A £13 million project to increase the amount of storage space available at the National Archives was announced yesterday by the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera.
An existing building at the rear of the archives on Bishop Street, Dublin, is to be developed. The project will address the archives' "long-term storage needs and will, accordingly, be of crucial assistance in making records of the modern State available to students, scholars, civil servants, citizens and visitors," the Minister said.
The project is to be undertaken by the Office of Public Works. Lack of space has been limiting the availability of material.
Most archives are held in boxes of about two-thirds of a cubic foot. The quantity of archives currently held by the National Archives is the equivalent of 210,000 boxes. Following the development of the archives, it will have a capacity of about 450,000 boxes.
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