Censorship – some thoughts and current issues for libraries

Guest post by Paraic Elliott, DCU Library.

A useful definition from The Cambridge Dictionary: “The action of preventing part or the whole of a book, film, work of art, document, or other kind of communication from being seen or made available to the public, because it is considered to be offensive or harmful, or because it contains information that someone wishes to keep secret, often for political reasons.” 

Examples of banned books in Ireland

• Married Love - banned by the Irish Censorship Board for discussing birth control.
• The Dark - Banned in Ireland for issues related to obscenity.

A list of reasons material may be censored.

• Religious affiliation or authority – On the Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin, has been supressed and challenged since publication in 1859 due to its discussion of the theory of evolution.
• Witchcraft – Harry Potter was challenged in many US states due to themes of this nature.
• Violence or negativity: The Anarchist Cookbook, by William Powell, was banned in 1971 and is still banned in many countries, for fears that it might "promote, incite or instruct in matters of crime or violence."
• Racial issues -To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, has been censored for many years due to the use of racial slurs within the texts.
• Political influence – In 1958, the Irish Censorship of Publications Board banned the book Borstal Boy because of critiques of Irish republicanism, social attitudes and the Catholic Church.
• LGBTQ+ Content – The Well of Loneliness, by Radclyffe Hall, was banned from 1928 to 1949 in the UK due to lesbian themes the book presents.

Online/digital censorship

Internet censorship is the practice of prohibiting or suppressing certain online content. When a type of content is censored, it generally becomes illegal and near-impossible to access or view as long as you’re within the jurisdiction of the censoring body. In some instances, publishing censored content is also illegal.

A University of Michigan team used Censored Planet, an automated censorship tracking system launched in 2018, by Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Roya Ensafi, to collect more than 21 billion measurements over 20 months in 221 countries. Ensafi’s team found that censorship is increasing in 103 of the countries studied, including unexpected places like Norway, Japan, Italy, India, Israel and Poland—countries which the paper notes are rated as some of the freest in the world by advocacy group Freedom House.

Libraries as centres of potential controversy

AI-generated books - library - mystic from pixabay.com

Censorship a relevant topic today?

Research carried out by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), the UK’s library and information association, found that a third of librarians had been asked by members of the public to censor or remove books, indicating that such incidents “had increased significantly in recent years”, according to CILLIP’s chief executive, Nick Poole. The most targeted books involve themes of empire, race and LGBTQ+.

In recent years a number of right wing and conspiracy theory fuelled groups have staged protests at numerous Irish libraries. One event was billed as Cork Says No, and was organised by the leaders of Ireland’s newest far-right political party, Ireland First. Among these was a protest against the availability of LGBTQ+ reading materials for children at the library. While the banner and choosing the library as a location made it seem as though this was the central issue, the main speakers focussed on different topics such as climate change and vaccination material.

There are some arguments pro censorship

Advocates argue that censorship may be the only way to protect vulnerable minorities, new ones and old ones alike, from potential harm and violence.

• Censorship can protect children from unhealthy content.
• Censorship protects the rights of artists, innovators, and inventors – copyright is a form of censorship.
• Censorship can limit the impact of identity theft.
• Censorship can provide another level of security to a country’s profile.
• Censorship provides us with a vehicle to stop false content.

There are some arguments against censorship

• It represses one group of people in favour of what the majority wants.
• It allows people to create a specific narrative in society to call it truth.
• It prevents an individual from expressing themselves freely.

IFLA states that: Censorship, arguably, runs counter to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that: ‘Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

New guidelines designed for libraries in the UK urge staff to provide materials that “illuminate” different views on controversial topics. This 52-page document, released by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), states that a “good library” should “encompass controversial issues” and that material should not be rejected solely on the basis that it is considered contentious.

Recommendations for libraries

They recommend that in collection development specifically, attempt to reflect the full range of opinion on controversial topics or the full range of diversity in the national context, basing decisions on what to purchase or license on professional considerations (quality, currency, format, cost, etc.), rather than as limited by political or religious considerations or cultural prejudice.

They suggest libraries make an effort to educate library users on issues of censorship and encourage them to favour and practice freedom of expression and freedom of access to information in their personal and professional lives.

Further recommendations suggest that as much as possible, ensure libraries are able to use technology to preserve freedom of access to information and expression and the ability to communicate freely on the internet. They suggest that institutions support library and information services (and their employees) that are being challenged on issues related to censorship.

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Libfocus Link-out for May 2025

Welcome to the May edition of the Libfocus link-out, an assemblage of library-related things we have found informative, educational, thought-provoking and insightful on the Web over the past while.

Images from this month's link-out articles

Can libraries help solve our connection crisis?
Shamichael Hallman is the author of a newly-released book, Meet Me at the Library: A Place to Foster Social Connection and Promote Democracy, which examines the role of public libraries as an antidote to the growing loneliness, isolation and mistrust in America.

Why I have resigned from the Clarivate Customer Advisory Board.
Dominic Broadhurst has stepped down from the Clarivate Customer Advisory Board, following changes to the company’s academic access model. In a statement on LinkedIn he reflects on the implications of the shift from perpetual to subscription-based access for libraries and the academic community.
Note: The linkedIn piece would require people to be logged in but it is a good piece!

To Complete the Open Access Transition, First Ask the Right Questions.
Malavika Legge of the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA) finds in the Katina Magazine that about 50% of scholarly content published 2010-2024 is now available openly. But while the Open Access landscape is getting more mature we need a “course correction” to complete Open Access.

As cuts mount, those used to one-click searching are in for a shock.
Caroline Ball reports in the Times Higher Education that the current ease of access to pre-packaged information bundles stemming from “big deals” may have inadvertently led to a decline in the proficiency of certain research skills among academics.

President Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
In this Associated Press article, Seung Min Kim, Zeke Miller and Lisa Mascaro cover Trump's abrupt firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. The move shows Trump's determination to remove government officials from office who do not agree with his policies.

Pope Leo XIV speaks out against AI: ‘A challenge of human dignity, justice and labour.
The Independent's Barney Davis reports on the speech given by Pope Leo XIV about the challenges posed by AI. The newly appointed leader of the Catholic church echoes the concerns of his predecessor about the "grave, existential concerns that have been raised by ethicists and human rights advocates" about the technology.

The Line between Canada and the US Cuts through the Haskell Free Library | The Walrus.
Jordan Heath Rawlings for The Walrus looks at Haskell Free Library, where a line of duct tape runs through the library’s centre, marking the United States from Canada, and how it has become a political battleground.

Smarthistory – What is art provenance? A Getty Research Institute case study.
A case study by Dr. Sandra van Ginhoven, Head, Getty Provenance Index, Getty Research Institute and Dr. Steven Zucker tracing the provenance of a painting via the archives of M. Knoedler & Co, following the re-modelling of the Getty Provenance Index. The Getty Provenance Index draws on primary archival material such as auction catalogues and trader stock books making more than 12 million records publicly available to aid in the tracing of artwork provenance.

When ChatGPT Writes Your Research Proposal: Scientific Creativity in the Age of Generative AI.
The authors of this study use a scientific creativity task to investigate the extent to which AI can generate creative ideas in the scientific context. They asked students to write and prompted ChatGPT to generate a brief version of a research proposal. Using a structured (blinded) rating, two experts from the field evaluated students’ research proposals and proposals generated by ChatGPT in terms of their scientific creativity. The results may (or may not) surprise you!

Munin conference: Deadline for Call for submissions -- 8th June.
The Munin Conference covers a variety of topics in scholarly communication, with a focus on open science. This year’s Munin encourages submissions on the following topics:

• Open science in a closing world
• Indigenous rights in research
• Transparency and replicability in science
• Repairing the gaps in research infrastructure
• Agency
  

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Reclaiming Hidden Histories: Cataloguing the Ó Sé Family Collection on Cape Clear

This guest post is by Kevin Tuohy, a librarian and historian from Cork. He holds a Master’s in Library and Information Studies and currently works on archival and heritage projects across Ireland, with a focus on Irish-language collections, local history, and cultural preservation.

Cape Clear Island, overhead view, from the Cork County Council website.

Introduction

In early 2025, I undertook a five-month archival and cataloguing project for the Cape Clear Heritage Centre in West Cork. The task: to process a large, unorganised bundle of personal papers, photographs, political pamphlets, and handwritten manuscripts belonging to the Ó Sé and Ó Coindhealbháin families. Donated to Dr Éamon Lankford’s Cartlann Chléire (Lankford Cape Clear Collection), the materials offered a rich but chaotic insight into 20th-century Irish cultural, linguistic, and political life.

This article outlines the process of transforming these vulnerable historical fragments into a structured, bilingual archive. It serves as a case study in applied library science, independent heritage work, and archival interpretation in a minority language context.

Project Background

The Ó Sé Family Collection (LCC58) was donated in 2024 by the descendants of the late Mícheál Ó Sé and Íde Bean Uí Shé, leading Irish-language and cultural figures. Their legacy, alongside that of Íde’s father, Seán Ó Coindhealbháin, and son Cian Ó Sé, touches on themes of Irish-language activism, Cork republicanism, women in sport, maritime traditions, and local folklore.

The collection, however, arrived at the Heritage Centre as a single, unlabelled bundle — with no existing catalogue, finding aid, or storage structure.

The archival collection pictured in the archive room of Áras na Gaeilge, Cork City. Picture credit Kevin Tuohy 2025.

Methodology and Arrangement

The first stage was forensic-level appraisal. Without existing metadata, I grouped materials by provenance, condition, and language — with my fluency in Irish (including older orthographies and an Cló Gaelach), proving essential.

From there, I arranged the materials into 11 folders, each based on a principal figure and subdivided into themes: e.g. “Camogie and Women in Sport,” “Republican Commemoration,” “Irish-Language Journalism,” and “Maritime Research.”

Using consistent folder-level and item-level description, I produced an annotated, bilingual catalogue to archival standards. I prioritised contextual metadata: identifying obscure references, translating handwritten Irish-language documents, and linking materials to events such as the Fleadh Ceoil movement or the long-running Féile an Oireachtais festival.

The Ó Sé family collection divided into 13 folders. Picture credit Kevin Tuohy 2025.

Challenges Encountered

• Many items were undated, handwritten, or incomplete.
  
  
• Materials were in older forms of Irish, requiring careful transcription and translation.
  
  
• Interpretation required significant historical and political contextualisation to distinguish between personal and public documents.
  
  
• The diversity of formats — essays, letters, pamphlets, artefacts, press cuttings — necessitated a flexible, inclusive cataloguing schema.
  
  
• Cataloguing this collection effectively also required an extensive knowledge of 20th Irish history, and Cork local history in order to fully understand the cultural, social and chronological context, and the milieu of Irish language revival, nationalist politics, and a understanding of Cork city cultural and social life in a period of time from 1890 - 2010. 
  
  
• A knowledge of early 20th century Irish language publications, and key figures in the Irish language movement in Cork City in this period, was also essential.

Deliverables

• A detailed catalogue of over 300 individually described items.
  
  
• Folder-level descriptions, grouped by individual and theme.
  
  
• Bilingual contextual annotations for researcher accessibility.
  
  
• A physical arrangement plan and conservation-friendly storage system, now implemented.
  
  
• The compilation of detailed biographies relevant to the collection

Biographical information

Based on the knowledge I gained from studying these previously private collections—alongside interviews with surviving family members of the four individuals covered in this catalogue—I was able to compile detailed biographical material. I also drew on publications available online, at Cork City Library, and from primary and secondary sources within the Lankford Cape Clear Collection.

This broader context, compiled largely by esteemed historian, author, and Irish-language scholar Dr Éamon Lankford, provided valuable insights into the Irish language movement in Cork City and its surrounding areas during the 20th century.

Using this information, I created detailed biographies in both the Irish and English language for all four individuals in the catalogue. These biographies were designed to assist and inform researchers interested in the subject.

All biographical information was reviewed and confirmed by a surviving family member, Colm Ó Sé.

New building on Cape Clear Island which will hold the newly refurbished Cape Clear Heritage Centre. Image from echolive.ie.

Impact and Significance

The collection is now research-ready and preserved in archival-safe conditions in Cartlann Chléire funded generously by Cork County Council, Údarás na Gaeilge and Fáilte Ireland. Its scholarly value spans Irish studies, gender history, maritime heritage, political history, and Irish-language activism. It is now the property of Cork County Council, and will soon be available for researchers in what is set to be one of Ireland's most important publicly accessible archives for researchers interested in the history of Cape Clear, the Gaeltacht, West Cork and maritime life among a wide variety of other topics.

The Ó Sé Collection has been numbered No.58 in a comprehensive 60 part collection of priceless artefacts, documents, facsimiles, manuscripts, and press material related to Cape Clear, West Cork and the Irish language in Cork city and county.

What makes the Ó Sé collection especially unique is its multi-generational scope: a family archive that reflects the evolving story of cultural resistance and civic engagement in Irish life across the 20th century.

Reflections

This project highlighted how local archives — often under-resourced and outside institutional structures — hold hidden national treasures. It also underscored the value of linguistic skill, cultural literacy, and patience in archival work, especially in minority language or politically sensitive contexts.

Cataloguing the Ó Sé Family Collection was an act of both preservation and interpretation. It demonstrated the potential of librarianship and archival practice not just to store history, but to reclaim it.

Further information about the Cape Clear Heritage Centre and Archive:

Cork County Council. (n.d.) Leabharlann Oileán Chléire. Corkcoco.ie.   https://www.corkcoco.ie/en/directory/amenities/libraries/leabharlann-oilean-chleire

Cork 96 FM News Team. (2024, October). Cape Clear Island library officially reopens. 96fm.ie. https://www.96fm.ie/news/96fm-news-and-sport/cape-clear-island-library-officially-re-opens/

Lankford, É. (2020) Cape Clear Island Archive / Cartlann Chléire. Cape Clear Island Museum. https://capeclearmuseum.ie/archive/

A description of the archival collection and sub-collections at the Cape Clear Heritage Centre Archive (currently closed to the public pending the reopening of the museum and archive).

Mac Sweeney, T. (2023, September). Going Clear: Islanders plan big welcome for summer visitors. Echolive.ie. https://www.echolive.ie/corknews/arid-41229889.html

If you have queries about the project please contact kevinotuathaigh@gmail.com.

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Murder on the Library Floor: My First Experience Presenting at the A&SL Libraries Conference

 This guest post is by Jorden McMenamin who is the Research and Innovation Communications Officer at Atlantic Technological University.

On the 27th of March, I did my first ever presenting experience for the Academic & Special Libraries (A&SL) Conference at the Museum of Literature Ireland in Co Dublin.  

After 25 years of life, I had managed to successfully evade crowds and kept my work hidden in the shadows. A library has often been perceived as a quiet place (no pun intended—I have seen the movie!) where staff and students conduct our activities in silence. This was until we hosted a ‘crazy library event’ for our first year induction at the Yeats Library, ATU Sligo. Our murder mystery style treasure-hunt was an alternative to the traditional library induction tour. We delivered it to nearly 100 first-year students across two nights. This activity was featured on a broader campus-wide initiative called the #First5Weeks programme held at ATU Sligo by the Student Services Team.  

Staff and students at the Murder Mystery Event in the Yeats Library, ATU Sligo. Picture credit: Jorden McMenamin. 

After the event took place, our incredible Head Librarian, Dr Johanna Archbold recommended myself and my colleague, Mark Mulholland, attend a conference to showcase our efforts and gain recognition for such an achievement. From November, we continuously scouted for conferences that would thematically match our event but also offered beginner-friendly opportunities to connect with others.  As someone new to the library community, I felt it was vital to seek out a welcoming and supportive environment. When the theme for the A&SL Conference was released in December 2024 for “Cultivating Connection: Libraries Championing Quality, Well-Being, and Inclusivity”, we knew it was a perfect fit!  

Initially, I proposed we go for the poster option as the format to present at the conference. I considered design to be one of my most comfortable routes…and it continued my streak of presentation evasion. I filled out the form and emailed our poster concept and our details to the committee. In response, we received an email from Deirdre McGuinness, one of the many superb organisers of the conference, who suggested we present our project as a case study instead and take part in a Q&A session. This was unexpected, but an amazing opportunity to be recognised for our work, so I decided to take advantage of this. In fairness to Mark, he usually tends to run with my ‘mad’ ideas so while it had been over fifteen years since he last presented, he agreed to join me in co-presenting. I opted for ten minutes to keep it short ‘n’ sweet (not unlike our Sabrina Carpenter references!) which resulted in us speaking for five minutes each. 

In preparation, I created a presentation that reflected the quirky nature of our Murder Mystery & Games night event. It was filled with pictures of the students, staff, and included a surprise cameo from Tom Cruise in our slide deck, just to keep things lively. The concept was to show how our library brought together a diverse mix of students to an event that supported inclusivity, belonging, and introduced students to the library. Some of the ways we described this was referencing both the literature of other libraries who conducted treasure hunt tours and the experiences we had in organising, promoting and gathering feedback on our event. By concentrating on these three areas, we devised a script to bring to the conference as a way of combating any potential nerves…the most anxiety-driving part is forgetting everything. 

Sample slide from the ATU presentation featuring an outline of the event's key objectives.
Image of Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible copyright Paramount Pictures 1996.

The day itself was an incredibly sunny morning outside the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) on St Stephen’s Green where nearly thirty librarians had congregated before the event at 9:30am. Once the doors opened, we were greeted by such remarkable positivity from the organisers - plus goodie bags with name badges and participation certificates (a bonus for the collectors among us!). The museum itself fitted the atmosphere perfectly given its artistic and literary-themed atmosphere and architecture. As we took our seats, we were invited to listen to several presentations and case studies from speakers and librarians, including Helen Rimmer on kindness in the workplace, Martin O’Connor on his creation of the Shush! Sounds from UCC Library radio podcast show, and Claire McGuinness for defending LGBTQ+ resources to name but a few. 

Before presenting, one of the things we were asked was an interesting fact about ourselves. Coincidentally two of the case study presenters were both twins (separate families!), and another never drank coffee before. Between talks there were opportunities for networking with other librarians and library staff, discussions on posters and case studies, to get to know each other. It made for a very relaxing environment of camaraderie and connection.  

The organisers took their time to demonstrate how our slides would be displayed, the order of who would be presenting, and the timing. Presenters sat as a panel at the front of the room, so after each talk, the audience could ask follow-up questions about our work. Before going up to talk, I was pretty much glued to our script and ensured that both Mark and I needed to learn it off by heart. Once you go up on stage, however, you forget nearly half of the points you were going to say and end up going with the flow! 

I was having too much fun feeling like a weather girl clicking the button to change the slides on the TV as Mark commenced his section of the talk. Once it came to my turn, I did disclose that I had never presented before in case it went terribly wrong, but this was a happy surprise to the organisers or the room of genuinely supportive librarians and speakers. Once the nerves had gone, you felt as if you were talking to a room of people you had known your whole life and who resonated with your ideas. 

What I found most rewarding about this experience was getting to speak to professionals in the field and learn ways that libraries are contributing to their communities. Hearing the stories of what others have accomplished or are trying to change for the better is a key part of attending conferences, alongside sharing your own experiences.  

Picture of panellists left to right: Martin O'Connor, Grace O'Connor, Jorden McMenamin and Mark Mulholland. Picture credit Susan Brodigan/A&SL Libraries Committee 2025.

As a first-time speaker, this conference provided the most comfortable platform for us to share the work myself and Mark had done for ATU Sligo. It was anything but a baptism of fire and more like a confirmation of trust! I would definitely recommend anyone to go and hopefully I do get to watch next time as I have officially ticked presenting off of my bucket list. 

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Libfocus Link-out for April 2025

Welcome to the April edition of the Libfocus link-out, an assemblage of library-related things we have found informative, educational, thought-provoking and insightful on the Web over the past while.

Images from this month's link-out articles

Vanishing Culture: Preserving the Library System.

In this Internet Archive blog Brewster Kahle examines how the big publishers are making it impossible for libraries in the U.S. to preserve publications and ensure continuing access to information in the digital era. Part of the Vanishing Culture series that highlights the power and importance of digital preservation.

The secret history on the ENIAC Women.
In this short, fascinating Ted Talk Kathy Kleiman discusses the women who programmed the ENIAC, the world's first modern computer. Sidelined in the 1940s, Kleiman unearthed their histories decades later and sought recognition for the accomplishments.

Reliable science takes time. But the current system rewards speed.
Jason Chin argues in The Conversation that science needs to slow down to produce better results and gain trust from the public.

AI bots are destroying Open Access.
The Go To Hellman blog reports that surge the of AI bots has hit Open Access sites particularly hard. Many Open Access books are not available due to protective measures of Open content providers such as OAPEN, Project Gutenberg or MIT Press.

Lessons in Resilience: Libraries’ Roles in Disaster Preparedness and Recovery.
Denise Lyons for LibraryJournal looks at the critical role libraries have to play in disaster preparedness and recovery, and a group of advocates working to document those efforts.

The DOGE axe comes for libraries and museums.
Paresh Dave for Wired looks at the Trump Administration’s cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Librarians in UK increasingly asked to remove books, as influence of US pressure groups spreads.
Requests to remove books from library shelves are on the rise in the UK, as the influence of pressure groups behind book bans in the US crosses the Atlantic, according to those working in the sector.

Brian Eno’s ‘Windows 95’ theme among new entries to the National Recording Registry.
Elton John, Brian Eno, Celine Dion, Amy Winehouse, and Tracy Chapman are among several new entries to the National Recording Registry this year. Announcing the new class of 2025, the Library of Congress revealed the inclusion of John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album, Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’, Winehouse’s ‘Back To Black’, and Eno’s Windows 96 reboot theme among those selected.

ACRL publishes 2025 environmental scan.
This latest report provides a broad review of the current higher education landscape with special focus on academic and special libraries.

Reflections on teaching as a subject librarian.
A reflective piece from Alice Cann, Academic Liasion Librarian at Brunel University London, outlining her thoughts on why and how subject librarians teach.

Research Ireland releases interim Open Research Policy.
In support of the National Action Plan for Open Research, Research Ireland has released its Interim Open Research Policy, effective from 7 April 2025. The policy applies to all research publications submitted from that date onward. A fully updated policy is expected by the end of 2025.

Staffing of Library Publishing Programs in the United States and Canada: A Data-Driven Analysis.
Johanna Meetz and Jeff Story took a closer look at the staffing situation of library publishing programs at colleges, universities, and consortia in the United States and Canada from 2014 to 2022. Their findings show that from 2014 to 2022, the number of library publishing staff did not grow at the same rate as the number of staff in libraries as a whole.

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Early Printed Books at Special Collections & Archives, DCU Library

This guest post is written by Sharon Corrigan who is based in the Special Collections and Archives directorate in DCU Library. 

Pciture credit: Sharon Corrigan (using canva.com) 2025

The Early Printed Books (EPBs) collection at Dublin City University Library is in the care of its Special Collections & Archives (SC&A) directorate. It originates mainly from the former Jesuit Library at Milltown and from the Archdiocese of Dublin, with smaller holdings from the Church of Ireland College of Education and St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra.

Our collection covers the period frequently attributed to EPBs, i.e. 1501 to 1850, in addition to some incunables from the late 15th century. At the end of 2023, we commenced a programme to fully catalogue our EPBs. The first phase is centred on the works printed between 1450 and 1700. We are creating original cataloguing records, and enhancing existing ones, adding new MARC21 notes fields for provenance, bookplates, labels, and manuscript annotations. We are also creating authority access points for the names of book editors, translators, printers and former owners, and heading access points for subjects. The project also meant physically rearranging shelving space to accommodate the variety of sizes and formats.

Earlier this year, we made an internal presentation to our DCU Library colleagues, where we shared progress to date and demonstrated some collection highlights. We present here some of these illustrative examples of our catalogued 16th century works. These reflect the array of subjects in the collection, primarily subjects within the humanities area, i.e. philosophy (scholastic), theology, classical works, history and literature. 

Guigo (aus Château-Saint-Romain)
Statuta ordinis cartusiensis a domno Guigone priore cartusie edita 
Basel, Ex officina Johannes Amerbach, MDX. (1510). 

A beautiful example of an EPB is that of Statuta ordinis Cartusiensis by Guigo de Castro which was printed in Basel, Switzerland in 1510. The copy in our collection has decoratively stamped wooden boards with engraved metal clasps and contains beautifully crisp printed text and multiple pages of woodcuts depicting the foundation of the order by St. Bruno. In addition it includes an illustrated genealogical tree of the first priors of the Grande Chartreuse and portraits representing 33 popes. Its contents have been laid out with numbers alongside the statutes to allow for cross referencing against previous statutes. The copy also contains beautiful rubrication (hand finishing flourishes with coloured ink post printing), which has been done with care in both red and blue ink. This colour would have been added after printing at the book owner’s expense as texts bought from printing houses would have left spaces in the text for this purpose. Usually done in red, the addition of blue here is reflective of how highly the Carthusians, being a silent somewhat hermetic order, prized books.

The outer boards of the book Statuta Ordinis Cartusiensis. Top right is the title page. Woodcuts showing the founding of the order.
A rubricated letter P from the book. Photo credit: Sharon Corrigan, 2025. 

Luther, Martin (Principal Author)

Der ander teil aller Deudscher bücher und schrifften des thewren/ seligen Mans Doct. Mart. Lutheri : vom XXII jar an… 

Jena, durch Thomas Rebart (heirs of), MDLXXII. (1572)

Though the majority of the religious books in our collections are written from a Catholic perspective, we also hold copies of Protestant works by Martin Luther (1483-1546). These compilations of his writings were printed in Jena in Germany between 1556 and 1572 and are set in a gothic typeface. Our folios have been bound with wooden boards. The title pages have been printed in both red and black and each bears a similar engraving on their title pages of The Duke of Saxony praying with Luther at the crucifix. Included in the bound edition of “Der ander teil” are two full page engraved prints that were originally used in Luther’s pamphlets. 

The first of these images is of Der Papstesel, or the papal donkey, which was used in a satirical pamphlet published by Luther and Philip Melanchthon. It is a woodcut depicting a mythical creature based on a body that was washed up on the banks of the Tiber river. The creature in the image bears the head of a donkey, the torso of a woman, scaly limbs, an ox hoof and bird claw for feet, a devil’s mask over the rear and a tail ending in a dragon's head; in the background is the Castel Sant'Angelo. 

The image on the right hand side is known as the Monk Calf of Freiberg. It has been dated to 1523 and attributed to Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553).

It was supposedly inspired by a malformed calf that was born in Freiberg, Saxony in 1522. The calf had misshapen hind legs and was seen to resemble a cowled, tonsured, monk. This was used as an allegorical symbol by the publishers to represent what they saw as the warped, monstrous corruption of the Catholic church at the time. Luther made full use of such imagery and of the new widespread availability of printing to circulate his writings across Europe in a relatively short period of time.

The title page of Der Ander Teil, a sample of text, the papal donkey, and the monk calf of Freiberg. 
Photo credit: Sharon Corrigan 2025.  

Jacobus, de Voragine, approximately 1229-1298

Sermones aurei et pulcherrimi de tempore 

Sermones de sanctis per anni 

[Paris], venit Francisco Regnault , M.D. XXXIII. (1533)

This work of collected sermons includes two separate works that are bound together, each has its own title page with the first title page printed in black and red ink. The first book contains sermons for all religious events of the year according to the Sacred Scripture and the second book contains sermons on the lives of the Saints celebrated by the Church.

Both works begin with an alphabetical index to the sermons. The text is in two columns in black gothic typeface with Lombardic decorated initials at the start of each sermon. The woodcut engraved title pages depict an architectural arch supported by decorated columns that work as a frame to the lettering in the titles. As a colophon to the first work a large engraved printer’s device is included depicting an elephant carrying an heraldic emblem with initials FR and printer’s full name, Francoys Regnault.

Printer's mark, title page in two inks, decorated initial B, decorated initial O. 
Photo credit: Sharon Corrigan, 2025.   

Olaus, Magnus, Archbishop of Uppsala, 1490-1557
Histoire des pays septentrionaus écrite par Olaus Le Grand, Goth, Archevêque d'Vpsale, et Souvrain de Suevie, et Gothie. En laquelle sont brievement, mais clerement deduites toutes les choses rares ou étranges, qui se treuvent entre les nations Septentrionales ; traduite du Latin del'auteur en François.
A Anvers de l'imprimerie de Christophle Plantin, 1561.

This work was first published in Latin in 1555 in Rome with the title “Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus”. It was soon translated into all main European languages. It is a description of the Scandinavian Countries, the land, the people, their customs and traditions, their way of life, language and religion. It describes the creatures of the land and the sea with each chapter containing woodcut images illustrating the topic and a caption explaining each image. There are some fantastic illustrations of sea animals, of glaciers, of people going about their daily lives and images of war. Initials are lightly decorated so as not to take prominence from the main woodcut.

Clockwise from top left: Parents carrying their children for baptism, people holding beams that tell time,
monster fish-pig in the Germanic ocean, people exchanging goods. Photo credit: Sharon Corrigan, 2025.  

Ariosto, Ludovico, 1474-1533
Orlando Furioso di M. Ludovico Ariosto ornato di varie figure, con alcune stanze et cinque canti d'un nuovo libro del medesimo nuouamente aggiunti, & ricorretti. Cum alcune allegorie, et nel fine une breue espositione et tavola di tutto quello, che nell'opera si contiene.
In Vinegia Appresso Gabriel, Giolito de Ferrari, MDXLVIII. (1548)

This work is an Italian epic romantic poem first published in 1516 in 40 cantos and in 1532 extended to 46 cantos. This edition contains all 46 cantos and a further work that the author wrote at a later date to add to the original poem, entitled “Cinque canti di un nuovo libro di M. Ludovico Ariosto iquali seguono la materia del Furioso.” Each canto is preceded by a woodcut vignette and theme that introduces the poem and a woodcut historiated initial letter. The poem is printed in two columns. The work is edited by the humanist author, translator and editor Lodovico Dolce (1508-1568) who includes a portrait and a sonnet in praise of the author at the end of the work. Ludovico Dolce worked as main editor and translator of many works printed and published by Giolito de Ferrari (ca.1510- d.1578) in Venice. The printer’s device represents a Phoenix (his printing house name La Fenice) rising from the flames into a sun with a human face. The motto reads ‘Semper eadem’ (Always the same). There are some variant devices that include a more elaborate phoenix rising from an urn with the initials GGF and a more elaborate motto: ‘De la mia morte eterna vita I vivo. Semper eadem’. (Out of my death I live eternal life. Always the same.)

Title page of the Orlando Furioso di M. Ludovico Ariosto. Sonnet of editor Ludovico Dolce dedicated to the author and a portrait of the author. Image, summary and decorate initial of canto 15. Giolito de Ferrara printer's mark. Photo credit: Sharon Corrigan, 2025.

Printers

The main printing centres of Europe in the 16th century were by far Venice and Antwerp, both being port cities. This printing production is reflected in the works held in the DCU library collections. See the map showing distribution of printing below. The term printer, publisher, and bookseller were almost synonymous at the time as printers took on the risk and creative control over what was being produced, allowing EPBs to evolve based on demand.

Printing houses, in themselves, offer a rich seam of research possibilities as printing families would work alongside and marry into other printing houses, with widows sometimes taking over companies after their husbands’ deaths. Printers included their own illustration, or printer’s device, on books’ title pages.

Often elaborate engravings, these devices included mottos and allegories, sometimes captioned with addresses such as “St Paul’s Churchyard, at the sign of the pelican”. The largest percentage of the 16th century EPBs in our collections was printed in Venice, Rome, Paris, Lyon, Antwerp, Cologne, and London, with many other European cities also represented.

A map of European printing locations represented in the 16th Century EPBs in our collections.
Picture credit Sharon Corrigan (made using mapchart.net), 2025

Here are some illustrative examples from the collection of marks that printers in Europe used during the 16th century.

A selection of printers' devices representing the printing hubs of Europe in the 16th century.

Reference:

CRAI Universitat de Barcelona. (n.d.). Universitat de Barcelona Printers’ devices. Printers’ Devices. https://marques.crai.ub.edu/id/img/0057017a

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