LBH013 Kevin Street

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LBH013 Kevin Street Public Library

Dublin’s fourth public library opened on 25 May 1904 at Kevin Street. Initially the library consisted of a newsroom with lending and reference services added in 1905. At the time the Kevin Street branch was the largest library in the system. The library served what was then one of the poorest areas of the city as well as students from the Kevin Street Technical School. John P. Whelan (previously a librarian at Thomas Street) served as the librarian at Kevin Street until his retirement in 1946. Whelan introduced the Dewey Decimal classification system to the library in 1904. The first Irish library association – Cumann na Leabharlanna – was founded in Kevin Street Library in 1904.

This photo is from the Dublin City Council Photographic Collection. This unique collection is an educational resource and provides a basis for original research on the history of Dublin in the second half of the twentieth century.

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