A campaign to highlight the heritage value of local history collections in the Irish library system will be launched at a public meeting in Waterford tomorrow night.
According to Waterford City librarian Mr Richard Fennessy, antiquarian items such as books, maps, manuscripts and photographs that make up these collections represent an important, but undervalued, part of the State's heritage.
"Since the foundation of the State, city and county libraries have been collecting valuable local history and genealogy materials which amount to a wealth of literature not widely known about by the public," he says.
A visit to the local history collections would surprise visitors, he says.
Most local newspapers from the 1700s to the present day are on file, along with letters, diaries and thousands of photographs taken locally from as far back as the late 19th century.
In Waterford the collection includes early 20th century postcards and books printed as early as the 1600s, including one book printed in Waterford by Peter de Pienne in 1651 - two years after Cromwell came to Ireland.
Only five copies of the book, called Monarchy, No Creature of God's Making, exist.
"For decades these collections have been used for historical research carried out by people not only in Ireland, but all over the world," says Mr Fennessy.
In addition to increasing the profile of these collections, another objective of the meeting will be to highlight the need for funding in order to reverse what he calls "the leakage of our rich and unique book heritage" to overseas collectors.
According to Mr Fennessy, many county and city libraries have less than £3,000 a year to buy these local history materials that are highly sought after on the international market.
Funding is a "total disaster", he says. "City and county libraries need an injection of funds in order to acquire the materials that are currently being snapped up by international collectors from as far away as Australia and Japan."
The meeting takes place at the Tower Hotel in Waterford at 8.30 p.m. tomorrow night. Speakers include Dr Willie Nolan from UCD and Donegal County Librarian Mr Liam Ronayne. The event is taking place in conjunction with the Annual Conference of City and County Librarians which is being held in Waterford. Members of the public are welcome.