The most essential part of University College Dublin is the library building on the Belfield campus.
The three storey library building at University College Dublin (UCD) in Belfield is fronted by an ornamental pool. Flanked by the arts building and the science building, the library is the focal point of the 280 acre campus. Completed in June 1972 the library opened with a partial service a month later.
The library building is officially opened by Minister for Education Pádraig Faulkner who believes,
The library building is perhaps the most essential part of any university.
There are now 7,500 students permanently in Belfield and a further 600 take some of their courses there. The ultra-modern £1,125,000 library building has 1,500 spaces for reading. When the second stage of the library building is complete, it will accommodate 2,500 students and 700,000 books.
College president Professor Thomas Murphy is adamant completion of the library building is the most important project and will be built as soon as funds are available. Other buildings yet to be added to the campus are a students' union building, sports centre, and a faculty of agriculture building.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 8 January 1973. The reporter is Tom McCaughren.
