Chester Beatty Report of the Library Trustees 2016 Contents Trustees of the Library 4 Director’s Report 6 Our Mission 12 Our Vision 13 Strategic Priority 1: To safeguard, manage and develop the Collections 14 Preservation of the Collections 15 New Acquisition 17 Papers or talks presented by Library Staff 18 Publications and Research 21 Strategic Priority 2: To enhance access, physically and digitally, to the Collections for diverse audiences 22 Exhibitions 23 Loans from the Collections 29 Digital Access to the Collections 32 Public and Community Programming 32 Membership Programme 35 Visitor Feedback 36 Press and Marketing 37 Liaison with Tourism Partners 37 Building Maintenance 37 Strategic Priority 3: To promote intercultural dialogue and learning 38 Annual Lecture and Chester Beatty Symposium 39 The Creative Museum project (2014–2017) 39 Anna Lindh Intercultural Network Action 40 The Voice of Culture 41 Intrface Erasmus + (2015–2017) 41 Dublin’s Culture Connects: The National Neighbourhood Project 41 Visitors to the Library 41 Strategic Priority 4: To ensure the CBL is financially sustainable and cost effective in its operations 42 Development 43 Strategic Priority 5: To attract, retain and develop our staff 44 Staff Training 47 Staff List 48 Trustees of the Library The Library is a public self-governing All expenses are paid in accordance with charitable trust. Registered Charity no. the guidelines and rules set down by the CHY 5879 Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Established under the terms of the will of Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, which was The Trustees of the Library are granted probate in 1969, the collection currently: is vested in the Trustees who own and operate the Library. The Board Dr T. P. Hardiman (appointed 1991, of Trustees consists of a maximum of elected Chairman March 1998) twelve members, one each of whom Mr Eamonn Ceannt (appointed is appointed by the President and December 2013) Ministerial appointee Taoiseach and three by the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Sir Marc Cochrane (appointed 1988) Gaeltacht Affairs. The Director of the Dr Sandra Collins (appointed July National Library serves as a Trustee ex 2015) Ex officio officio. All other Trustees are co-opted. Dr Catherine Day (appointed The Trustees elect the Chair. Since November 2015) 1997 the Trustees of the Library are appointed or co-opted to serve five-year Dr Dermot Desmond (appointed July terms and may serve a maximum of 1991) two consecutive five year terms. Dr Patricia Donlon (appointed October The Board of the Chester Beatty 2011 until October 2016) Ministerial Library is not a State Board. The appointee Chester Beatty Library is, however, Dr Declan Downey (appointed May committed to compliance with best 2012) Ministerial appointee practice Corporate Governance and is cognisant of the Code of Practice for Professor Kathleen James-Chakraborty the Governance of State Bodies. (appointed March 2010; reappointed 2015) The Library’s full audited financial statements for 2016 are published in Professor Brian McGing (appointed a separate attachment to this Annual September 2013) Taoiseach’s appointee Report. These have been prepared Professor Roger Stalley (appointed in accordance with relevant account 1993) Presidential appointee standards. The Board of Trustees met five times Trustees do not receive any remuneration, in 2016. aside from modest receipted expenses incurred, while carrying out their duties. 4 Chester Beatty Library Director’s Report 2016 was a year of commemoration in Ireland, a year when the nation reflected on the events surrounding the Easter Rising of 1916. The challenge for the Chester Beatty Library was to ‘fit in’ with the varied programme of activities. While it does not hold Irish historical material of this period, what distinguishes the Library is its focus on global artistic heritage. For many Irish people a visit to the Chester Beatty is Dr James Cuno, President and CEO, their first step towards understanding J. Paul Getty Trust agreed to speak at another culture and it quickly became our annual lecture. His talk, Memory, clear to us that our contribution to Nostalgia, Meaning: Identity Politics ‘Ireland 2016’ was to be the voice of and Cultural Heritage, acted also as the the many strands of our society today, keynote for the symposium and set exploring what role, or responsibility, the tone for the papers and discussion we have in acknowledging and that followed. responding to the changing profile Irish multiculturalism opens new of our community. debates about culture and identity In February, therefore, we looked at and requires new narratives – and the role of museums in defining the museums have the experience, identity of a nation, and how they can knowledge and potential to develop influence the ideas and values that narratives that explore our historic and contribute to our sense of national artistic connections. Although based culture and identity, with a symposium on scholarly research, these stories entitled The Role of National Museums can be interpreted at multiple levels, in (Re) Negotiating National Identity to communicate our shared common (12 February). We were honoured that values and needs. ‘Irish multiculturalism opens new debates about culture and identity and requires new narratives’ Report of the Trustees 2016 7 Moreover, museums are highly In recognition of the cultural connected, and have the added benefit diversity in the classroom today (and responsibility) of being able to the Chester Beatty has proactively reach large, diverse audiences – aided sought to contribute to the secondary by online resources and social media schools’ curriculum. Our Education – and therefore to promulgate cross- Department has produced learning cultural themes. resources on world religions for leaving certificate students; and in 2016, we I was delighted to be invited to deliver contributed to the National Council for a keynote (which I called ‘The Great Curriculum Assessment consultation Glories of Man’: is culture the glue in a process in the development of the new fractured world?) at the Asia Europe junior cert module on world religions Foundation Governors’ meeting in and the new curriculum for the junior Singapore on 1 December where I was cert art craft and design module. able to expand on some of these ideas and raise awareness of the work of the The importance for Ireland of having a Library. collection of the quality of the Chester Beatty is increasingly understood in The Library has been running a multi- terms of global relations and cultural cultural learning programme for over diplomacy. On 29 August I was invited 16 years. Through the displays, their to the Department of Arts, Heritage, interpretation and accompanying Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht activities, we have sought to enhance Affairs where Paschal Donohoe TD, our visitors’ understanding of the Minister for Public Expenditure and cultures represented in the collections; Reform, co-signed with the Vice and to promote the sense of a shared Minister of Culture from the People’s human heritage based on shared Republic of China, Xiang Zhaolun, a emotional and spiritual needs. While Memorandum of Understanding on this may seem to have been an obvious Cultural Cooperation and Exchange path for the Chester Beatty to follow, between both Ministries. Mr Yue given the nature of our Collections, it Xiaoyong, Chinese Ambassador to is important not to underestimate our Ireland, was also in attendance. achievements and the unique role we have forged in this regard. ‘we have sought….to promote the sense of a shared human heritage based on shared emotional and spiritual needs’ 8 Chester Beatty Library In my role as Director of the Library, cultural understanding between the I currently chair the Asia-Europe two regions. Museum Association (ASEMUS), a In 2016 the Library drew up a new cross-cultural network of museums five-year strategic plan. Building on which seeks to promote mutual the achievements of the previous plan, understanding between the peoples of we reduced the number of top-level Asia and Europe through collaborative Strategic Priorities from eight to five. museum-based cultural activity. The key word for this plan is access – The Library has played a central role in all its many and varied forms – and in coordinating one of ASEMUS’ our single key priority is to ensure that initiatives, the Educational Exchange we have the resources to carry out Outreach Programme. On a modest our objectives in this regard. budget, with funding from the Asia Europe Foundation (ASEF) Since the move from its original the member museums manage the location on Shrewsbury Road, visitor exchange of museum educators numbers to the Library have increased amongst partner museums from Asia year on year. In 2016 there were just and Europe. This simple yet effective over 370,000 visitors, an 8% increase programme provides young educators on 2015. In itself, this is good news and with the opportunity to exchange an important quantitative measure of best practise ideas in another cultural the Library’s success in delivering its environment and to bring new ideas mission. It is however more rewarding and experiences home with them, to learn that those visitors enjoyed thus strengthening connections and their time in the Library, visiting Report of the Trustees 2016 9 the galleries, attending talks and have set ourselves the goal of initiating workshops, and meeting friends over in-house digitisation of the collections a cup of coffee. It is by providing an by 2017. In this regard, I wish to record open, welcoming space – a place for our deepest gratitude to one of our creativity and discourse – that culture long standing Trustees, Mr Dermot has the potential to connect and Desmond, who in 2016 committed inspire. And according to our own to fund two digital photographer in-house surveys and online fora, our for a period of three years. As we visitors overwhelmingly appreciated progress our ambitious programme of and responded to our displays and digitisation and making the collections public programmes.