RTÉ Stills Library Collection

Repository: RTE Stills Library

Identity Statement

TitleRTÉ Stills Library Collection
Archive ReferenceIE RTÉ Archives/Stills Collection
Web Link to this Entryhttps://iar.ie/archive/rti-stills-library-collection
Creation Dates1920s-present
Extent MediumApproximately 72,000 images, digitised from positives and photographic prints as well as original images shot digitally.

Context

Creator(s): RTÉ Stills Library

  • Administrative History ↴

    The RTÉ Stills Library collection documents the history of RTÉ from the early years of radio and television to the present day, the images are owned by the corporation. The source of the material is varied acquired through deposits from staff and commissions from professional photographers or photographic agencies. The identified photographers of the RTÉ Stills Library collection include: Beta Bajgartova, Sandra Byrne, Sean Byrne, Kip Carroll, Roger Childs, Aidan Crawley, Cormac Duffy, Leon Farrell, Paul Flood, Jack Fox, Desmond Gaffney, Joseph Hoban, Tomas Holton, Conor Horgan, Paul Golding, Gordon Goodwin, Gerry Grace, Emma Keogh, Darren Kinsella, Lensmen Photographic Agency, Oistín MacBride, Richard May, Barry McCall, Barry McEvoy, Mac Innes Photography, Sarah McIntyre, Maxwell Photography, Glen Mulcahy, Oliver Murphy, Kyran O’Brien, Fachtna Ó Drisceoil, Denis O’Farrell, Mike O’Toole, Denise Sammon, Lorraine Sherry, Paul Sherwood, Kieran Slyne, Mary Sweeney, Bernard Walsh, Lisa Wikstrand, Liam Wylie.

  • Archival History ↴

    The collection has been acquired over a number of years in the form of private deposits and commissions.

  • Immediate Source Acquisition ↴

    Permanent Loan/Purchase

Content & Structure

  • Scope & Content: RTÉ Stills Library ↴

    The RTÉ Stills Library Collection contains new acquisitions, a selection of RTÉ photographic commissions and ‘Fair City’ images shot since 2003. One of the earliest commissions records the opening night of Telefís Éireann on New Year’s Eve 1961. More recent acquisitions include shots of ‘Late Late Show’ guests (Tom Cruise, Brian O’Driscoll, Steve Coogan) and publicity shots of RTÉ Television broadcasters and presenters.

  • Appraisal Destruction ↴

    Permanent Retention

  • Accruals ↴

    Further accruals are ongoing

  • Arrangement ↴

    The collection is held in a linear arrangement in reference number order.

Conditions of Access & Use

Access Conditions All fully catalogued images in the RTÉ Stills Library Collection are available to view online with the RTÉ watermark. Any newly catalogued images are uploaded to the website on a weekly basis. Unwatermarked images, whether high or low resolution, are only issued via Stills Library staff.
Conditions Governing ReproductionImages can be reproduced with permission only and according to rate card published on RTÉ Stills Library Online. An online ordering system exists.
Creation Dates1920s-present
Extent MediumApproximately 72,000 images, digitised from positives and photographic prints as well as original images shot digitally.
Characteristics Tech ReqPrints and positives were digitised as are high resolution jpegs, 18MB in size with a pixel dimension of 2048 x 3072. Due to the wide range of photographers, each working to their own specifications, images shot digitally vary in size. E.g. 16MB with a pixel dimension of 2925 x 1911; 23.9MB with a pixel dimension of 3543 x 2362 pixels; 24.7MB with a pixel dimension of 3600 x 2400 pixels or 60.2MB with a pixel dimension of 5616 x 3744. Fair City images in this Collection, shot from approximately 2003 -2009 are uncompressed TIFF files. They are 28MB in size with a pixel dimension of 2048 x 3072.
Finding Aids An item level catalogue is available to search online at: https://stillslibrary.rte.ie/indexplus/collections.html Archive Web Link →

Allied Materials

Related MaterialImages related to this collection can be viewed: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjZkpCPw

Descriptive Control Area

Archivist NoteRTE Stills Librarian
Rules/ConventionsISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. 2nd ed. Ottowa: International Council on Archives, 2000. National Council on Archives: Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names. Chippenham: National Council on Archives, 1997.
Date of DescriptionsMarch 2014.