Poetry Ireland / Éigse Éireann is Ireland’s resource organisation for the promotion and development of Irish poetry at home and abroad. Our mission is to connect people and poetry. A major project currently in hand is the development of Poetry Ireland House / Áras Éigse Éireann House which will open at No. 11 Parnell Square in winter 2025 with our partners Irish Heritage Trust.
The restoration of No. 11 is an integral part of a visionary project to fulfil Poetry Ireland’s
ambition to create Poetry Ireland House, a permanent public home for Irish Poetry at the heart of the Capital City. The location in the north inner city, an area with high public footfall, is culturally rich and diverse and located within a densely populated hinterland.
The Seamus Heaney Poetry Library is a new addition to Poetry Ireland’s public offering and will be at the heart of Poetry Ireland, supporting many of our core activities from 2026 onward. The Library will be integrated within Poetry Ireland’s mission and objectives, increasing the reach of library holdings via usage (public – both specialist and non-specialist), public engagement programmes such as exhibitions, educational initiatives, focused web engagement, conferences and lecture series.
Reporting to the Director and Operations Manager, the Librarian will be responsible for
cataloguing and collection management, whilst providing an excellent service to library users and growing new audiences through outreach and engagement. Poetry Ireland values diversity and strives for a culture of equality and inclusion in all its activities, and is committed to ensuring greater gender, disciplinary, institutional and overall diversity in its membership.
This role will enable Poetry Ireland in the development and delivery of a high-quality reference service to library users. The successful candidate will also be responsible for the growth of audiences through outreach and engagement, and for cataloguing collections using international standards.
Job Title; Poetry Ireland Librarian.
Contract; Full-time, permanent for three years, subject to renewal, with a six-month probation period.
Salary: Commensurate with skills and experience with a guide of €45,000 euro per annum and pension contribution.
Role Overview;
Reader services and outreach
- Develop and implement library policies and procedures.
- Knowledge of and experience of implementing library management systems and
procedures. Knowledge of Koha would be advantageous. - Organize, catalogue, and maintain library collections using the library content
management system and other systems provided ensuring best practice. - Assist readers in research and reference work through effective use of the library
catalogue and content management structures and systems. - Provide a supervised reading room service and high-quality reference services to all
users. - Lead on community engagement with the library by coordinating and delivering
exhibitions, events and classes in person and/or online while developing audiences. - Maintain and update the library’s web pages, manage the library blog and liaise with Poetry Ireland’s Communications and Marketing manager in relation to social media and library related content creation for newsletters and other print/online publications.
- Assist as part of the Poetry Ireland team with programming, promotional, outreach and advocacy activities e.g. Poetry Day Ireland, Literature Festivals, Heritage Week, Culture Night, Library Ireland Week, Dublin Festival of History.
- Maintain statistics and produce and analyse reports.
- Represent the library and contribute to relevant committees/meetings as appropriate.
Collections
- Catalogue and classify collections, including rare items as well as pamphlets of
research interest, using international standards. - Develop and manage cataloguing projects in order to provide physical and digital
access to library holdings and participate in retrospective cataloguing and re-
classification projects. - Contribute to the rationalisation and review of storage arrangements and rehousing of library materials.
- Carry out ongoing implementation of library systems for cataloguing, collection
management and discoverability, and liaise with suppliers and third-party vendors as appropriate. - Provide guidance on policy and practice in relation to the cataloguing and classification of library collections and develop and implement metadata standards to describe and enable access to a materials.
- Contribute to collection development and maintenance, participate in stocktaking,
cleaning and collection care, and participate in emergency response planning and
training. - Evaluate the need for conservation of any library holdings and contract relevant
specialists where applicable. - Digitisation of suitable materials including Poetry Ireland publications and associated material.
- Evaluate potential donations for inclusion in the library collection in line with Poetry Ireland’s collection policy.
- Undertake any other duties deemed appropriate by the line manager.
The package on offer includes the following benefits:
- Annual Leave: 25 Days per annum with additional holidays allocated at the discretion of the company (Good Friday and Christmas etc.)
- Working Hours: Core hours are generally Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5.30pm. This role will require flexibility due to the nature of events so it will require some weekends and evenings so flexible working hours are necessary. Time in lieu will be provided by approval by manager.
- Location: Currently located at Poetry Ireland, 3 Great Denmark Street, Dublin 1, D01 NV63 with a view to moving back to main premises Poetry Ireland House nearby in Dublin 1 in 2025. This role will also require out of office and event work. For out-of-office work outside of Dublin, travel and associated costs will be covered where appropriate.
- Salary: Commensurate with skills and experience with a guide of €45,000 euro per annum and pension contribution.
Essential criteria;
- A qualification of at least an Honours degree (level 8 on the National Framework of
Qualifications). - A post-graduate qualification in librarianship or information studies or equivalent area (level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications).
- At least three years’ experience working in a library or a similar institution with a proven track record of library management procedures and policies.
- Good understanding of developing audiences for literary collections, operation of
exhibition facilities or similar, and public engagement activities. - Significant experience of collection management including the creation, maintenance and enrichment of metadata representing collections.
- A knowledge and understanding of descriptive bibliography and the history of the book, preservation, storage and handling of special collections material.
- Knowledge of the digital library environment as well as copyright and other applicable standards.
- Excellent planning, reporting, writing and presentation skills.
- Self-motivated with the ability to prioritise a varied workload and meet deadlines.
- Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
- Excellent attention to detail.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in a special collections environment.
- Demonstrable experience of exhibition curation and display.
- Awareness of current developments in the library sector.
- A love for and knowledge of poetry.
Application details:
Suitably qualified applicants are invited to apply for this exciting role by submitting a cover letter and cv outlining their relevant experience to recruitment@poetryireland.ie with the subject matter Poetry Ireland Librarian.
The deadline for applications is Friday May 30th at 5pm, 2025.
Interviews for this position will take place in person on Thursday June 12th or Friday June 13th, 2025.
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