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www.linenhall.com
www.linenhall.com
The Linen Hall Library gratefully acknowledges the kind support of the following organisations:
Cover Photos (from top):
LHL Director Julie Andrews.
Acclaimed journalist Kate Adie OBE launches new Divided Society digital archive.
Took a wee break from the intensity of #wesconf18 to visitthe 230-yr-old #LinenhallLibrary - highly recommended ifyou want some peace & access to a feast of Northern Irishculture & poli cal history. @thelinenhallAlice Rose @DrAliceCorble
From Belfast Perspectives Exhibition
by Kevin Hamilton
Contents
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12
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President’s Foreword
Director’s Report
Librarian’s Report
Governors
Staff & Volunteers
2018 Report
Facts & Figures
Financial Summary
Statement of Financial Activities
Statement of Financial Position
Corporate Members
We con nue to share photos of libraries around the world visited by WPL staffers. This week it's the grand-looking entrance to the @thelinenhallin #Belfast #NorthernIreland The library, one of the oldest in the United Kingdom, was established 1788. #traveltuesday #librarylove
Waterloo Library @WaterlooLibrary
From Stickin Out Sketches of Belfast Exhibition
by Geordie Morrow
President’s Foreword
Imagine a haven of respite, cultural restoration and rejuvenation right in the centre of Belfast. What could be more enjoyable than to be performing the function of President for this gem? The Linen Hall Library has continued to deliver a menu of stimulating events throughout the past year which represent a range of arts, cultural and tourist programmes. From exhibitions in our public spaces to the hiring of rooms for drama, poetry and literacy, we have continued to thrive throughout the year. Mindful of meeting the expectations of our loyal members, as well as showcasing to the general public, I am immensely proud of the achievements of the Director and the staff of the Linen Hall. The Board of Governors brings a wide range of expertise in areas such as the arts, education, finance and public service which ensures it can support the business of the library, whilst providing assurances of good governance. I thank the Governors for their support during the year past. The Linen Hall Library has been in existence for centuries and your Governors continue to ensure both good governance and stewardship for members, staff and the heritage of the institution for a sustainable future.
Director’s Report
2018 was a year of both challenging and exciting times for the Library. In January the Divided Society digital resource (www.dividedsociety.org) was launched by acclaimed journalist Kate Adie. There was extensive media coverage of this event and international interest due to the unique nature of the Library’s Northern Ireland Political Collection. I’m delighted to report that in its first year the income generated from this international resource has met its 2018 target as proposed in the Business Plan. I was delighted to be asked to deliver a presentation at the Museums Association conference on this project, discussing the new digital resource and also focusing on the community engagement inherent in this initiative. During the year the Library received funding from the Department for Communities, Belfast City Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund Northern Ireland. A major application was submitted to National Lottery Heritage Fund Northern Ireland in 2018 for another major digitisation project. Seen and Heard considers women’s social, economic and political development in Northern Ireland from 1965 to the present day. We will draw upon the Library’s NI Political Collection, the Theatre and Performing Arts Archive and the Northern Ireland Literary Archive to develop this exciting project. It was granted a first stage pass by Heritage Fund in September 2018. This allows the Library to showcase its extensive and unique material.
Continued next page...
Alice Chapman OBE
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Julie Andrews
Director’s Report continued
In 2018 we launched the Linen Hall Library Endowment Fund. This is our way of ensuring the future sustainability of our Collections. All money donated to this fund will be managed as an investment by Cunningham Coates Stockbrokers (www.cunninghamcoates.com) and we will draw upon the interest to enhance the Library and its Collections. With the cuts in core funding, donations like this are very important to us and we greatly appreciate them. Our Arts and Cultural Programming, as usual, looked at a diverse range of topics. We were disappointed in June 2018 to lose Arts Council funding for a second time, the first was in 2015 but the funding was reinstated. This time, unfortunately, we were unsuccessful in our appeal. Despite a lack of funding, we decided to go ahead with our programming as we recognise its importance to the life of the Library. 2018 saw a number of significant anniversaries, namely the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights movement and the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. In May 2018 the Library celebrated 230 years since its founding in 1788. We hosted a number of significant exhibitions in 2018. Highlights included Laughter in the Dark Illustrating the Troubles which examined the birth and rise of the political cartoon and its important role in Northern Ireland’s history. Later in the year, the Library was delighted to host the launch of the Magic Brush – Chinese Art and Spring
Festival Celebration to mark Chinese New Year. We also hosted Connecting Civil Rights: Then
and Now, an exhibition reflecting on the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights movement, and an exclusive and unique exhibition of memorabilia and artefacts in Freemasonry in
Ireland. The Library was delighted to take part in the Gradam Ceoil TG4 (traditional Irish music awards) festival in February marking the awards coming to Belfast for the first time. Local novelist Bernie McGill, runner up in the 2010 Linen Hall Michael McLaverty Short Story Award, offered a writing course, and Canadian poet Chad Norman read from his recent works as part of his United Kingdom tour. In association with the University of Reading, we marked fifty years since the ground breaking Room to Rhyme tour by David Hammond, Seamus Heaney and Michael Longley. The conference, which included readings by Michael Longley, Colette Bryce and Alan Gillis, was concluded with a plenary lecture from Professor Edna Longley. I was given the opportunity of a fullyfunded trip to Atlanta, Georgia, in the autumn of 2018 to work at the Stone Mountain Highland Games on the Tourism Ireland stand. I also used the journey to promote the Library to as many organisations as possible and secured a speaking engagement at the Irish Consulate in Atlanta and meeting with the Burns Club of Atlanta. I approached academic institutions and met with representatives from Emory University, Agnes Scott College and Georgia State University. This has raised the Library’s profile in Atlanta and resulted in an invitation from Agnes Scott College to partner in a forthcoming project. As ever, future relevance and sustainability is at the forefront of everything we do. As a charity, I would ask you to tell others that we are a charity and appreciate donations, and encourage friends and family to become members of the Linen Hall.
Julie Andrews
S ll amazes me that i can walk in off the street to the Linenhall Library founded in 1788 (oldest Lib in Belfast) and be holdingthe 1840 Belfast census 5 mins later. . #Tangibleheritage@SaveCQBelfast @ulsterahs #countlessstepstoknowledge
JohnJBaucher @JohnJBaucher
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Librarian’s Report
I am pleased to report on Library collections for 2018. As I reflect on 2018 it feels timely to focus on enhancements to the collections during a busy and productive year. As a membership Library the Linen Hall has an extensive general lending collection for the benefit of our members, and it has been pleasing to refine this collection and focus on acquisitions in literary fiction, history, politics and arts and culture to align with the core strengths of the Linen Hall. Uniquely placed thanks to our history and heritage, our expansive Irish & Local Studies collection has been added to through acquisition and a comprehensive programme of retrospective cataloguing; and space created within the shelving has allowed material to be more immediately accessible. Our unique and rich literary and theatre and performing arts archives have benefitted greatly from improved organisation and listings, while work continued to strengthen the preservation and longevity of our museum accredited collections. This work will continue. But it is donations which I would like to focus on this year. Throughout our history, donations by members and supporters have been crucial in making the Linen Hall Library the unique resource it is, and I was overwhelmed by the number of donations in 2018. I feel the scale of donations reflects the high regard in which the Library is held, and the generosity of our membership and friends in this regard has been exceptional. Special mention to Mr Tom Hartley for his ongoing donations of material of significance to current and future researchers. The Linen Hall is, and will continue to be, intrinsic to the story of Belfast, and we are trusted as the repository for our shared history and literary heritage. As well as donations of archives of Irish sheet music, the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition, the Gerry Rogan Initiative Trust, the Belfast Interface Project, Word of Mouth, and the late Ann Zell, and James Ellis, and world renowned children’s author Martin Waddell, we received countless books – including rare Belfast and Provincial printed books. From numerous family histories, postcards, pamphlets, periodicals, posters, programmes and other ephemera, to a bust of Henry Joy McCracken, the collections have been greatly enriched by donations in 2018, and a full list of donors is included with gratitude at page 12.
Samantha McCombe
Visited the wonderful #LinenHallLibrary #Belfast this morning. Recommend. @thelinenhall #library #indepenentlibrary
Niall Power @niallpower5
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Happy 130th birthday to @BelfastCentLib. Along with @thelinenhall, we should be proud to have two such inspiring, useful and beau ful libraries in this city.
Hugh Odling-Smee @smeeho7
President: Mrs A Chapman, OBE, BSSc Hons, MSW (from May 2018) Acting President: Mrs A Chapman, OBE, BSSc Hons, MSW (to May 2018) VicePresident: Mr D Lewis, MA, PGDip, BSc (from May 2018) Honorary Secretary: Mr J Stewart, MSc, MA, BSc Honorary Treasurer: Mr D Lewis, MA, PGDip, BSc (to May 2018)
Professor Y Galligan, PhD, OBE (from May to November 2018) Mr C McCleane (from November 2018)
Governors: Ms K Blair, LLB, LLM, LARTPI
Mr H Campbell, LLB, LLM
Mr P Cavan
Ms C Gallen, MSc
Professor Y Galligan, PhD, OBE (to November 2018)
Mr E Hughes, BA, MA, PhD
Mr J Johnston, MA, MLitt, JP
Mr A Kershaw, BA (to May 2018)
Ms M Mackin, BA, MSc, PGDip
Mr H OdlingSmee, MA, AdDip
Mr C Radcliffe, BA Hons
Mr J Roberts (from November)
Mr J M Scott, BA, MA
Honorary Members
The Linen Hall Library confers Honorary Membership on individuals who have shown exceptional support for the organisation. Our current Honorary Members are:
Mrs Jennifer Campbell
Dr Pat Donlon
Mr Barry Douglas
Mr Tom Hartley
Ms Jennifer Johnston
Mr Brian Keenan
Mr Michael Longley
Mr Tim McGarry
Mr Neil Martin
Ms Sinéad Morrissey
Mr Glenn Patterson
Mr John Simms
Ms Roma Tomelty
Dr Brian Walker
Audit and Risk Committee
The Audit and Risk Committee meet four times per annum. There are a number of independent members of the committee who have a scrutiny function. These members include: Simon Bridge, Jonathan Hill, and a member of staff from our major funder, Department for Communities.
Governors
Alison Belshaw @LadyBelshaw
I had the loveliest me on my new member induc on tour of the @thelinenhall today. Very much looking forward to making it my new spiritual home.
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Alice Chapman
Allan Kershaw
Chris McCleane
Cliff Radcliffe
David Lewis
Eamonn Hughes
Hugh Campbell
Hugh OdlingSmee
J Roberts
Jack Johnston
Jonathan Stewart
Karen Blair
Malcolm Scott
Maureen Mackin
Peter Cavan
Yvonne Galligan
Catrina Gallen
Management Team
Director Ms J Andrews, LLB (Hons)
Librarian Miss S McCombe, MA, MSc
Finance Manager Mrs K Law, BSSc (Hons) Accounting, FCA
Deputy Librarian Mrs M Cash, BA (Hons), DLIS, PGDip (LIS)
Customer Services Manager Mrs M Ryan
Administration Manager Ms I McGirr, HND, Dip RSA (until February)
Library Assistants
Senior Library Assistants Mr G Carville, BA, PGDip (ILS) (from February until June)
Mr A Dunlop, BA (Hons), PGDip (LIM) (until January)
Ms M Flynn (from June)
Library Assistants Mrs H Arrell (until May) | Ms C Daly, BA, MA, PGDip (from July)
Mrs M Delargy, BA (Hons), DLIS, MSc
Mr A Dunlop, BA (Hons), PGDip (LIM) (from February)
Ms M Flynn (until June) | Ms B Fox (until January) | Mrs V Geymonat
Mr A Gordon, BA, MSc (from February)
Ms J Hoben, PGDip (LIM)
National Collection of NI Publications (NIPR) Mr T Gordon, MSc, MA, BA (Hons), DLIS
Administrative Services
Head of Digital and Marketing Communications Mrs R Wetherall, BA (Hons), MA, Dip Digital Marketing
Events Programmer Mrs D Douglas, BA (Hons), MA
Finance Assistant Miss A McDermott
Membership and Technology Administrator Mr S Barr, BA (Hons) (from September) Facilities Officer Mr R Grainger Charity Book Shop Manager Mr D Cash, BA (Hons)
Divided Society
Project Manager Mr G Carville, BA, PGDip (ILS) (until January)
Project Assistant Ms J Marulina (until January)
Sales and Marketing Officer Mr T McKernan (until January)
Education and Outreach Officer Mrs R Brady, BA Joint Honours, MA (until January)
Cataloguing Metadata Assistants Miss C Daly, BA, MA (until January) | Mr A Gordon, BA, MSc (until January)
Ms C McGowan (until January) Volunteers
Charity Shop - John Allen, John Bradbury, Morgane Chede, Jim Graham, Alan Kershaw, Tom Kernaghan, Deirdre McAuley, Noelle McCavana, Pauline McDermott, Sean McKenna, Heather Munro, Craig Richardson, Oscar Ross.
Meet & Greet Volunteers - Victoria Brown, Peter Duff, Maureen McFarland, Siobhan Napier, Lavinia Wilson.
Admin Volunteers - Thomas Baird, Brian Finlay, Eileen Gilmore. Tours - Martin Allison, Gerry Devaney, Marian Ferguson, Margaret Haddock, Jim McCartney. Library Services - Catherine Daly, Gerry Devaney, Kathryn Wilson. Reading Groups - Marian Ferguson, Stiofán O'Direáin. NIPR - Elizabeth Gordon. ‘Linenopolis’ - Naomi Cavanagh, Shona MacKay, Rachel Maxwell.
Staff & Volunteers
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Arts, Culture and Tourism
In 2018, the Library offered a reduced number of arts and cultural programmes, bringing a range of artists to its audiences as well as marking the 230th anniversary of the founding of the institution in 1788. The removal of Arts Council Northern Ireland funding in June 2018 resulted in a curtailment of the arts and cultural offering. However, the programme of events continued to explore the social, cultural, linguistic, economic and political legacy of many events in our shared history.
Linking our collections to memorable occasions
2018 saw a number of significant anniversaries, namely the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights movement, and the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. In addition, the library marked the
100th anniversary of the RAF with a lecture by aviation historian Guy Warner, and the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War
with a conference entitled War Stories: Community Perspectives from the
Centenary.
230th Anniversary Events
In May 2018 the Library celebrated 230 years since its founding in 1788. In honour of this special occasion the Governors and staff were delighted to receive a bust of 1794 Library member Henry Joy McCracken by sculptor Yoram Drori. Donated by the Kilmainham and Inchicore Heritage Group the bust will remain on display in the Library as a permanent reminder of our past. Other events included a reading of Stewart Parker’s Northern Star at Rosemary Street Church, a guided tour of Clifton House and Clifton Street Cemetery, and a keynote lecture by historian Jonathan Bardon. Later in the year we hosted Dr Gavin Hughes who spoke on the role of 1798 and the United Irishmen in the founding of the Library and their continued relevance today.
Exhibitions We hosted a number of significant exhibitions in 2018. Highlights include Laughter in the Dark Illustrating the Troubles which examined the birth and rise of the political cartoon and its important role in Northern Ireland’s history, and featured examples from a range of artists on subjects such as political
violence and the Peace Process.
Later in the year, the Library was delighted to be the launch venue for the Magic Brush – Chinese Art and Spring Festival Celebration, in
celebration of Chinese New Year. This beautiful exhibition focused on Chinese silk painting using traditional wash and ink techniques and styles. In March, Arts Care’s In Full Bloom exhibition showcased works inspired by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo as part of the Here and Now Older People’s Arts, Health and Wellbeing Festival. Melancholy Witness by acclaimed photographer Seán Hillen was launched in April and featured photographs described by Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney as “black and white time machines that bring back the desolation and danger of the Troubles. The images have a documentary accuracy, but it is the aura of melancholy witness that marks them as the work of Seán Hillen.” The Connecting Civil Rights: Then and Now exhibition reflected on the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights movement and explored civil rights issues today by featuring many original items from the Library’s Political
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2018
Images from top
RAF 100th anniversary.
Civil Rights march photo by Buzz Logan.
(from left) Samantha McCombe, Julie Andrews, Monica Cash and
Marie Ryan with the Henry Joy McCracken bust by sculptor Yoram Drori.
Ilustration by Ian Knox from the Laughter in the Dark exhibition.
From Magic Brush – Chinese Art and Spring Festival Celebration.
Cover of Melancholy Witness by photographer Seán Hillen.
Frida Kahlo illustration from the In Full Bloom exhibition.
Collection. The exhibition was part of the ‘Connecting Civil Rights’ project at Queen’s University Belfast. November saw an exclusive and unique exhibition of memorabilia and artefacts from the Freemasons presented by the Grand Lodge of Ireland supporting the Provincial Grand Lodge of Antrim and other lodges that were celebrating 150 years of their history.
Music
The Library was delighted to take part in the Gradam Ceoil fringe festival in February marking the Traditional Irish Music Awards coming to Belfast for the first time. A harp recital by Janet Harbison and members of the Belfast Harp Orchestra brought together musicians from both sides of the border. In June audiences enjoyed music by Maurice Leyden and Jane Cassidy with their show based on the life and times of historical figure Thomas Russell. Patrons also had a series of lunchtime recitals with the worldrenowned harpist Janet Harbison as part of her Harp Summer School in July. November saw a very special performance from Colum Sands with a guest appearance by outstanding musician and composer Lily Neill.
Drama, Poetry and Literacy
Drama was well represented with a rehearsed reading of a new play The SheehySkeffington Dialogues, written by Dr Catherine Kelly. The premise was an imaginative set of dialogues between the inimitable Francis and Hanna SheehySkeffington. Exploring their lives, political ideologies, the suffrage movement and their unique experience of Ireland at the time; Kabosh were delighted to present this staged reading performed by Maggie Cronin and Faolán Morgan and directed by Paula McFetridge. Our popular lunchtime reading series in association with women’s poetry collective Of Mouth continued to expand with the introduction of masterclasses from the readers. 2018’s line up included Moya Cannon, Maria McManus, Ted Deppe and Sheenagh Pugh. December saw a special bilingual reading from visiting poets Aifric Mac Aodha and Colette Ní Ghallchóir. We also hosted the regional heats of the Poetry Aloud competition organised by the National Library of Ireland and featuring secondary school pupils from across the country. Local author Bernie Magill offered a writing course and Canadian poet Chad Norman read from his recent works as part of his United Kingdom tour. Co Down poet, novelist and literary critic Kevin Kiely read from his new work UCD Belfield Metaphysical: A Retrospective. In association with the University of Reading, we marked fifty years since the groundbreaking Room to Rhyme tour by Michael Longley, Seamus Heaney and David Hammond. A conference addressed by Edna Longley was followed by a reading with Michael Longley, Colette Bryce and Alan Gillis.
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Images from top Image from Connecting Civil Rights: Then and Now exhibition. Memorabilia and artefacts from Freemasonry in Ireland exhibition. Harpist Janet Harbison gives a talk in the Linen Hall. Jane Cassidy and Maurice Leyden perform The Man from God Knows Where. Colum Sands and Lily Neill perform 'Songs and Tunes for November Nights'. Francis and Hanna SheehySkeffington. Author Bernie Magill. (From left) Michael Longley, Edna Longley, Alan Gillis, Colette Bryce and Gerald Dawe.
Book Launches
New books were introduced by poet Colin Dardis with his debut fulllength collection the x of y, author Maria Hoey read from her second novel On
Bone Bridge, Madeline McCully who launched Haunted Antrim, and Paul Dixon who gave a talk on his book Performing the Northern
Ireland Peace Process: in Defence of Politics.
Citywide Celebrations
The Library participated in a number of citywide anniversaries including Holocaust Memorial Day with a lecture on Kindertransport by Dr Barbara
Warnock from the Weiner Library in London; and World Book Day with local poets Gerald Dawe and Wilson Burgess celebrating local war poet Francis Ledwidge. In September we marked European Heritage Open Day with tours of our listed building and a free family event. Once again the Library
participated in Culture Night with several well attended events.
Partnership Activities
The Library formed a number of strategic partnerships throughout 2018 in order to deliver a varied programme of events and exhibitions. These included Arts Care, Foras Na Gaeilge, the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), the UlsterScots Agency, Queen’s University Belfast, and the Western Front Association.
Local Art
Visual arts were well represented with a number of exhibitions. Those who took part included Kevin Hamilton with Belfast Perspectives,
Eileen Ferguson with Journey, Ruth Osborne with Coast and
Hedgerow and Sean McGibbon with Wildness and Wet. Selftaught artist Geordie Morrow with Stickin Out – Sketches of
Belfast and Belfastbased Italian artist Daniela Balmaverde with Breathing Space saw out the year. The Library was happy to take part in the inaugural Linen Biennalle, celebrating the past, present and future landscape of Irish linen. Working in partnership with Flax
Mill Textiles, Dungiven, local artist Josephine McCormick produced a visual celebration of linen as the fabric of Ireland.
Other
In addition, the Library’s reading group and Irish language reading group met regularly, and the Library’s popular Irish language classes also returned.
Library Facilities
The Linen Hall Library’s historic building in the very centre of Belfast offers a range of function rooms for hire, including the iconic Governors’ Room, an intimate, booklined meeting space, the fullyequipped Performance Area and the Northern Room/Members’ Area with its wonderful views over Belfast City Hall and Donegall Square. These rooms are available for all kinds of events; meetings, book launches, conferences and performances, to name but a few. The Library is a popular filming location, and some couples have chosen to have their wedding photographs taken in its unique interior setting, or to entertain their guests after the ceremony.
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Images from top
Author Maria Hoey.
Paul Dixon’s Performing the Northern
Ireland Peace Process: in Defence of Politics.
An item from Holocaust Memorial Day.
From Belfast Perspectives exhibition by Kevin Hamilton.
From Breathing Space exhibition by Daniela Balmaverde.
From Flax Field exhibition by Josephine McCormick.
Gift Range The Library’s range of literary gifts for sale was expanded in 2018 and has proved very popular with members and visitors alike. The small selection of beautiful prints and interesting publications on offer has also been successful. All income from gift shop sales and room hire enhances the Library’s financial sustainability.
Charity Shop
The Linen Hall Library Charity Bookshop is located at the Fountain Centre in College Street and continues to provide a significant income for the charity. The Library would like to extend its gratitude to all the volunteers who generously give their time to support manager Damien Cash in the shop.
2018 Public Relations and Marketing Overview
There were many highlights in the Linen Hall PR and Marketing calendar in 2018, which marked the Library’s 230th year. We started on a high with the launch of the Divided Society digital archive (www.dividedsociety.org) with internationally renowned journalist Kate Adie OBE hosting the event. This garnered much media attention in all traditional and digital sectors. Throughout the year we were well represented in all vertical, horizontal and digital sectors of the media. We also continued our regular monthly slot on Belfast 89FM which broadcasts to one of our most engaged audience sectors, adult and Belfastbased. Our media monitoring company NIMMS calculated that our combined hardcopy media coverage totalled a circulation value of 7,400,000; with an equivalent advertising spend of £520,600. As a charity with limited financial spend, we predominantly depend on public relations to garner coverage, booking advertising on an ad hoc basis. We continue to promote the Library through a number of marketing and PR vehicles including press releases, ezines, website, videos and social media channels. The digital world never ceases to change and the Linen Hall aims to keep up. This year we undertook the challenging project of creating a completely new website from scratch. This was officially launched in September. To enhance the new site and continue to connect with the youngadult market, which is the audience that most engages with our website according to Google analytics, a bespoke Linen Hall video was also produced highlighting the vital cultural prominence the Library holds in the city of Belfast and province of Northern Ireland. We continue to grow our social networking channels. At the end of 2018 we were approaching 3,500 Facebook subscribers and 5,000 Twitter subscribers.
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Images from top
Linen Hall Café.
Performance Area.
Ross and Suzanne wedding reception at the Linen Hall.
Linen Hall Charity Bookshop with volunteers
Sean McKenna and Oscar Ross.
Kate Adie OBE at the Divided Society Media Launch.
(From left) Julie Andrews, Kate Adie and Alice Chapman.
I love #linenhalllibrary, thereis something truly peaceful about it.
WhateveryousayIam @4RadioChamp
NIPR 2018 was a busy year for NIPR with continued support for local authors and publishers and new ventures in outreach work and community engagement. As 2018 marked the centenary of the signing of the armistice that brought the First World War to an end, we produced banners highlighting material in the NIPR collection that related to this time in history. In addition we worked in partnership with the NI War Museum to raise awareness of materials in our collection relating to this time period. We were delighted to start a partnership with the Belfast Book Festival by promoting the Mairtin Crawford awards in 2018. The Mairtin Crawford awards recognise new talent in local writing, both in prose and in poetry. We were privileged to be part of these awards and indeed look forward to continuing our relationship with the Crescent Arts Centre by attending this
year’s event. Look out for our stall promoting NIPR where you can find information about the work we undertake and the importance of
preserving local publications for future generations.
On the theme of outreach, we were pleased to give a presentation on the work we undertake at the Federation of Ulster Local Studies at Mossley Mill last summer. As a consequence of this, we have been able to collect many more locally produced pamphlets, books and materials from local historical societies in Northern Ireland.
Not only did we continue to attend book launches, we also helped local writers and publishers to publicise their
books. Again we worked in partnership with local organisations to do this. It was a privilege to run a joint book
launch with PRONI in November 2018 in the wonderful surroundings of the Public Record Office, and we look forward
to building on this partnership further this year. We continue to promote the work of local writers, and this year we launched an exciting new feature ‘Quarterly Choice’ on our website www.nibooks.org. This feature asks a prominent person from the local book industry to choose a book we have recently acquired and inform our
audience what they like about that particular publication and what they value about the NIPR collection in general. Please visit our website for further details about this exciting new feature. We look forward to expanding our collection in 2019 and building upon the work we’ve undertaken last year. If you have a local publication and would like to add it to our collection please get in touch.
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Found myself a nice quiet spaceto work in Belfast before goingto the airport later #linenhalllibraryand I got brilliant potato andleek soup too :)
Amelia Swi @meeliImages from top PRONI archive.
NIPR Website. Linen Hall Library.
Funded Projects
The Linen Hall Library holds worldrenowned collections and always seeks ways to make those collections as available to the general public as possible. One of the ways we do this is through project funding. Below is a list of funded projects that were active in the Linen Hall in 2018.
Linenopolis is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund Northern Ireland, Tourism Northern Ireland and the Department for Communities. Work has been carried out with community groups to celebrate Belfast’s connection with the linen industry. Participants have shared memories of working, social and family life as part of a community research and oral history project. The main outcomes for this project will focus on the creation of a walking tour around the Linen Quarter in Belfast, a travelling exhibition, and trained tour guides. Participants have been learning about the connections to the industry with engaging sessions held in partnership with Belfast Exposed and PRONI. This knowledge will prove vital during the group’s tour guide training sessions which will be held in partnership with Ormeau Business Partnership. Guided tours will be available from the summer of 2019 and will be accompanied by a travelling exhibition which will launch at the Linen Hall Library in July 2019. An interesting selection of objects and archives from the Linen Hall Library, PRONI and community participants will be on display. A selfguided walking tour leaflet will also be available to purchase from the Linen Hall Library.
Making the Future/Women In the Archives is a new crossborder cultural programme funded by the European Union’s Peace IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) and led by the Nerve Centre, Northern Ireland’s creative learning centre. The Linen Hall Library’s remit for the Making The Future project are the Women In The Archives and Conflict To Peace strands. Women in the Archives is a collaboration between the Linen Hall Library and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) aiming to uncover women’s stories from our extensive archives. Between us, the two heritage organisations hold some of the key records and building blocks of women's heritage in Ireland, and we will display our findings in a new joint exhibition launching at both venues in April 2019. Alongside the exhibition, an events and learning programme has been organised in a broader effort to enhance public engagement with women's history. The events programme includes a variety of tours, talks, debates, film screenings, antiques roadshow style dropin events and much more. We have also embarked on an extensive Women In The Archives community engagement programme which actively seeks to work with groups and individuals by making use of emerging themes from the project in order to stimulate discussion, inspiration and creativity.
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Images from top
Linen Hall Library interior. Photos and artifacts from the Making the Future/Women In the Archives
programme.
Facts & Figures
Cataloguing
3,082 items were added to the Library’s catalogue in 2018. Website and Electronic Access www.linenhall.com Visitor figures from Google Analytics for 2018 identified
46,682 sessions; 26.681 users; and 111,000 page views. The site was most popular with the 25 – 34 age group.
COLLECTION DONATIONS The Library would like to thank all donors to our collections: Mr Dominic Adams; Mr Gary Allen; Mr Fred Andrews; Mr Graham Andrews; Mrs Heather Arrell; Mr Ralph Ashenhurst; Sir George Bain; Ms Susan Baker; Mr Chris Bannon; Mrs Sue Bartholomew; Mrs Norah J Beare; Mr George Beattie; Belfast Interface Project; Mr John P Bell; Dr Eileen Black; family of the late Mr William Black; Ms Jeanette Blair; Ms Jean Bleakney; Ms Anne Boyd; Mr John Bradbury; Ms Jan Branch; British Council; Mr André Bunlop; Ms Helen Sara Burns; Mr David Byers; Mr Gregory Campbell MP; Mrs MJ Campbell; Ms Claire Carroll; Mr Jonathan Chambers; Ms Ita Chinn; Ms Joanne Clough; Mr Ciaran Crossey; Mr John Moore Crossey; Ms Natasha Cuddington; Mr George O Daly; Mrs Anne Davies; Mrs Mary Delargy; Mr Pádraig Delargy; Mr Francis Devine; Mr Craig S Dickson; Mr Jeffrey Dudgeon; Mr Marcus Duignan; Mrs Dorothy Dunlop; Mrs Linda Dunlop; Prof Marianne Elliott; Mrs Robina Ellis; Ms Evelyn Ellison on behalf of Anne Stewart; Mr A Esdale; Mrs DB Evans; Rev John Faris; Mrs Anna Farmar; Federation for Ulster Local Studies; Dr Neil C Fleming; Rev WEC Fleming; Gerry Rogan Initiative Trust; Ms Thelma Gibbs; Dr Gordon Gillespie; Mr Scott Gilmore; Mr Pheme Glass; Mr Paul Gosling; Grand Opera House; Mr John Gray; Mr Stephen Gregory; Mrs Margaret Haddock; Ms Margaret Hanthorne; Ms Beverley Harsh; Mr Terence Hartley; Mr Tom Hartley; Mr Harry Havelin; Healing Through Remembering; Mr John C Hewitt; Mr WJ Heyburn; Mr Seán Hillen; Historic Environment Division; Ms Jude Hoben; Mr Stan Hoben; Mr Ian Hooper; Prof John Horne; Mr Alan Houston; Dr Gavin Hughes; Mr Gavyn Hughes; Ms Katie Ireland; Irish Council of Churches; Irish Temperance League; Mrs Maureen Irvine; Mr Steven Jaffe; Mr John Johnston; Mr RB Jordan; Mr Desmond Keane; Ms Sharon Kelly; Mr Kevin Joseph Khoo; Ms Thérèse Kieran; Mr John Killen; Kilmainham and Inchicore Heritage Group; Mr Jeff King; Ms Patricia Larkin; Mr Hamilton Irvine Lavery; Ms Elayne Lockhart; Dr Samuel R Logan; Mr WA Logan; Mrs Hazel Lysk; Mr Dónal McAnallen; Mr Patrick McArdle; Mrs Brigid MacArthur from the estate of Colán MacArthur; Mr Brian McAvera; Mrs Wendy McBrien; Mr Brian McCabe; Ms Felicity McCall; Mr Wesley McCann; Rev MacConnell; Mr Sam McCready; Ms Madeline McCully; Mr Stanley McDowell; Mr John McFarlane; Mr Graeme McGowan; Mr Ailbhe MacGuibuin; Mr Jim McIlveen; Mr Jack McKinney; Mr Alasdair MacLaughlin; Ms Margaret McNulty; Mr William McStay; Mr Rodney McWhinney; Dr Edward Madigan; Mr Graham Mawhinney; S Maxwell; Mr ACW Merrick; Mr Martin Moore; Mr Richard Moore; Ms Jane Morrice; Ms Leonora Morrison; Mr David NK Murphy; Mr Kevin Murphy; Ms Yvonne Murphy; Mr Chad Norman; Mr Dominic O’Reilly; Mr Jack Packenham; Ms Sarah Paterson; Ms Lesley Pickup; Ms Eileen Pollock; Mr Frank Portinari; Presbyterian Historical Society
of Ireland; Mr Stephen A Pringle; Mr Robin Reid; Mr Mike Ritchie; Mr Frank Rogers; Mr Chris Ryder; Mr George V Scott; Mr Malcolm
Scott; Ms Liz Shaw; Ms Roselind Shaw; Ms Sandra Smyth; Mr Douglas Sobey; Mr Eddie Spence; Mr William Stanco; Rev Dr David Steers; Mr Jonathan Stewart; The Tangerine; Mr Bill Taylor; Ms Gráinne Tobin;
Ms Csilla Toldy; Ms B Tomko; Mr Antony Toner; Ms Kate Turner from the estate of RE Turner; Mr Martin Waddell; Ms Helen Wallis; Ms Roseleen Walsh; Ms A Whelan; Ms Marilyn Wickstead; Dr Fionnuala Carson Williams; Dr Helga Woggon; Mr Simon Wood; Ms Allana Woodfine; Mr Christopher John Woods; Ms Susan Wright.
LOAN FIGURES 2018
General
Irish & Ref.
6,437
5,753
TOTAL MEMBERSHIPBREAKDOWN 2018
Honorary
Life
Family*
Standard
Concessionary
Student
Under 18
Associate
Corporate*
*Figure counted in ckets issued with number of such
mul ple memberships shown in brackets.
15
548
59 (19)
550
936
40
22
43
110 (45 orgs)
TOTAL COLLECTION QUERIES 4,570
Irish & LocalStudies
3,248
Newspapers 283
NIPC
743
Theatre 126
Other 170
12
Financial Summary
Summaries of the Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31st December 2018 and the Statement of Financial Position as at that date are set out on pages 14 and 15. Full financial statements have been published separately and are available on request from the Linen Hall Library or on the Library’s website www.linenhall.com.
Overview The Library's operating deficit (before actuarial movements on the pension scheme) was £147k in 2018, and in cash terms the bank overdraft balance increased from £84k at the end of 2017 to £115k at 31 December 2018. The Library relies on its bank overdraft facility to finance its day to day operations, and the Governors and staff aim to reduce reliance on this facility in 2019 by means of additional income generation and ongoing control of operating costs. Total income from all sources fell from £1,170k in 2017 to £947k in 2018, with two generous legacies having boosted income in the earlier year. Core operating costs continued to be kept under strict control, although net operating charges and finance costs for the Library’s defined benefit pension scheme amounted to £46k, and this is included in operating costs. The pension scheme deficit carried in the Library’s balance sheet increased during 2018, from £58k to £188k, due to actuarial movements outside the Library’s control. The Governors continue to monitor all revenues and costs against budget, on a regular basis, and are working towards the elimination of the operating deficit. There remains an emphasis on broadening the income spectrum of the Library, in order to compensate for current and future reductions in public sector funding, and to achieve longterm financial sustainability. Income The Library’s grant income from all sources was £449k in 2018, compared to £629k in 2017, with funding for special projects down
by £173k and grants towards core operating costs down by £7k. The Library’s total income fell by 19% in 2018, and the proportion of income obtained from all types of grant funding fell to 47% from 54% in the
previous year. Income from membership subscriptions and
associated Gift Aid increased slightly to £138k in 2018; the Governors and staff are endeavouring to keep the Library’s membership offer relevant and attractive, and will encourage more members to sign up for
Gift Aid during 2019. Commercial rental income from the two shop
units owned by the Library returned to £145k in 2018 from £84k in 2017, when there had
been a period of reduced income due to a changeover of tenants. Fundraising trading activities made a net contribution of £69k in 2018, up from £60k in 2017, mainly through the sale of donated books in a popup Charity Shop, sales of gift items, and commercial use of the Library’s facilities for room hire, catering and tours, boosted by subscriptions to the new Divided Society online archive. The Governors and staff are working to identify new fundraising activities and to maximise revenue from existing operations. Income from donations and legacies decreased from £216k in 2017 to £89k in 2018, due mainly to two generous legacies received towards the Library’s general funds in the earlier year. Expenditure Staff costs represented 62% of total costs in both 2018 and 2017 and are therefore the largest single area of expenditure for the Library. Average staff numbers, on a fulltime equivalent basis, fell from 22 to 18 in 2018, including additional project staff, and employment costs overall fell from £839k to £676k. A detailed breakdown of all expenditure is set out in notes 5 to 9 to the separately published financial statements. Pension Scheme The Library operates a defined benefit pension scheme through NILGOSC and, at 31st December 2018, the scheme was in deficit by £188k, an increase of £130k over the previous year’s position. The cost of pension contributions, net operating charge and related finance during 2018 was £152k,
down from £216k in 2017, and the Library’s contribution rate to the NILGOSC scheme remained at 22.5% of salary.
Grants The following table sets out recent levels of support from each of the Library’s top five funders in 2018. Grants awarded for defined projects in pursuit of the Library’s mission, from all sources, decreased from £337k in 2017 to £164k in 2018, with the completion in January of the Divided Society digitisation project, and grants towards core operating costs fell by £7k. It is expected that the Library’s core public funders will continue to experience significantly reduced budgets, and that grants from these sources towards core operating costs may continue to fall. Full details of all grant income and awarding bodies are set out in note 2 to the separately published financial statements, and further information on the funded projects undertaken in 2018 can be found at note 20. Karen Law, Finance Manager.
FUNDER 2017 2016 2015
£k £k £k
Dept. for
Communi es
319 294 352
HeritageLo ery Fund
218 88 74
Belfast CityCouncil 35 110 37
SEUPB 0 0 0
Ulster-Scots
Agency 0 25 24
Total 572 517 487
2018
£k
269
71
35
22
20
417
13
Thanks to the staff of #linenhalllibrary for their help today in my research of the "Troubles".
ken b @kenny1111
Statement of financial activities for the
year ended 31 December 2018
EndowmentFunds
UnrestrictedFunds
RestrictedFunds
TotalFunds2017
£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
9 498 169 981Dona ons and legacies
- 145 - 83Rental income
- 6 - 1Investment income
Income and endowments from
- 2 - 9Rental expenses
- 51 - 45
- 53 - 54
Expenditure on raising funds
Expenditure on
- - 162 404Projects and events
- 879 - 910
- 879 162 1,314
Library opera ng costs
9 (163) 7 (198)Net (expenditure)/income
- (1) 1 -Transfers between funds
2 (248) 8 322Net movement in funds
261 6,112 92 6,143Fund balance brought forward
263 5,864 100 6,465Total funds carried forward
9 (164) 8 (198)Net (expenditure)/income beforerecognised gains and losses
- (84) - 520Actuarial gains/(losses) on definedbenefit pension scheme
Expenditure on charitable ac vi es
- 120 - 105Other trading ac vi es
9 769 169 1,170Total Income
- 932 162 1,368Total Expenditure
Income from charitable ac vi es
TotalFunds2018
£’000
676
145
6
2
51
53
162
879
1,041
(147)
-
(238)
6,465
6,227
(147)
(84)
120
947
1,094
(7) - - -Net (losses)/gains on investments (7)
14
Statement of financial position as at
31 December 2018
2017
£’000
3,725Tangible assets
-Investments
Fixed assets
7Stocks
70
351
Debtors
(28)- General fund
6,140- Revalua on fund
274Cash at bank and in hand
(287)Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
64Net current assets
6,465Net assets including pension liability
Funds
Unrestricted funds:
6,465Total funds
6,523Net assets excluding pension liability
(58)Pension liability
92
6,112
Restricted funds
261Endowment funds
Current assets
6,459
2018
£’000
3,642
202
7
71
143
(276)
6,140
65
(306)
(163)
6,227
6,227
6,415
(188)
100
5,864
263
6,578
2,734Heritage assets 2,734
15
CORPORATE MEMBERS The Library is most grateful to the following organisations for their
continued support throughout the year:
Abbey Bond Lovis
Allen & Overy (SSF) Ltd
Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council
Arts Care
Bar Library
Barnett, W & R Ltd
BBC Trust NI
Belfast City Council Development Department
Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society
Belfast Royal Academy
Belfast Visitor & Convention Bureau
Below the Radar
British Council Northern Ireland
Building Automation Controls Ltd
Colourpoint Creative Limited
County Grand Orange Lodge of Belfast
Crescent Arts Centre
Davison Lamont Limited
Healing Through Remembering
Historic Environment Division, DfC
Insurance Institute of Northern Ireland
International Futures Forum
Irish Association for Cultural, Economic & Social Relations
Irish News
Masonic Lodge of Research
McConnell Chartered Surveyors Ltd
National Union of Journalists
NIPSA
Northern Ireland Assembly Library
Northern Ireland Environment Link
Northern Ireland Housing Executive
Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman
Northern Ireland Screen
Police Ombudsman's Office Library
Public Record Office of NI
Queen Mary, University of London, School of Law
Royal Belfast Academical Inst
St Mary's University College
Tandem Design
The McClay Library at Queen's
Ulster Historical Foundation
Ulster-Scots Agency
Unison
Westway Film Productions Ltd
Xperience Group Ltd
16
Yes indeed, @thelinenhall such a good library. Proudto be a member.
Sophia @HillanSophia
Meadow in the Sun
by Ruth Osborne
Coast and Hedgerow Exhibition
LINEN HALL LIBRARY
17 Donegall Square North, Belfast BT1 5GB
T: +44 (0)28 9032 1707 E: [email protected]
www.linenhall.com
The Linen Hall Library is registered with The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC 104 564
