The British Library is definitely in the bad books this week. It is one of the few public and academic libraries in Britain and Ireland entitled to a copy of every book that is published in the jurisdiction; publishers are required by law to lodge - at their own expense - copies of new titles in its archive. Miles and miles of shelves of Mills and Boon notwithstanding, the result is an immeasurably valuable archive. Or was, according to reports in British newspapers this week. The Guardian reported that The British Library admitted that some 80,000 books had been dumped, seemingly by junior staff, who, it appears, were given carte blanche by the library to throw out what they deemed lesser titles. Why? The BL has pleaded lack of space, but did not, as the Guardian noted, appeal to either government or public for ideas as to alternative arrangements.
When the news leaked out, the public was, understandably, furious. One man's piece of junk is another man's treasure, be it an out-of-date reference book; a book on an obscure topic; or a poor novel which turns out to be the first published work of a writer who goes on to much better things. Judging what's worth keeping is always going to be a subjective task, which is exactly why the British Library was supposed to keep the complete archive intact, for present and future generations. The whole issue is less than clear, however. The same day the report appeared in the Guardian, a letter was published in the same paper from David Bradbury, of the BL. "The British Library has not junked any rare books . . . For the last 20 years we have been more selective about the acquisition of publications of foreign governments, because they are very expensive to store, process, and preserve, and because we would rather use our acquisition funds for material which we believe to be of far greater value to researchers." Which we believe . . .
Well, could it happen here? The system of receiving books at Trinity is somewhat different to the British Library, as Sadbh discovered when she phoned it this week. The onus is on all Irish publishers to send a copy of each new book to Trinity; for British publishers, Trinity must claim what it wants within 12 months. And claim it does. When you next fly out of Dublin, think of the millions of Trinity-held books, stored in stacks in Santry. And does it claim Mills and Boons these days? "You never know what students will be doing research on," Sadbh was told by a library spokesperson.
IT is six years since Paula Meehan published her last book of poems, Pillow Talk, and her many admirers will be happy to hear another collection is now out. She has since switched publishers, from Gallery to Carcanet. Her first book with Carcanet, Dharmakaya, will be launched on Monday at 7 p.m. in the Teachers' Club on Parnell Square. "At the actual moment of death, one has an overwhelming vision of Dharmakaya, or the primary clear light of pure reality," explains a footnote from The Tibetan Book of the Dead. The title poem of the collection is dedicated to the memory of Thom McGinty, the Diceman, who enlivened Grafton Street for us all in years gone by. "Between breath and no breath/ your hands cupped your own death,/ a gift, a bowl of grace/ you brought home to us - / become a still pool/ in the anarchic flow, the street's/ unceasing carnival/ of haunted and redeemed."
Sadbh feels like a vicarious visitor to Hanover, as the July and August issues of Portal, the arts newspaper which is distributed free to all visitors to Ireland's EXPO pavilion, and edited by Pat Boran, have just landed on her desk. August items include a piece of new fiction from novelist Colum McCann, called Whirligig; a new poem by Dennis O'Driscoll; and a story in English by the Irish language writer, Re O Laighleis - work that one out. The July issue reprinted an address given in May this year by Seamus Heaney at what we're told was "the Talk Dinner in The Athenaeum". Sadbh is not sure what "the Talk Dinner" is - she thought all meals involving the Irish were unofficial talk dinners - but presumably, some big talkers were there on the night. Anyway, Heaney's address was entitled "What Makes a Good Poet". To explore this perpetual topic, Heaney examines each letter in the words "a good poet", to satisfying effect. Read it all online at www.expo2000.ie
The Merriman Summer School starts today in Lisdoonvarna, and runs until August 26th. This year, the theme is "Five Territories: `These Islands' at the turn of the Millennium". Apart from all the dancing and lepping and music-making, there is also plenty of exercise for the brain during the week, with a very strong programme of lectures. Among the speakers for the week are journalist and writer Susan McKay; critic Edna Longley; Kevin Whelan, director of the Notre Dame Centre in Dublin; and Ferdinand Mount, editor of the Times Literary Supplement. Seamus Heaney will be in the Spa Wells two nights running. The first time to deliver his paper, Degrees of Separation: The Irish Poet and Britain; the second night to read from his own work and that of other poets on the same theme. Admission is £5 to all lectures, but Famous Seamus has been priced at £8. More information from 09827758.
Sadbh