Bishops' Appeal Advisory Committee
Board for Social Responsibility (NI)
Board for Social Responsibility (RI)
Church of Ireland Marriage Council
Church of Ireland Youth Department
Collections
Printed Books and Periodicals
The Library holds some 40,000 printed books, a large and varied collection of pamphlets and a selection of periodicals. The principal subject areas are ethics, theology, biblical studies, spirituality, homilitics, pastoralia, liturgy, mission, church history, comparative religion and religious biography. Items which are not available in the Library can be obtained on inter-library loan.
The Library also seeks to acquire a copy of all publications relating to the Church of Ireland. In pursuit of this objective there are collections of older printed books, pamphlets, directories, journals and periodicals; a large collection of parish, cathedral and diocesan histories; and a substantial body of ephemera.
The Library is the Church of Ireland’s repository for its archives and manuscripts. Non-current records from parishes, dioceses, cathedrals, the General Synod and the Representative Church Body are regularly transferred to the Library. However, some records remain in local custody and some, which originated in Northern Ireland, have been transferred to the Public Record Office in Belfast.
The manuscript collection includes papers of prominent clergy and laity and records of Church of Ireland organisations and societies. There is no modern printed catalogue of the archives and manuscripts. An overview of the collection may be had from Raymond Refaussé Church of Ireland Records, and in the annual accessories list is printed in the Journal of the General Synod.
Advice is available on the location and extent of church archives which are not deposited in the Library, and the conditions under which such material may be consulted.
Church Plate and Portraits
The Library maintains and administers the Church’s databases of church plate and episcopal portraits. There is no public access to these records but request for information from them will be considered. The Library also hosts the database of the Church of Ireland stained glass windows.