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50 TRINITY IN THE STORY OF A UNIVERSITY F or all of us who study, work, research or just like to regularly pass through Front Gates, there are so many stories about Trinity and what it means in our hearts. So when an idea was pitched to ask all of the Trinity community – staff, students, alumni – to pick just one object that spoke of Trinity to them, no one could foresee the floodgates of applications for inclusion. Trinity in 50 | The Story of a University , is a custom-designed, thought-provoking publication showcasing Trinity’s unique story. What you see in this book is our attempt to tell that story in 50 objects, both material and abstract; objects that matter to us and which we feel reflect the essence of our university and its place in the world. The vision for this project was inspired by an original concept of Professor Zuleika Rodgers, sponsored by Professor Emma Stokes, VP for Global Engagement, and supported by Provost Linda Doyle. Some objects in Trinity in 50 tell intimate, human stories, others speak to innovations and disruptions which had the power to change the world. Together, they tell the story of Trinity. The fact that over 700 ideas were originally put on the table and these were distilled down to 50 is part of what makes this book special. The ultimate selection is a result of sparks of imagination, many conversations, and deep reflection. The book contains 50 images accompanied by a short narrative, giving an interesting context to each object. Trinity’s work as a University of Sanctuary will be supported by a proportion of the proceeds from the book which will go to the Trinity Sanctuary Fund. This Fund supports students and scholars who have fled wars and persecution. Trinity supports students and scholars through scholarships as well as community initiatives such as English-language classes for refugees, so this book is helping to change lives of current and future students. This publication is a high-quality product with excellent environmental credentials. The materials used are from sustainable sources, both recycled and recyclable, with carbon free inks employed where possible. Using Carbon Balanced Paper for this publication, Trinity has balanced, through World Land Trust, the equivalent of 677kg of carbon dioxide. This support will enable World Land Trust to protect 129m 2 of critically threatened tropical forest. Some may say that 50,000 objects, let alone 50, could not capture all that we have to say about Trinity – past, present and future – but as we turn the pages of this book the very essence of our community comes to life. The book is available at the Book of Kells Experience shop, online at www.gifts.tcd.ie, and in the Dining Hall on Commencement days.
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I’m generally up by 6.30am. Breakfast is some kind of healthy cereal and, more importantly, a very strong cup of coffee. Then I’m out the door. Currently, I’m cycling into college. Arriving on campus is a visual feast: the planting at different times of the year, the array of different architectural styles, the living facades, the sculptures, locking the bike by Pomodoro’s Sphere, stepping into one of the world’s great libraries – what an honour! And I have the pleasure of working with brilliant people who are as passionate as I am about finding ways to share and increase knowledge. There is no such thing as a typical day, or even week in this role. The only constant is multiplicity: I rarely spend a full day in my office, balancing meetings, representing the Library externally and abroad and seeing staff. The Library is the beating heart of the university and critical to decisions we take as an institution, be that education, research, cultural heritage, physical and virtual infrastructure. For visiting dignitaries to Ireland, the Old Library and Book of Kells are frequently on their wish list and the Provost and I accompany them. Joe Biden has visited twice – once as Vice-President together with a huge phalanx, and once as a private citizen, when he quoted Seamus Heaney’s Republic of Conscience . Then there was the President, who had better remain unnamed, who asked me which was Harry Potter’s desk! We recently received a generous donation from Lord Laidlaw to create a new Research and Innovation library at Trinity East, as an anchor to the new campus at Grand Canal Dock. This will be something radically different: our inaugural ‘digital first and foremost’ library where readers (from the college and outside) will access the multiplicity of digital material and collaborate in shared spaces. It will be open and experimental, without security gates, and will embody the radical sustainability vision for the new campus. We’re currently in the middle of the largest conservation and renovation project of the Old Library since it was built in 1732. The urgency around de-risking this national protected monument and its historic collections was reinforced by the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. The searingly awful sight of the wooden spire ablaze on the Parisian skyline underscores the need to upgrade the protection of the magnificent, wood-lined, vaulted Long Room. This is a huge, complex project, with multiple strands. We’ve just completed the gargantuan task of removing 750,000
