[email protected] @jomograd The Liam O’Leary Archive; Ireland’s Film on Paper The Project The collection is held in the National Library of Ireland and the project is a collaborative project with the Irish Film Institute. The aim of the project is to process, preserve, conserve, and catalogue the Liam O’Leary Archive; and make it available to the public for re- search. A potential outcome of the project is to produce procedures for access and preservation of non-print materials such as audio reels, in the Na- tional Library of Ireland. Another aspect of the project is to promote the collection and project through a blog, social media, presentations and a possible exhibition. The project is due to be completed in March 2017. Potential Themes of Research Censorship and politics of film in Ireland Irish identity at home and abroad Audio visual heritage: preservation, access, obsolescence, copyright. Signed portrait of director Rex Ingram Producon sll from the Ingram - directed film ‘Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse’. Leer from Liam O’Leary to Alice Terry Ingram Liam O’Leary and the start of the Archive Born in Cork in 1910, Liam O’Leary was a leading figure in Irish moving image archiving and worked to promote a film industry in Ireland. He worked for the Abbey Theatre, British Film In- stitute and RTÉ, and also helped to form the Dublin Little Theatre Guild and the Irish Film So- ciety. In 1976 Liam O’Leary organised an exhibition en- titled ‘Cinema Ireland, 1896-1976’ for the Dublin Arts Festival in the Douglas Hyde Gallery. He had been a researcher and collector of film and cinema materials his whole life, however the exhibition in 1976 was the official start of the Liam O’Leary Archive. The collection was donated to the National Library in 1986. A collection of film reels belonging to Liam O’Leary have been archived in the Irish Film Institute. Silk souvenir programme of Cinématographe show given by the Lord Lieutenant in 1903. Photograph of Liam O’Leary, courtesy of the Irish Film Instute Archive Benefits of Collaboration The project can avail of two institutions’ expertise and professional connections; which may lead to further funding. There is potential to exchange specialised knowledge and training. Using both institutions’ resources and funding, the collection will be catalogued and made available; this may not have happened with on- ly one institution. The project enhances the collections of the each institution; better for the researcher and the general field of study. Building relationships with other institutions may lead to further pro- jects and collaborations. Challenges of Collaboration Both organisations may have different standards, policies, procedures and environments which have to be navigated. Two physical locations may lead to issues with coordination of the project or communication. How to collaborate well Know the collection well and its po- tential and limitations. Communicate well, by asking for ad- vice, sharing knowledge and giving feedback. Share responsibilities evenly; don’t ex- pect the other institution to do the work. Be flexible; the scope of the project may change, adapt with the changes. Know and agree on the scope, poten- tial and limitations of the overall pro- ject. Know each others institutional poli- cies, requirements and limitations. Have regular meetings and updates. A projector from the Liam O’Leary Archive MS 50,000/149/103; Irish Film Society photograph from a Children’s Film Commiee manee showing Poster from the Theatre Royal, Dublin MS 50,000/230/29; Exterior of the Theatre Royal, Dublin The Collection The collection is made up of the personal research, memorabilia and correspondence of Liam O’Leary. There is also a large collec- tion of Irish Film Society materials. The collection includes: Personal correspondence and research Irish Film Society correspondence, administrative and event ma- terials Research and information on cinemas, Irish and international films and filmmakers Rex Ingram correspondence, research and photographs Film posters, memorabilia and artefacts Production stills, negatives, slides and newspaper clippings Journals, periodicals, programmes and books VHS tapes, film and audio reels.