Archive

Irish Railway Record Society

IRRS Archives

The IRRS Archives are open on Tuesdays from 1930 to 2145hrs (except during July and August). Access may be possible outside these times by mutal agreement with the Hon Archivist who may be contacted by email at archivist@irrs.ie

‘Conditions for consulting material in the Archive of the Irish Railway Record Society’

1 Only the following are allowed to enter the Archives unaccompanied: IRRS Committee Members and other IRRS Members approved by the Hon Archivist (Hereinafter referred to as ‘Authorised Persons’). Only Authorised Persons shall have access to the Archivist’s Office.

2 IRRS Members requiring to consult documents in the Archive shall complete a Request Form at the LIBRARY desk. The form shall include the Member’s Name and Membership Number. They will then be conducted to the Archives area by an Authorised Person. Documents will be brought to them for consultation, after which they will be returned by the Authorised Person to the place in which they are stored. The Authorised person shall sign the Request Form to show that they have removed the documents from their appointed place and also to show that they have returned the documents to their appointed place.

3 Non-members shall observe the same procedure. The Request Form for non-members shall require the non-member to include their address, telephone number and email address, and sign a statement to the effect that the consultation is being undertaken for the purposes of their own research. Free consultation of the Archives on not more than two occasions within a Society year (September to August) will be permitted. Persons requiring to make a greater number of consultations will be required to take out membership of the IRRS, unless the Hon Archivist makes an exception.

4 Consultations by professional genealogists, and other professional researchers may be undertaken for a donation of €10 per hour or part thereof, the money to be used for archive maintenance and development. This provision shall not apply in the case of staff or students at a university or other college pursuing research for academic purposes.

5 It shall be understood that full cooperation shall be given to requests from staff of Irish Rail, Translink NIR and other railway professionals, including railway safety regulation officers, who may need to consult the Archives for professional purposes connected with operations and developments in their respective railway systems.

6 All forms filled in shall be filed for examination by the Hon Archivist for record and Archive control purposes.

7 Copying of material in the Archive Collections, in electronic, photographic or written format, in the Archive Collections, shall not take place without the permission of the Hon Archivist, who may at his/her discretion refer the request to the Committee. Use of a digital camera for notetaking is permissible, but photographs taken in this manner shall not be used for reproduction without permission and attribution. Costs of copying shall be met by the person consulting the record, but the responsibility for copying shall rest with the Hon Archivist. The IRRS Committee has the right to set the costs of copying.

8 Access shall not be given to records which may contain references to persons still living.

9 No items in the Archives collection shall be removed from the Society’s Premises without the express approval of the IRRS Committee, which approval may be delegated to the Hon Archivist, in which case he/she must report the circumstances to the next meeting of the Committee and ensure that the details are recorded in the minutes.

10 No material shall be disposed of except in accordance with a proper destruction programme which shall be brought before the IRRS Committee by the Hon Archivist and approved by them. Such events shall be minuted.

(Rev Dr) Norman E Gamble, Hon Archivist