch Room and Memory Capture Lab as promised in our Library Development Plan. This project has been a number of years in the making. […] I would like to acknowledge the work of our Local Studies and Reader Services teams in curating a local studies collection of over 8,000 items,”

The Local Studies collection includes:

• local newspapers

• photographs

• maps

• AV materials

• oral history recordings

• microfilm records

• journals

• printed books

The new Reading and Research Room also provides onsite access to premium online resources such as Irish Newspaper Archives, British Newspaper Archives, Find My Past, and JSTOR Journals.

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Digital preservation tools available to users include film and document scanners, a digital microfilm reader, a USB/Bluetooth turntable, cassette and CD digitisation equipment, and floppy disk conversion tools—creating a onestop shop for DIY digitisation.

The Local Studies Reading & Research Room is open by appointment from 14th January 2026, with staff on hand to support visitors in accessing both the collections and specialist technology.