The Digital Repository of Ireland was officially launched today at DPASSH, a major international conference in Croke Park…
For Immediate Release
25th June 2015
Minister English launches Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) – Online Treasury of Cultural and Social Content
L-R: Professor Mary Daly, President of Royal Irish Academy; Dr. Sandra Collins, Director Digital Repository of Ireland; Minister Damien English, TD; Dr. Natalie Harrower, Deputy Director Digital Repository of Ireland.
Damien English TD, Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation today launched the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) at a major international conference on digital preservation in Croke Park.
The DRI is an online, open digital repository for content from the humanities, social sciences and cultural domains. The Digital Repository of Ireland features beautiful and moving collections, including those from our broad range of demonstrator projects – Letters of 1916, the Clarke Stained Glass Studios Archive, Irish Lifetimes, Kilkenny Design Workshops, Saol agus Saothar Sheáin Mhic Ghiollarnáth, and the Teresa Deevy Archive – as well as the award winning Inspiring Ireland collections, featuring content from Ireland’s National Cultural Institutions, and rich collections of multi-media content from our partners Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) and the Contemporary Music Centre (CMC). The repository can be accessed online at: http://repository.dri.ie.
Commenting on the launch, Mr Damien English, TD, Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation said: “Fostering collaboration in the academic sector is central to Government’s Action Plan for Jobs and the launch of the Digital Repository of Ireland is indicative of the powerful outcomes which can be achieved when strategic collaborations, with support from cultural, social and industry partners, are facilitated. Together the partners involved in this project have created a valuable resource which will serve to safeguard Ireland’s rich social and cultural data, benefitting research, education and the public at large.”
Director Dr. Sandra Collins invites everyone to visit DRI online, “DRI offers exciting historical, cultural and contemporary content that tells the story of Ireland and its people. The content comes from some of the finest institutions across Ireland, and is available without charge for people to view and to enjoy. Some of the collections we care for are restricted by copyright or the sensitive nature of the data, but researchers can request access. We are an open repository, and we want people to explore and enjoy their cultural and social heritage”.
Deputy Director Dr. Natalie Harrower said “DRI has been built from the ground up, following rigorous national requirements analysis, international best practices in data archiving and preservation, and aided by a series of rich collaborations and partnerships with heritage and research institutions across the country. The Repository not only makes available Ireland’s social sciences and humanities data to researchers and the public – it preserves it for future generations. Protecting against data loss helps to protect against the loss of our collective cultural memory.”
The Repository contains tens of thousands of high quality, metadata-rich digital objects, including video clips, photographs, digitised manuscripts, oral histories, sound recordings, digitised paintings and museum objects, books and letters. The Digital Repository of Ireland is the result of nearly four years of research, software development, policy and legal framework design, and data curation by digital archivists and librarians.
ENDS
Notes for editors
About the Digital Repository of Ireland
The Digital Repository of Ireland is a national trusted digital repository for Ireland's social and cultural data. The repository links together and preserves both historical and contemporary data held by Irish institutions, providing a central internet access point and interactive multimedia tools. As a national e-infrastructure for the future of education and research in the humanities and social sciences, DRI is available for use by the public, students and scholars.
The Digital Repository of Ireland is built by a research consortium of six academic partners working together to deliver the repository, policies, guidelines and training. These research consortium partners are: Royal Irish Academy (RIA, lead institute), Maynooth University (MU), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG), and National College of Art and Design (NCAD). DRI is also supported by a network of academic, cultural, social, and industry partners, including the National Library of Ireland (NLI), the National Archives of Ireland (NAI) and RTÉ. Originally funded from the Higher Education Authority PRTLI Cycle 5 for the period of 2011-2015, DRI has also received awards from Enterprise Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland, The European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) and the Ireland Funds, and Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. DRI’s partner project, Inspiring Ireland (www.inspiring-ireland.ie) won three eGovernment awards in 2015.
We at the Digital Repository of Ireland believe our national mandate is best achieved through partnership, so continue to build relationships and collaborations with national and international centres of excellence in digital preservation, and with the owners and custodians of cultural and social content.
For more info contact:
Frances Narkiewicz
Programme Manager, DRI
f.narkiewicz@ria.ie
Mobile: 087 696 2426
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Seolann an tAire English Taisclann Dhigiteach na hÉireann – Stórchiste ar líne d’Ábhar Cultúrtha agus Sóisialta
25 Meitheamh 2015
Sheol an tAire Scileanna, Taighde agus Nuálaíochta Damien English TD Taisclann Dhigiteach na hÉireann go poiblí inniu ag an mórchomhdháil idirnáisiúnta faoi chaomhnú digiteach i bPáirc an Chrócaigh.
Taisclann oscailte ar líne í TDÉ d’ábhar ó réimsí na nDaonnachtaí, na nEolaíochtaí Sóisialta agus an Chultúir. Tá bailiúcháin áille thochtmhara i dTaisclann Dhigiteach na hÉireann lena n-airítear iad siúd ó réimse leathan de na tionscnaimh thaispeántacha – Letters of 1916, the Clarke Stained Glass Studios Archive, Irish Lifetimes, Kilkenny Design Workshops, Saol agus Saothar Sheáin Mhic Ghiollarnáth, agus Cartlann Teresa Deevy – chomh maith le bailiúcháin rathúla Inspiring Ireland a bhfuil ábhar iontu ó Institiúidí Cultúrtha Náisiúnta, agus bailiúcháin luachmhara d’abhar ilmheánach ónár gcomhpháirtithe Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) agus Contemporary Music Centre (CMC). Is féidir teacht ar ábhar luachmhar na taisclainne ar líne ag http://repository.dri.ie.
Ag labhairt dó ar an seoladh dúirt an tUasal Damien English, TD, An tAire Scileanna, Taighde agus Nuálaíochta: ”Tá cothú an chomhoibrithe san earnáil acadúil ag croílár Plean Gníomhaíochta do Phoist an Rialtais, agus is comhartha é seoladh Thaisclann Digiteach na hÉireann de fheabhas na dtorthaí gur féidir a bhaint amach nuair a éascaítear comhoibrithe straitéiseacha le tacaíocht ó pháirtnéirí cultúrtha, sóisialta agus tionsclaíochta. Chruthaigh na comhpháirtithe sa tionscadal seo acmhainn luachmhar a chuideoidh le sonraí saibhre cultúrtha agus sóisialta na hÉireann a chosaint, gníomh a rachaidh chun tairbhe an taighde, an léinn agus an phobail i gcoitinne.
Tugann an Stiúrthóir, an Dr Sandra Collins cuireadh do chách cuairt a thabhairt ar TDÉ ar líne, ‘Tá ábhar iontach staire, cultúrtha agus comhaoiseach curtha ar fáil ag TDÉ a insíonn scéal na hÉireann agus a muintire. As roinnt de mhórinstitiúidí ar fud na hÉireann a thagann an t-ábhar agus is féidir taitneamh a bhaint as agus breathnú air saor in aisce. Cuireadh srianta ar roinnt de na bailiúcháin atá faoinár gcúram toisc cúrsaí cóipchirt nó sonraí íogaire a bheith iontu, ach is féidir le taighdeoirí rochtain a iarraidh. Taisclann oscailte muid, agus teastaíonn uainn go mbreathnóidh daoine ar ár n-oidhreacht chultúrtha agus shóisialta agus go mbainfidh siad sult as.’
Deir an Leas-Stiúrthóir, an Dr Natalie Harrower, ‘Tógadh TDÉ ón mbonn aníos, ag cloí le dian-anailís riachtanas náisiúnta, dea-chleachtas idirnáisiúnta maidir le cartlannaíocht agus caomhnú sonraí, agus ba mhór an cuidiú na comhshaothair agus na comhpáirtíochtaí le hinstitiúidí oidhreachta agus taighde ar fud na tíre. Ní amháin go gcuireann an Taisclann sonraí daonnachtaí, agus eolaíochtaí sóisialta ar fáil do thaighdeoirí agus don phobal – caomhnaíonn sí iad freisin do na glúine atá le teacht. Nuair a chosnaítear sonraí ar a gcailliúint, cosnaítear ár gcuimhne chultúrtha chomhchoiteann ar a cailliúint freisin.
Tá na mílte oibiacht dhigiteach ar ardchaighdeán agus ar mhórán meiteashonraí sa Taisclann lena n-áirítear píosaí físe, grianghraif, lámhscríbhinní digitithe, stairsheanchas, taifid fuaime, pictiúir dhigitithe mar aon le míreanna iarsmalainne, leabhair agus litreacha. Leanann TDÉ as beagnach ceithre bliana de thaighde, forbairt bogearraí, dearadh creatlaí polasaí agus dlí, agus coimeádaíocht sonraí le cartlannaithe digiteacha agus leabharlannaithe.
CRÍOCH
Nótaí d’Eagarthóirí
Faoi Thaisclann Dhigiteach na hÉireann
Taisclann dhigiteach iontaofa í Taisclann Dhigiteach na hÉireann (TDÉ) do shonraí sóisialta agus cultúrtha na hÉireann. Caomhnaíonn agus nascann an taisclann sonraí stairiúla agus comhaimseartha atá i seilbh institiúidí na hÉireann, agus feidhmíonn sí mar lárphointe rochtana idirlín agus uirlisí ilmheánacha idirghníomhacha. Ríomh-bhonneagar náisiúnta í TDÉ le haghaidh thodhchaí an oideachais agus an taighde sna daonnachtaí agus sna heolaíochtaí sóisialta, agus tá sí ar fáil don phobal, do mhic léinn agus do lucht léinn.
Cuibhreannas taighde de shé pháirtí acadúla a chruthaigh Taisclann Dhigiteach na hÉireann, iad ag obair i bpáirt a chéile chun an taisclann, polasaithe, treoirlínte agus traenáil a chur ar fáil. Is iad seo a leanas na páirtithe: Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann (RIA, an phríomhinstitiúid), Ollscoil Mhá Nuad (MU), Coláiste na Tríonóide, Baile Átha Cliath (TCD), Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Átha Cliath (DIT), Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh (OÉG), agus Coláiste Náisiúnta Ealaíne is Deartha (NCAD). Tacaíonn gréasán de pháirtithe acadúla, cultúrtha, sóisialta agus tionsclaíocha freisin le TDÉ, lena n-áirítear Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann (NLI), Cartlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann (NAI) agus RTÉ. Cistíodh TDÉ ar dtús ó PRTLI Timthriall 5 de chuid an Údaráis um Ard-Oideachas don tréimhse 2011-2015, ina theannta sin fuair TDÉ cistiú ó Fhiontraíocht Éireann, Fondúireacht Eolaíochta Éireann (SFI), an Seachtú Creatchlár de chuid an Choimisiúin Eorpaigh (FP7), na Ireland Funds agus Fís 2020, Creatchlár an AE um Thaighde agus Nuálaíocht. Bhuaigh Inspiring Ireland (www.inspiring-ireland.ie), tionscadal comhpháirtíochta TDÉ, trí ghradam ríomhsheirbhísí an Rialtais in 2015.
Creidimidne ag Taisclann Dhigiteach na hÉireann gur fearr ár sainordú náisiúnta a chur i gcrích trí chomhpháirtíocht, dá bhrí sin, tá caidreamh agus comhoibriú á bhforbairt againn le hionaid bharr feabhais náisiúnta agus idirnáisiúnta i réimse an chaomhnaithe dhigitigh, agus le húinéirí agus le coimeádaithe ábhair chultúrtha agus shóisialta.
Le haghaidh tuilleadh eolais téigh i dteagmháil le
Frances Narkiewicz
Programme Manager, DRI
f.narkiewicz@ria.ie
Póca: 087 696 2426
