The Irish builder and engineer catalogue

This paper reports on the Irish Builder and Engineer research project which was conducted as part of the UCD Irish Virtual Research Library and Archive (IVRLA) series of demonstrator research projects. The remit of these projects was to provide digital research resources and to show how digital repositories could not only provide access to archival research materials but could also present material in new ways and suggest themes for further research. The Irish Builder and Engineer, which commenced publication in 1859 and survived under various titles until 1979, is a key resource in understanding the development of the Irish building and engineering trades. This project, which is the first phase of a long-term project, created a complete contents catalogue of the journal from 1890 to 1914, thus facilitating academic investigation into the history of engineering, construction and sanitary science in Ireland as well as into the history and content of The Irish Builder and Engineer itself. The research paper outlines the history and significance of the journal, describes the process of designing the catalogue, and explains the issues encountered in completing the work. The paper concludes with suggestions as to how this project could be developed in the future.