County library taking the hits

Clare People Weekender, 6th July 2007

Clare County Library’s website is one of the most popular in the country, according to a nationwide internet survey which ranked it ahead of such popular domains as goldenpages.ie, anpost.ie and eircom.ie. Ranked at number 48, www.clarelibrary.ie is one of two public libraries to be included in the listing of 370 Irish sites ahead of sites belonging to the National Library, Irish Independent, Fáilte Ireland, TV3, An Garda Síochána and Meteor.

The listing has been generated on www.top100ireland.com based on the amount of mentions each website address receives in multiple Internet searches. County Librarian Noel Crowley said the number of Internet users - academic and personal – logging on to the website is continuing to increase and this can be largely attributed to the free and unlimited access to the websites expansive range of historical documents, historical articles, photographs and ordinance survey maps.

Over 2.3 million users have logged on to www.clarelibrary.ie since it first went live in 1998. Recent additions to the website include Ecclesiastical Remains - Monuments of County Clare; 1841 & 1851 Census Search Forms; A Folklore Survey of County Clare by Thomas Johnson Westropp; The Grand Jury and Petty’s Down Survey Maps, The United Irishmen of North West Clare, 1798; and Registry of Freeholders, County Clare, 1841. Meanwhile, 49 historical maps dating back to the early 1700s have recently been made available online by Clare County Library via www.clarelibrary.ie. The David Rumsey Historical Map Collection features the first maps to make reference to the West Clare Railway while others provide information on historic landmarks and tribal settlements.

For further information on Clare County Library contact 065 6821616, log on to www.clarelibrary.ie or email mailbox@clarelibrary.ie.

<< Library Newscuttings