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In addition to providing a free public reference service and a general lending service for both adults and children the
Library also houses several special collections. It is the leading centre for "Irish and Local Studies" in Northern Ireland which includes its comprehensive stock of "Early Belfast
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for
Northern Ireland, the Linen Hall Library is collecting all books and journals published in Northern Ireland in the 21st century to create NIPR, the National Collection of Northern Ireland Publications (originally the Northern Ireland Publication Resource). The collection is split between the
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The Linen Hall
Library is a unique institution. It was founded in 1788 by a group of artisans as the Belfast Reading Society and in 1792 became the Belfast Society for Promoting Knowledge. It adopted a resolution in 1795 "that the object of this Society is the collection of an extensive Library,
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After 1980 a fight began to save the library. It was decided that it should begin to allow and encourage free public reference access and to concentrate particularly on Irish studies, politics and culture, both because it was already strong in these areas and so as not to compete with
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in 1796) and also other items which could be used to advance knowledge. The society declined in the later 1790s however, as it owned no permanent premises and struggled with official attempts to control radical thought, though it survived a crackdown after the
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on the upper floors of some neighbouring property in 1996. This was followed by an extensive fundraising campaign to pay for the development of this new property. Construction began in 1999 and was completed in time for the opening on 16 September 2000.
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and Ulster printed books", periodicals and newspapers dating back as far as 1738 and a wide variety of archive and manuscript material. It also contains an extensive collection of maps (some of great historical interest) and extensive materials in the
402:. Its "Northern Ireland Political Collection" collected since 1968 contains 250,000 items and is the definitive archive of the recent troubles, containing material looking at all sides of the conflict. It also houses collections devoted to
286:(from which it took its name, though legally it is still the Belfast Society for Promoting Knowledge). The Library struggled, however, through most of the 19th century. It became more conservative, attempting to exclude students from
362:. The move was a success. The number of subscribers began to increase and the library increased its role as a cultural centre, both facilitating research and fostering close links with the wider community.
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in
Northern Ireland. The Library is physically in the centre of Belfast, and more generally at the centre of the cultural and creative life of the wider community. It is an independent and charitable body.
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bombing in the city centre led to membership levels falling. By the end of the 1970s the
Library was on the brink of closure, with large amounts of material (including an extensive collection relating to
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it was a hub of creativity in
Northern Ireland. It failed to secure this position, though and in the years following began to decline. Investment in public libraries combined with extensive
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It quickly became apparent that lack of space was holding back the library's revival. After spending ten years exploring various options, a decision was made to purchase a 999-year
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for his first visit to the library. A poet himself, Higgins was particularly interested in resources pertaining to local poet Sir
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approached it was hit by another setback as it lost its premises in White Linen Hall to make way for the construction of the new
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philosophical apparatus and such products of nature and art as tend to improve the mind and excite a spirit of general enquiry".
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On 27 October 2016 Linen Hall Board
President Anne Davies and Director Julie Andrews had the honor of welcoming
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It began to acquire books (with a particular focus on those relating to Irish topics, publishing, for example
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the
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The original Linen Hall
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NIPR (Research and
Special Collections Available Locally)
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455:. Linen Hall Library. 31 October 2016. Archived from
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In 1802 the Library moved into permanent premises in
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290:and debating whether or not to include fiction.
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301:. The Library moved into a warehouse in
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224:is located at 17 Donegall Square North,
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991:History museums in Northern Ireland
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410:and Northern Irish performing art.
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461:. Retrieved
457:the original
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47:Please help
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914:Isle of Man
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406:, the poet
206: /
181:Coordinates
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731:Montenegro
711:Luxembourg
691:Kazakhstan
594:Azerbaijan
426:References
75:newspapers
904:Gibraltar
706:Lithuania
561:of Europe
463:28 August
404:genealogy
299:City Hall
295:centenary
924:Svalbard
909:Guernsey
856:Abkhazia
826:Scotland
786:Slovenia
781:Slovakia
756:Portugal
614:Bulgaria
481:Archived
393:Holdings
311:his firm
169:Location
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674:Iceland
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604:Belgium
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589:Austria
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579:Andorra
574:Albania
324:In the
241:History
230:library
226:Belfast
173:Belfast
89:scholar
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861:Kosovo
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649:France
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508:Portal
442:; p. 2
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