At the heart of RCSI Heritage Collections is the RCSI College Archive. The College Archive exists to preserve the activities and history of RCSI. It aims to document the contribution of RCSI to past and future developments in healthcare education and practice in Ireland and the role of RCSI in influencing positive global health outcomes.
The College Archive encompasses the breadth of activities undertaken by RCSI: from its establishment as the national training body for surgery in 1784 to its present day iteration as a world-leading health sciences university and research institution offering education and training at undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional level. It contains formal and official records that provide evidence of the governance and administration of RCSI at institutional and departmental level. Examples of this include:
- Proceedings of the College Council and meetings of RCSI governing body committees and sub-committees
- Faculty and School meeting minutes and supporting documents
- Governing documents e.g. constitutions, by-laws, charters, mission and vision statements etc.
- Strategic and financial plans and annual reports
- Institutional and departmental quality reviews
- Policies and procedures
- Publications and promotional material
- Press releases
- Visual media (photographs, videos etc.)
The College Archive also collects more loosely structured material beyond the ‘official’ record of RCSI that reflects its various activities and functions. Examples of these activities include:
- Project and event files
- Estate management and campus development
- Staff, student, and alumni mailings and newsletters
- Collaborative initiatives with external bodies and institutions
- Student body societies and activities
We need you!
The RCSI College Archive is a living, growing collection and you and your department can play an important part in its development by sending us relevant material for inclusion.
Click here to find out more about how to transfer material from your department or role to the RCSI College Archive.