Tuesday, 23 November 2021

Say Cheese! Registry of Deeds agrees self-use digital photography

The Registry of Deeds (RoD) in Dublin has announced a change of policy today which is sure to make Irish family historians happy.

Researchers visiting the RoD's Reading Rooms can now request permission to take digital photos of records over 100 years old.

They will have to speak to a member of staff first, and complete a request form. They will then be able to use a small hand-held camera or (silent) mobile phone, both in flash-free mode, to take images.

Any images taken must be for the visitor's non-commercial historical ressearch.

The announcement has been made as part of the #ExploreYourArchive (EYA) Week, a promotion of the Archives and Records Association, the professional body for archivists, conservators and records managers in the UK and Ireland. It's a busy week on social media with different themes each day (see image below). Use the hashtag to explore twitter posts by ARA members. You're sure to discover interesting archives and record collections, and a good few events are taking place, too.

One of them is from the Registry of Deeds/PRAI and will take place online on Thursday 25 November at 11am, when Dr Patrick Walsh and Dr Andrew Mackillop will give a free lecture titled “Reading the Deeds and Sasines: A Digital Humanities approach to the Irish and Scottish Land Records". It's free and all are welcome. You need to register.