Towards 100 years of LIS education and research at UCD

The purpose of this paper is to provide some of the institutional and operational context of the University College Dublin (UCD) School of Information and Library Studies (SILS) prior to 2000.

The history of the School, its predecessor, and the context in which it operated after 1977 is briefly outlined, using contemporary published and in‐house archival evidence, from the 1960s to the late 1990s.

Areas of convergence with UK library information science (LIS) education are identified, but also some key differences regarding LIS workforce recruitment, and third level educational provision in Ireland. Factors which influenced the curricular development of the school are cited, in particular the role of the UK Institute of Information Scientists, founded in 1958.

The study is based on contemporary published sources, and a preliminary examination of SILS archival evidence which has survived from the decades in question. Valuable records concerning the education and training role of the Library Association of Ireland, founded in 1928, have been recently analysed by Ellis‐King. A proposal for research funding to enable further exploration has been submitted.

Owing to its focus on Ireland (ROI) the paper expands recent coverage of UK professional education for librarianship prior to 2000.