TELEPRINTER:RTÉ will close its physical reference library, a walk-in research support service for its journalists and programme-makers, next month.
The archive resources required by staff will now be available online, either directly in each department or through centrally-managed services, according to a spokesman for the broadcaster.
The change comes as the RTÉ archives department, which employs around 30 people, prioritises the digitisation of RTÉ’s extensive documents and audio-visual archive.
“This considerable undertaking will be particularly resource intensive,” the spokesman added.
The Rte.ie/archiveswebsite was revamped earlier this year and features themed exhibitions curated by a team led by RTÉ's head of archives Bríd Dooley.
RTÉ, which has a statutory obligation to keep archives, will also be among the media organisations eligible to apply for grants under the new Broadcast Archiving Scheme run by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. This scheme will award a maximum of €2.8 million in its debut funding round next year.
