Using the Library

Face coverings

In line with the Government's publication of Statutory Instrument No. 296, face coverings are now mandatory in the Library. Readers will be required to wear a suitable face covering if they wish to access the Reading Room.

Opening Hours

Due to the introduction of Covid-19 Level 3 restrictions in Dublin, we regret that the Library is closed to staff and the public until further notice.

Please check the library homepage or Twitter feed for updates.

Ask a Librarian

We welcome queries about our collections of books, manuscripts, prints and drawings. Just email your query to the librarian on duty or contact us by phone (+353-1-6090620).

How to Gain Admission to the Library

We welcome new readers to the library. Our reading room provides a friendly quiet atmosphere in the heart of the city. To gain access to the library, you must either register as a library reader or use an ALCID card (see below for further details).

To register, please complete a registration form. You will also need to produce a current valid photo ID or

• a letter of introduction from an Academy Member, or from a County Librarian or the Librarian or Head of Department of a Higher Education Authority institution, or from the Higher Education Authority or the Department of Education and Science, or from a North of Ireland third-level institution, or from the Secretary of a Local History Society or

• a National Library of Ireland Reader's Ticket or

• a National Archives of Ireland Reader's Ticket or

• a Public Record Office of Northern Ireland Reader's Ticket or

• a Linen Hall Library Reader's Ticket or

• a letter of introduction from the faculty of a university (in the case of overseas academics and students) or

• a valid student's card and passport

Registration forms must be validated by the Librarian on duty. A Reader's Ticket is issued on payment of €25 and is renewable on an annual basis. The charge may be revised from time to time. The form can be downloaded or sent to you by e-mail/post, or you may obtain one in the library.

Members of Academy committees or commissions, or members of consultative committees affiliated to the Academy, are eligible to read in the Library. They will be issued with a Reader's Ticket on completion of a registration form and are not required to pay a fee.

ALCID (Academic Libraries Co-operating in Ireland)

ALCID is a co-operative access scheme which enables access to the collections of each of the participating libraries, without formality, on production of a common ALCID membership card for full-time academics, academic-related staff and registered students reading for postgraduate degrees.

Please note that the ALCID scheme has been suspended for the 2020/21 academic year. However, the RIA Library will continue to accept ALCID cards with an expiry date of the 30th September 2020 for a further three months (until the 18th December 2020).

The following institutions participate in this scheme:

• Dublin City University (Glasnevin and St Patrick's campus libraries)

• Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies

• Technological University Dublin

• Mary Immaculate College, Limerick

• Maynooth University

• National College of Art and Design (NCAD)

• National University of Ireland Galway

• Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

• Royal Irish Academy

• Saint Angela’s College, Sligo

• Trinity College Dublin

• University College Dublin

• University College Cork

• University of Limerick

• Ulster University