The official opening of the 'John and Aileen O'Reilly' Library

On Monday, 22 April 2002, the Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern, td, officially opened the 'John and Aileen O'Reilly' Library at DCU.

In his speech the Taoiseach said, "A university library is the hub of information and knowledge for students and academics. Increasingly this information is drawn from a wider field than the books on shelves. This library concentrates on providing access to electronic networks in specialist areas, to broad banks of information on the world wide web and through skilled staff, to helping students find and interpret authentic sources of expert knowledge."

The Department of Education and Science provided 50% of the funding for the library. The remaining 50% was sourced by the Trustees of DCU through private donations including a substantial personal gift from Sir Anthony O'Reilly through The O'Reilly Foundation, which completed the funding that was required for the project. The library is named after Sir Anthony's parents, John and Aileen, who lived within view of the building on Griffith Avenue.

Sir Anthony O'Reilly also spoke at the ceremony and expressed his delight and satisfaction at his involvement in this worthwhile venture.

The library is equipped with 380 PCs with internet access. Throughout the building there are laptop docking areas with network access to facilitate students moving seamlessly from home or work to the library. There are and eighteen soundproof collaborative study rooms where students can work in teams.

On the ground floor there is a Zen garden - to add to the tranquillity of the surroundings (see article on Zen garden in online news archive), and on the lower ground floor students can relax in the restaurant.

For further information please click for Press release, 22 April 2002