The Linen Hall Library gratefully acknowledges the kind support of the following organisations: Cover photos (from top l-r):

Young reader at the Library’s

November fundraising Readathon;

Children Play by the River Nile in

Melut, from the ‘Make Them Visible’

exhibition; Scottish Women’s Hospital,

Serbia 1916, from the ‘Women and the

First World War’ exhibition; relief

from the ‘From Home to Here’

exhibition; Rebecca Spiers from the

Cancer Fund for Children with Emma

Armer from the Henderson Group

celebrating World Book Day; Horses

and traditional dress are an everyday

sight in the Mongolian countryside,

from the ‘Images of Mongolia’

exhibition; taken from the exhibition

‘A Botanical Relection’ by Aisling

Smyth; from the ‘Sunshine in

Ulster’ exhibition.

Glenn Patterson and Cynthia Smith (DCAL) with

children from Shaftesbury Nursery School at the

Library’s November Readthon Fundraising Drive.

President’s Foreword 01

Director’s Report 02

Librarian’s Report 03

Governors 04

Staff & Volunteers 05

2015 Report 06

Facts & Figures 12

Financial Summary 13

Statement of Financial Activity 14

Statement of Financial Position 15

Corporate Members 16

Door Into The Dark

From ‘Art Inspired by Seamus Heaney’

an exhibition by Edward Cartin.

President’s Foreword

1

There is only one way to describe 2015 for the Linen HallLibrary – a rollercoaster of a year. The Arts Council’spronouncement that the Library was not a ‘core frontline artsdelivery organisation’, although the application was deemed tobe of a high standard, was the most stomach-churning moment.Add to this mix reduced DCAL funding across the board for allarts organisations and that sinking feeling prevailed.

But it was only for a short time before our ethos ofpragmatism came to the fore. The Library’s Director engagedwith the appeal process and we regained 68% funding. Thenumber of members, patrons and media outlets who gavetheir unprompted support to the Library’s cause was heartwarming. Equally, the number of financial donations frommembers made at that time was validation of the extent offeeling for the Library.

Realising that our destiny, more than ever, is in our ownhands, the Readathon in November was launched toemphasise the fact that the Linen Hall Library is a charity.Readings from school pupils, authors, book groups andLibrary members gave a real buzz to the event. Climbing upagain was based on sheer hard work but was also exciting.The success in funding applications by the Library’s staff isevidenced in the financial out-turn at the year end.

Some would say that our real wealth lies in collections andconnections. The second Writers on Writers Festival in Mayfocussed on that significant literary form, the short story. Itdemonstrated that the Linen Hall Library remains at the heartof Northern Ireland’s culture, encouraging new talent andsupporting our established writers.

From the strategic perspective, as is their role, the Board ofGovernors has launched a concerted campaign to ensure thelonger term sustainability of the Library. An important elementis the ongoing digitisation of our unique resources, especiallythe Northern Ireland Political Collection. Our definition ofsustainability is to preserve the past for future audiences.

All in all, there were more ups than downs in 2015, thanks tothe commitment of Library staff, Governors and the stalwartsupport of the Library’s membership. Onwards and upwards,we hope.

Anne DaviesPresident

Elaine McCoo@mamabassetA long-held goal achieved ! Finally a member of@thelinenhall library,beautiful and historicand legendary.

2

Director’s Report

Within this Annual Report you will see the breadth and depthof the Library’s activities during 2015 which show us indeedas a “cultural powerhouse.”

In 2015 the Library continued to deal with challengingeconomic times. I worked with funders to continuedeveloping excellent working relationships. We received coregrants from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure;Belfast City Council and the Arts Council of NorthernIreland. We, initially, did not receive funding from the ArtsCouncil but won an appeal which allowed us to drawdownthe appropriate amount for a salary.

At the end of 2015 we were delighted to receive a letter ofoffer from the Heritage Lottery Fund which will enable us todigitise part of the Northern Ireland Political Collection,focussing mainly on material from the 1990s. Alongside thiswe will be curating two major exhibitions. There will also bean element of outreach and education work with schools,linking into the GCSE curriculum. We will also focus on anintergenerational, cross-community reminiscence project.

In addition to this, we received capital funding from BelfastCity Council and the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisurein the latter half of 2015. This includes, amongst other items,repairs to our iconic front door and new sound and lighting inour performance area, to be carried out in 2016.

I am continuing to look at how we can diversify our incomestreams within the Library. This has been developed throughtourism, the charity shop and genealogy workshops over thelast number of years.

Future sustainability and relevance are at the forefront ofeverything we do. At the end of 2015 we had a fundraisingmonth in November and had our inaugural Readathon. A verydiverse group of friends took part reading from their favouritebook over a twelve-hour period. The objective was to remindpeople that the Linen Hall Library is a very worthwhilecharity, and we would urge people to fundraise for us too.

I would like to record my sincere thanks to the Governors andstaff of the Library for their tremendous support throughoutthe year.

Julie AndrewsDirector

kevin freeburn@KevFreeburnJoined @thelinenhalltoday as a nice weeChristmas present formyself. Can't help thinkingI really should've joinedages ago.

Librarian’s Report

3

I was pleased to join the Linen Hall Library in September2015 and would like to take this opportunity to thank themembership for the warm welcome and kind words ofencouragement I have received.

Since taking up post my focus has been on understanding thecollections and getting up to speed with the library serviceswe provide. An initial review highlighted a number of areasof focus including the accessibility and visibility ofcollections, cataloguing and storage of material, andcomplementary library services from the General and Irish &Reference desks. Acknowledging the difficult financialenvironment, I am grateful for the understanding of ourmembers around changes to services which are essential toensure the sustainability of the Library, which I know is ourshared common goal.

The period to the end of 2015 was busy in the Library. A major retrospective cataloguing project was scoped andstarted, plans were developed for the reassessment andreorganisation of our on and off site storage, and funding wassecured for an exciting digitisation project of archives of anumber of writers. The very successful Readathon was atimely reminder of the importance of the Linen Hall as aliterary library and I am hopeful this project will not onlyenhance our online digital content but will increase awarenessand interest in the archives and reinforce our literary heritage.

Partnerships are an essential element of the Library and Ihave been building relationships with partner organisationssuch as Queen’s University Belfast, who host our LibraryManagement System, and the National Collection of NorthernIreland Publications. Housing the NIPR collection at theLinen Hall is a natural fit and it was pleasing to help NIPRcelebrate their 15th anniversary in October. A partnershipagreement with the Ulster Scots Agency will facilitate aproject around our Ulster Scots material, and we are makingprogress in our work towards Museum Accreditation.

The contribution which interns and volunteers make to theLibrary is immeasurable and we are grateful for theirdedication and industry. I have also had the pleasure ofwelcoming visitors to the Library and an overview of the kinddonations which enriched the collections in 2015 is includedin this report.

Samantha McCombeLibrarian

Jonathan

Stewart @jonstewt

Great to hear

@thelinenhall first female

librarian Samantha McCombe

on @bbcradioulster this

morning talking about the

library's plans.

President Mrs A Davies, BA Hons, DILS

Vice-President Mr D Lewis, MA, PG Dip, BSc

Honorary Secretary: Mr H Campbell, LL.B., LL.M

Acting Treasurer: Mr S Mungavin, BA CPFA (to June)

Treasurer: Mrs A Chapman OBE, BSSc Hons, MSW (from June)

Governors: Mr P Cavan

Mr G Dorrian, MSc (resigned May)

Mr S Harvey (co-opted January)

Mr J Johnston, MA, M Litt, JP

Mr A Kershaw, BA (elected June)

Mr C Radcliffe, BA Hons

Mr J M Scott, BA, MA (elected June)

Mr J Stewart, MSc, MA, BSc (elected June)

Mrs J Trewsdale, OBE, BA, FSS, C.Stat (retired June)

Steve Mungavin

Maolcholaim Scott

Hugh Campbell

Stuart Harvey

Peter Cavan

Cliff Radcliffe

Anne DaviesAlice Chapman

Jack Johnston David LewisAlan Kershaw

Janet Trewsdale

4

HONORARY MEMBERS

The Linen Hall Library confersHonorary Membership on individualswho have shown exceptional supportfor the organisation.

Our current Honorary Members are:

Mrs Jennifer CampbellDr Pat DonlonMr Barry DouglasMr Tom HartleyDr M N HayesMs Jennifer JohnstonMr Brian KeenanMr Michael LongleyMr Neil MartinMs Sinéad MorrisseyMr Glenn PattersonMr John SimmsProfessor Brian Walker

Governors

Jonathan Stewart

George Dorrian

Management Team:

Director Ms J Andrews, LLB (Hons)Librarian Mr J Killen, MA, MLS (retired January)Librarian Miss S McCombe, MA, MSc (from September)Deputy Librarian Mrs M Cash, BA (Hons), DLISCustomer Services Manager Mrs M RyanAdministration Manager Ms I McGirr, HND, Dip RSAFinance Manager Mrs K Law, BSSc (Hons) Accounting, FCA

Library Services:

Senior Library Assistant Mr G Carville, BA, MSc Econ (ILS)Library Assistants Mrs H Arrell

Miss C Daly, MA, BAMrs M Delargy, BA (Hons), DLIS MSScMr A Dunlop, BA (Hons), PG Dip (LIM)Miss M Flynn, (from July)Miss V GeymonatMr A Gordon, BA, MScMrs E McMullan, BA, DLIB (retired November)

Cataloguing Assistant Mrs D FerranNational Collection of NI Publications (NIPR) Mrs J Crooks, BLS, MScDivided Society Project Assistant Miss K Keane, BA, MA (to February)

Administrative Services:

Finance Assistant Miss A McDermottPublic Relations & Marketing Officer Mrs R Wetherall, BA (Hons), MA, Dip Digital MarketingGraphics Editor Ms D EllimanEvents Programmer Mrs D Douglas, BA (Hons), MA

Facilities Officer Mr R Grainger

Charity Shop Manager Mr D Cash, BA (Hons)

Coffee House:

Catering Supervisor Mrs L Gribben (to June)Catering Assistants Mrs A Rainey (to June)

Ms L Currie (to June)Mrs M Creaney (to June)

Interns Miss F Crozier, Miss C Daly

Graduate Trainee Ms B Fox

Volunteers Mr M Allison, Miss G Ashe, Mr D Bell, Miss G Charlton, Mr H Cox, Mr G Devaney, Mr A Fagan, Ms B Fox, Miss E Gordon, Mr J Graham,Mrs A Hietala, Ms R Hopkins, Ms K Keane, Ms P Kernaghan, Mr TKernaghan, Mr A Kershaw, Mrs L Murray, Mrs D McAuley, Ms CMacGiffin, Ms M McGoldrick, Miss C McGowan, Dr S McRandall,Mr E Parkes, Mr C Richardson, Mrs P Ricketts, Ms C Savonitti, Mr MStafford, Mr G Watson, Mrs K Wilson and Mrs L Wilson.

We would like to thank all our volunteers for their assistance during 2015.

5

Staff & Volunteers

2015

6

Snapshot

“Heritage”, “Unique”, “Welcoming” – these are just a few ofthe adjectives used to describe the Linen Hall Library in amembership focus group held in early 2015. There is noquestion that the Library is held in high esteem and greataffection by the people of Northern Ireland and it is ourprimary objective to ensure that continues.

2015 was a somewhat turbulent year with great highs, and a fewnail-biting lows. Early in the year we launched the Linen Hall’sPostcards Ireland mobile/web app (www.postcardsireland.com)which made available over 7,000 images from our vast postcardcollection (3). People all over the globe were able to purchaseimages as a postcard and send them anywhere in the world.Digitisation is a major goal in our future strategy to ensure thecollections are available to as wide an audience as possible.

In May we held the second Writers on Writers Festival aroundthe theme of the short story. Bernard MacLaverty, AidenO’Reilly, Glenn Patterson, and Damian Smyth from the ArtsCouncil, which funded the event, gathered to kick off theweek-long schedule of talks, debates, workshops and more.Many of the events were sold out confirming the Festival’sgrowing popularity in Belfast’s literary scene.

Continuing in our quest to support and promote local writing,our Writers’ Forum, organised by local writers Michael Nolanand Padraig Regan, and Of Mouth Poetry Collective continuedthroughout the year. We also set up an Irish book club as partof the Líofa Programme to encourage the Irish language.

Unfortunately the Library hit some financial turbulenceduring the year as cumulative funding cuts began to bite andthe announcement in July that the Arts Council had ceasedfunding for our events programme. Our supporters, membersand the general public rallied round, and to our great reliefand sincere gratitude a large part of the budget was reinstated.

In September Samantha McCombe was welcomed as thefirst-ever female Librarian appointed in the Library’s 227-year history, following the former Librarian John Killen’sretirement in January after 37 years’ service. Samantha’sappointment completed another first – an all-femalemanagement team.

Because the Library is free to enter and is a central part of thehistoric cultural life of the city, it receives many donationsincluding archives, books, private collections and items ofgeneral interest. A number of fascinating and uniquedonations found their way to the Linen Hall during 2015.These include an original 1847 Irish famine relief box andfood tickets; the archive of the late writer and broadcasterSam McAughtry (1921 – 2014); the digitised Marcas ÓMurchú Irish Language, Music and Culture Archive; a bronzecast portrait of the actor, director and travel writer RichardHayward (4); and a substantial Irish stamp collection.

The Linen Hall is one of Belfast’s most popular touristdestinations, not only for the general public, but also for visitingVIPs. Many dropped in to say hello, including the newlyappointed US Consul General Daniel Lawton (1); the Ministerof Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys TD; and theMinister of State for Gaeltacht Affairs Joe McHugh TD (2).

A social networking post from the winner of a competition fora year’s Linen Hall membership wrapped the year upperfectly with this tweet:

T' Elle@EunoiaMBs - Best thing to come through post box

this Christmas; membership of Linen Hall Library.

NicolaMcCrudden@nicmccruddenBrilliantpostcardsireland.com @thelinenhall

1

2 3

4

Arts, Culture and Tourism

In 2015, the Library offered a range of arts and culturalprogrammes, bringing a broad range of artists to itsaudiences. The reduction in Arts Council funding in 2015meant a reduction in our arts and cultural offering and ledto the cancellation of several planned projects. However,we were delighted to work with several community projectsand to develop our programme of arts and culturalactivities. This work was made possible by funding fromthe Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure; the ArtsCouncil of Northern Ireland and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Linking Our Collections to Memorable Occasions

2015 saw a number of significant anniversaries, notably the Annual Famine Commemoration which was hosted inNorthern Ireland for the first time. A programme of eventsexplored the social, cultural, linguistic, economic andpolitical legacy of the famine (5). The Library worked withNewry, Mourne and Down District Council to facilitateexhibitions and events around these topics.

As the ‘Decade of Centenaries’ continued, the Libraryengaged in significant commemorations by offeringassociated events and engaging in partnership projects. The aim was to increase awareness of the Library and itscollections as we mark important events in our sharedhistory. In partnership with the Somme Museum, we hosted an exhibition entitled ‘Women and the First WorldWar’ looking at the changing role of women in society (6).

ExhibitionsWe hosted a number of significant exhibitions in 2015. TheLibrary was delighted to be the launch venue for ‘FromHome to Here: Stories of Migration Old and New’, producedby Newcastle University and looking at the experiences ofIrish emigrants and immigrants (7). Other highlights included‘Textile Accounts of Conflict’, which featured tapestries fromNorthern Ireland, Spain, Chile, Peru and Colombia asexpressions of women’s experiences of conflict (8). In Julywe hosted ‘Sunshine in Ulster’, a colourful exhibitionexamining the contribution of Caribbean people living andworking in Northern Ireland (9). The closing months of theyear saw an exhibition on loan from Glucksman IrelandHouse, New York, entitled ‘Labor and Dignity: JamesConnolly in America’, examining Irish labour reformerConnolly’s time in the United States.

Music

Audiences enjoyed music by Colum Sands in February, as well as a special Saint Patrick’s Day concert with BBCbroadcaster Brian Mullen. A capacity crowd enjoyed ourCelebrate Yeats event with harpists Marie and UrsulaBurns, and Roma Tomelty with Centre Stage Youth Theatre.Local harpist Ruth Corry performed a beautiful selection ofworks by celebrated Irish poet and songwriter ThomasMoore (10). This accompanied the exhibition ‘My GentleHarp: Moore’s Irish Melodies’ about Moore’s life, inassociation with the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin.

7

dematerialise@dematerialiseWe should cherish theLinen Hall Library in#Belfast - founded in1788 & stillindependent.

5

6

7

8 9

10

8

Drama, Poetry and Literacy

The second Writers on Writers Festival took place duringour birthday week in May. Contemporary names on theliterary stage discussed their favourite writers and their placein Belfast’s literary history with the focus on short stories.Those taking part included Glenn Patterson, David Park,Bernard MacLaverty, Anne Devlin and Sophia Hillan (11).

Popular children’s events featured Mr Hullabaloo’s‘Springtime Storybook’ with his cast of colourful puppetfriends (12). Local artist and story teller Randall StephenHall celebrated St Patrick’s Day with ‘A Touch of theGreen’, a family workshop with stories, songs and art (13).

In July, the Library again hosted Belfast - Beckett. This wasa curtain raiser to the Happy Days Enniskillen InternationalBeckett Festival, and events included a lecture anddiscussion entitled ‘Performance, Memory and Conflict’with speakers including David Grant (QUB) and DavidClare (NUI Galway).

In September we officially launched our Linen Hall WritersForum with Glenn Patterson and Sinéad Morrissey. Thenew series offers emerging writers of poetry and prose theopportunity to develop their work and share their writingwith audiences. Co-hosted by Belfast-based writers MichaelNolan and Padraig Regan, the events have featured popularwriters such as Stephen Sexton and Paula Cunningham.

In November we launched our first Readathon to encouragemembers and supporters to raise funds for the Library. Thiswas a twelve-hour extravaganza with over 100 readersincluding Library members, staff, school children and localauthors (14). The event was part of a month-longfundraising drive which ultimately raised £4,000.

Our lunchtime reading series in association with Of MouthPoetry Collective continued with readers including TheoDorgan, Paul Maddern, Vona Groake, Penelope Shuttle andMoyra Donaldson.

Book Launches

These included Anthony Russell’s new book Between Two

Flags, the gripping story of the relationship between Irishnationalist John Mitchel and Jenny Verner; Americanauthors Fiona Ritchie and Doug Orr launched Wayfaring

Strangers exploring the musical journey of Scots migrationto the southern Appalachians; and Susan Sands read fromthe emotionally powerful All By Myself to an appreciativeaudience (15).

Inkquill@Inkquill@thelinenhall Enjoyedhearing story ofrevolutionary John Mitchell

and his wife Jenny Verner atthe Linenhall Libraryyesterday evening.

11

12 13

14

15

9

Citywide Celebrations

The Library participated in a number of citywidecelebrations including the Belfast Book Festival, BelfastInternational Festival and Tall Ships Belfast.

Once again we celebrated European Heritage Open Daywith tours of the building and a lecture by Dr Fred Hamondon Belfast’s Industry and Infrastructure, 1750-1911. We alsohosted the regional heats of the Poetry Aloud competitionorganised by the National Library of Ireland. The Libraryalso took part in national celebrations such as InternationalWomen’s Day (16) and Holocaust Memorial Day.

Partnership Activities

The Library formed a number of strategic partnershipsthroughout 2015 with organisations such as Public RecordOffice of Northern Ireland (PRONI), the Ulster-ScotsAgency, Ulster University, Newcastle University, The BritishAssociation of Numismatic Societies, The Royal IrishAcademy, the Association of Caribbean Nationals (ACAN),and the African and Caribbean Support OrganisationNorthern Ireland (ACSONI); and Gourmand InternationalAwards organisers chose the Library as the venue to host anexhibition of the Northern Ireland shortlisted titles (17).

Local Art

Art was once again well represented with a number ofexhibitions. Those who took part included Marie-ThereseDavis, who exhibited ‘Metaphor: Art inspired by the writtenWord’ (18). Digital Craft artist Aisling Smyth and EdwardCartin’s works inspired by the poetry of Seamus Heaneywere also part of the programme. We enjoyed aretrospective of work by Newry-born artist Padraic WoodsRUA, 1893-1991 (19), and Joanna Mules’s’ ‘Read to Me’featured portraits of some of Ireland’s best-known writersreading to the artist, including Michael Longley andJennifer Johnston (20).

Tours and Tourism

Tours were enjoyed by a wide range of participantsincluding the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, NewEngland Historical Genealogical Society, the University ofthe Third Age (U3A) and the Irish School of Ecumenists.We were also delighted to welcome several localcommunity groups (21).

We expanded our tour offering to include daily tours of theLibrary and its collections. We have been working withseveral tour companies to ensure a better visitor experiencefor overseas travellers.

Other

In addition, the Library’s reading group met regularly andthe Library’s popular Irish Language classes continued withthe addition of an Irish language reading group, offered aspart of the Líofa Programme.

Jane Cassidy

@JaneCassidy2

Wonderful paintings by

Padraic Woods

@thelinenhall exhibition.

Don't miss it!

18 19

20 21

16

17

10

NIPR, The National Collection of Northern

Ireland Publications

The Linen Hall Library is the lead partner in NIPR, anorganisation set up to collect and preserve NorthernIreland’s publications. In 2015 NIPR celebrated 15 yearssince its inception with an anniversary celebration at theLibrary in October, where NIPR Ambassador GlennPatterson and NIPR Chair Robin Adams addressed anaudience of around 50 guests, and formally announcedNIPR’s new charitable status (22).

NIPR is grateful for the support received from theDepartment of Culture, Arts and Leisure and also for thegenerosity and support of local publishers who continue todonate their publications. It is our hope that the award ofcharitable status during the year by the Charity Commissionfor Northern Ireland will enable NIPR to widen its sourcesof support and further the work of NIPR.

Facilities

Over the past year the Linen Hall Library’s function roomhire has been very popular for private and corporatemeetings and events. The historic Governors’ Room is oneof the most popular rooms, lending itself perfectly tosmaller interviews, visits and tours. There are also thePerformance Area and Northern & Members’ Rooms whichhave held a variety of events including a wedding (23),lectures, seminars, launches, workshops and parties. Aselection of organisations that have booked these roomsinclude Danske Bank Northern Ireland, BBC NI,Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (24), and BelfastHealth & Social Care Trust.

As a registered charity, the Library tries to assist othercharities by providing rooms and facilities at reduced rates.The History Group for the Blind and Partially Sighted andthe NSPCC are two charities that benefitted in 2015. TheLibrary also served as a collection point for The SalvationArmy and the Society of St Vincent de Paul’s 2015Christmas Appeal.

The Library’s new merchandise has been a great successand we hope to add to it over the coming year.

All proceeds from the room hires and gift shop have helpedgenerate income for the Library.

Charity Shop

The Linen Hall Charity Shop, now at 21 Fountain Street,continues to thrive with Damien Cash managing andheading up his team of volunteers. We are very grateful toall those volunteers who have given their time and supportto the shop (25).

We would also like to thank all those who have verygenerously donated to the shop. Your donations have helpedgenerate a viable and much-needed stream of income forthe Library.

CJohnston

@CJohnstonNI

As the man would

say....don't you miss it.

@thelinenhall charity

book shop

#belfast

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24

22

25

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2015 Public Relations and Marketing

Overview

For a small organisation with a limited budget, the LinenHall concentrates on the PR strand of its marketing strategy.2015 saw the Library once again retain its high mediaprofile throughout Northern Ireland, and further afield. Wealso continue to grow our social networking channels,primarily Facebook and Twitter, concentrating on qualitysubscribers.

Throughout the year we published and distributed fourNewsletters, three Events Guides (one was cancelled due tofunding cuts), twelve e-zines, an Annual Report, 69 posters,and a number of leaflets and brochures. We issued around20 press and listings releases.

Our events programme receives the most prominence in themedia. We regularly gain coverage in listings sections ofnewspapers and magazines as well as the major listingswebsites, such as Visit Belfast, Discover Northern Ireland,Discover Ireland and Culture Northern Ireland. Items withhigh newsworthy angles receive coverage on radio and TV.Our cuttings service, Nimms Ltd., captured over 170features, listings items, picture stories and mentions in theNorthern Irish media over the 2015 period.

Our social networking channels are concentrated aroundFacebook and Twitter. We doubled our Facebook ‘likes’ toover 2,000 by the end of 2015, and we ended the year witharound 3,800 subscribers on Twitter. Our goal is to attractquality subscribers and ‘likes’ rather than the moresuperficially based scrabble for numbers.

We regularly attend marketing and PR conferences andcourses, such as Tourism Ireland’s Marketing Plans for2016, to ensure that we are interlinking as much as possiblewith the overarching Northern Ireland cultural marketingand promotional strategy, and to stay abreast of newtechniques and developments in the marketing/PR fields.

Goodbye to Old Friends

Maurna Crozier

It is with deep sadness that we record thedeath, in January, of Dr Maurna Crozier,the first female President of the Library.

Maurna’s passion for books and learningtogether with her love of the arts and heritage werereflections of a life that was characterised by spiritedcuriosity. Her commitment to cultural diversity; herencouragement of dialogue, and her energy, intelligenceand optimism made a positive impression on all those whoknew her. She was a selfless friend and mentor to manyindividuals and organisations who benefited from herwisdom and experienced her kindness.

We, at the Linen Hall Library, were very fortunate tobenefit from her leadership at a time of significant growthfor the Library. Maurna valued tradition and innovation inequal measure; we will endeavour to embody her exceptionalbreadth of vision as we honour her commitment andcontribution.

[Maurna was a Governor from 1989 to 2010 and President

of the Board of Governors from 1998 to 2001]

Christina Reid

We were deeply saddened to hear aboutthe death of playwright Christina Reidwho joined the Library in 2000 and servedas a Board member from 2006 – 2009.

Christina was a great supporter of the Linen Hall anddonated material to the Northern Ireland Political Collectionand the Library’s Theatre and Performing Arts archive. Shecommented on one occasion: “I have a particular interest inthe Linen Hall’s Theatre and Political Archives. Theseunique collections provide an invaluable historical andliterary source of information for the local community andfor practitioners and academics at home and abroad.”

CATALOGUING

1,829 items were added to the Library’s catalogue in 2015.

FOOTFALL

Visitor numbers to the Library in 2015 were 112,723.

WEBSITE AND ELECTRONIC ACCESS

www.linenhall.com

Visitor figures from Google Analytics identified 43,621sessions; 26,670 users; and 135,853 page views for 2015.The site was most popular with those aged 25 – 34.

MEMBERSHIP

2015 2014 + or -

Honorary 13 12 +1

Life 573 582 -9

Standard 661 696 -35

Concessionary 987 968 +19

Family* 83 (25) 85 (25) -2

Student 48 50 -2

Under 18 51 57 -6

Associate 40 40 -

Corporate* 115 (56) 166 (63) -51

Total 2,571 2,656 -85

LOAN FIGURES

2015 2014 + or - %

General 8,748 9,736 -988 -10.1%

Irish* 4,652 2,845 +1,807 +63.5%

13,400 12,581 +819 +6.5%

*Figure counted in tickets issued with number of such

multiple memberships shown in brackets.

BOOK DONATIONS

The Library would like to thank all donors to our collections:Dr Ian Adamson, Mr Liam Andrews, Miss Helen Bainbridge, Mrs EvelynBennett, Dr Rosemary Black, Mrs H Black, Mr Conor Bradley, Mr SamBurnside, Mr Gerard Byrne, Ms Silvia Calamati, Dr Norman Campbell, Mrs Fionnuala Carson Williams, Community Relations Council, Mr TomCooper, Mr Daniel J Curran, Ms Shelley Deane, Mr Pádraig Delargy,Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, Mr Philip Donald, Mr MarcusDuignan, Mrs Dorothy Dunlop, Mr James Emery, Mr Andrew Flavelle,Professor Ruth Freeman, Ms Linda Fullerton, Mr J T Fulton, Mr WilbertGarvin, Gaslight Productions, Mr Victor Hamilton, Mr Michael Harron, Mr Tom Hartley, Healing Through Remembering, Mr Stephen Henson, Lady Sylvia Hermon, Mr John Hession, Mr William Heyburn, Dr ElaineHicks, Ms Penny Holloway, Rev S Hutchinson, Irish Council of Churches,Irish Labour History Society, Mrs Jennifer Johnston, Mr John Kelly, Mrs DKerr, Ms Angeline King, Mr John Lakeman, Mr Irvine Laverty, Ms MartinaLehnert, Mr Alistair Lings, Mr George MacAllister, Ms Roisin McAuley, Mr Frank McCarron, Dr P McCavera, Mr D McCullough, Ms MoyraMcCullough, Mr Joe McCusker, Mr Ian McDowell, Mr Oscar McGeachie, Ms Emma McGuigan, Mr P McKeag, Mr Renny McKeown, Mr BernardMacLaverty, Ms Maria McManus, Ms Anthea McWilliams, Mrs KathleenMadine, Mrs Jennifer Methuen, Mr S B Morrow, Mr Richard Murphy, Mr Graham Nevin, Mr Roy Newll, Mr Leslie Nicholl, Dr Paul Nolan,Northern Ireland Law Commission, Ms Lynette Nunn, Mr D R O’Connor-Lysaght, Mr Michael O’Hara, Mr Declan O’Loan, Mr Cormac O’Malley, Mr Marcas Ó Murchú, Northern Ireland Rivers Agency, Rare Books Group(Library Association of Ireland), Mr Michael Reid, Ms Brenda Robinson, Mr Larry Sheerin, Mr Christopher Springhall on behalf of the estate of JohnOnslow Springhall, Mr Jonathan Stewart, Mrs Alison Taylor, Mr WilliamTaylor, Mr Joseph Thompson, Mr John Trew, Turkish Embassy (London), Mr Martin Tyrell, Museum of Free Derry, University of North Carolina Press,Mr James A Walshe, Mr Bob Whiteside, Mr C J Woods.

There was also a donation of two chairs for the microfilm room by Ms JoanPorter, and a generous donation by Ulster Folklife for the conservation/bindingof a number of local history journals.

FINANCIAL DONORS

We are grateful to the late Miss E A Barnes for a generous legacy received in 2015.

We are also grateful to everyone who made donations to the Library duringthe year; including:-Miss J Allen, Miss S Baker, Mr E Cunningham, Earl Castle Stewart, Dr RCrooks, Mr M Duignan, Mr B A L Green, Mr R Hargrove, Ms P Horton, MrR A Kershaw, Mr W McStay, Ms D Mawhinney, Mr G Mullan, Mr EMurphy, Ms J Porter, Mr B Taylor and Mr J Trew.

We would also like to thank everyone who contributed to our donation boxesduring the year.

Without the support and generosity of these donors we would be unable toprovide the wide range of services we offer.

12

Facts & Figures

* Irish Reference & Closed Access material issued

electronically from February 2015.

Summaries of the Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31st December 2015 and the Statement of Financial Position as at thatdate are set out on pages 14 and 15. Full financial statements have been published separately and are available on request from the Linen HallLibrary or on the Library’s website www.linenhall.com.

OVERVIEW

The Library's operating deficit (beforeactuarial movements on the pension scheme)was £29k in 2015 as compared to £118k in2014. Since this deficit included depreciationcharges of £84k, and after working capitalmovements were taken into account, thebank overdraft balance fell from £147k at theend of 2014 to £128k at 31 December 2015.The Library relies on its bank overdraftfacility to finance its day to day operations,and the Governors and staff aim to reduce thereliance on this facility in 2016 by means ofadditional income generation and continuingtight control of all costs.

Total income from all sources rose from£914k in 2014 to £923k in 2015, withreductions in core grant funding,membership subscriptions and fundraisingtrading income being more than offset byincreases in grant funding for specialprojects and endowments, and in donationsand legacies. Core operating costs werefurther reduced in 2015 through continuingattention to cost control and the deploymentof permanent staff on funded projects. Thedeficit on the defined benefit pensionscheme fell during 2015, from £383k to£230k, due to actuarial movements beyondthe Library’s control.

The Governors continue to monitor allrevenues and costs, and are working towardsthe elimination of the operating deficit.There remains an emphasis on broadeningthe income spectrum of the Library, in orderto compensate for current and futurereductions in public sector funding, and toachieve long-term financial sustainability.

INCOME

The Library’s grant income from all sourcesincreased to £519k in 2015 from £491k in2014, but this was due to continued successin obtaining funding for special projects, andto £60k received from the Heritage LotteryFund in match funding for donations in theLibrary’s Catalyst Endowment Fund, whilstfunding available from the public sectortowards core operating costs continued todecline. The Library’s total income rose by1% in 2015, and the proportion of totalincome obtained from all types of grantfunding increased from 54% to 56%.

Income from membership subscriptions andassociated Gift Aid decreased by 7% to£138k in 2015; this decline was across bothcorporate and personal membership. TheGovernors and staff are seeking ways torefresh the Library’s membership offer andwill encourage more members to sign up forGift Aid during 2016.

Fundraising trading activities made a netcontribution of £46k in 2015, mainlythrough the sale of donated books in a pop-up Charity Shop, gift shop sales andcommercial use of the Library’s facilities forroom hire, catering and tours. Over £4k wasraised during a special fundraising month inNovember, including the Library’s inauguralReadathon event. The Governors and staffwill continue to work to identify newfundraising activities and to increaserevenue from existing operations.

Income from general donations and legaciesincreased from £11k in 2014 to £22k in2015, mainly due to a single legacy of £10kreceived in 2015 towards the Library’sgeneral funds.

EXPENDITURE

Staff costs represented 61% of the Library’stotal costs (excluding the net finance costfrom the defined benefit pension scheme) in2015, and are therefore the largest singlearea of cost for the Library. Average staffnumbers, on a full-time equivalent basis, fellfrom 22 to 18 in 2015, including charitybookshop, coffee shop and additional projectstaff. Employment costs, including pensioncontributions and reorganisation costs, havedecreased from £622k in 2014 to £577k in2015. A detailed breakdown of allexpenditure is set out in notes 4 to 8 to theseparately published financial statements.

PENSION SCHEME

The Library operates a defined benefitpension scheme through NILGOSC for mostof its staff. At 31st December 2015, thescheme was in deficit by £230k. The cost ofpension contributions and net operating chargeduring 2015 was £118k, and the Library’scontribution rate to the NILGOSC scheme isto remain at 20% of salary during 2016.

GRANTS

The three largest providers of grant supportto the Library in recent years have been theDepartment of Culture, Arts and Leisure(DCAL), Belfast City Council (BCC) andthe Arts Council of Northern Ireland(ACNI), who together have historicallyprovided around 90% of all grant income.The following table sets out the level ofsupport from each of these funders.

Whilst grants awarded for endowments anddefined projects in pursuit of the Library’smission, from all sources, increased from£172k in 2014 to £226k in 2015, grantstowards core operating costs fell from £319kto £293k. It is expected that the Library’smain funders will continue to experiencesignificantly reduced budgets for a numberof years, and that grants towards coreoperating costs may continue to fall. Fulldetails of all grant income and awardingbodies are set out in note 2 to the separatelypublished financial statements.

FUNDER 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011

£K £K £K £K £K

DCAL 352 364 301 305 307

BCC 37 43 35 43 43

ACNI 31 47 37 21 36

Total 420 454 373 369 386

13

Financial Summary

14

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED

31 DECEMBER 2015

EndowmentFunds

UnrestrictedFunds

RestrictedFunds

Total Funds

2015

Total Funds 2014

£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000

Incoming resources

Incoming resources from generated funds

Voluntary income 60 454 166 680 651

Rental income - 146 - 146 145

Investment income - 1 - 1 1Incoming resources from charitableactivities

Fundraising trading - 96 - 96 117

Total incoming resources 60 697 166 923 914

Resources expended

Costs of generating funds:

Rental expenses - 2 - 2 2

Fundraising trading expenses - 51 - 51 60

Total costs of generating funds - 53 - 53 62

Charitable expenditure

Charitable activities

Projects and events - - 73 73 151

Library operating costs - 826 - 826 819

- 826 73 899 970

Total resources expended - 879 73 952 1,032

Net (outgoing)/incoming resources

before transfers 60 (182) 93 (29) (118)

Gross transfers between funds - (2) 2 - -Net (outgoing)/incoming resources

before recognised gains and losses 60 (184) 95 (29) (118)Net gain on revaluations of fixedassests - - - - 394Actuarial gains/(losses) on definedbenefit pension scheme - 197 - 197 (361)

Net movement in funds 60 13 95 168 (85)

Fund balance brought forward 201 5,957 49 6,207 6,292

Total funds carried forward 261 5,970 144 6,375 6,207

The amounts above relate to the continuing operations of the Library.

15

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2015

2015 2014

£’000 £’000

Fixed assets

Tangible assets 3,844 3,919

Investments 2,734 2,734

6,578 6,653

Current assets

Stocks 12 23

Debtors 76 92

Cash at bank and in hand 261 200

349 315

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (322) (378)

Net current assets/(liabilities) 27 (63)

Net assets excluding pension liability 6,605 6,590

Pension liability (230) (383)

Net assets including pension liability 6,375 6,207

Funds

Unrestricted funds:

- General fund (170) (183)

- Revaluation fund 6,140 6,140

5,970 5,957

Restricted funds 144 49

Endowment funds 261 201

Total funds 6,375 6,207

16

The Library is most grateful to the following organisations for their continued support throughout the year:

We are also grateful to W & R Barnett Ltd, Davison Lamont Ltd, Historical Enquiries Team, and the Library at Queen’s.

CORPORATE MEMBERS