The Discovery Programme
The Discovery Programme: Centre for Archaeology and Innovation Ireland is an all-island centre for archaeology and heritage science.
A pilot partnership project with Library Services nationwide to make available Ecological Recording Equipment to the public.
The pilot has now ended, but kits will remain available for use in the County Libraries listed below.
The ESKER pilot partnership project, launched in 2023 by the Heritage Council and Library Services nationwide, has now concluded. While there will be no further roll out of the programme, kits remain available for public use in the following county libraries: Carlow, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Tipperary, Sligo, Wexford.
The Heritage Council piloted this project when it witnessed an increase in the number of communities seeking to become more action-focused when faced with the crises of biodiversity loss and climate change – and we were keen to support and nurture this energy.
The Heritage Council partnered with several County Library Services to support community groups such as Tidy-Town Groups, River Trusts and/or Field Clubs to get more involved and to help them learn more about the biodiversity in their area. Libraries are an ideal science hub for communities and are an essential part of growing our scientific data collection and understanding.
This resulted in creating Environmental Science Kits for Ecological Recording (ESKER) boxes, which contain a range of equipment from insect collection nets to magnifying glasses to swatches for helping with proper species’ identification. Boxes were trialled beginning in 2023, and remain present for use, in County Libraries in Carlow, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Tipperary, Sligo, Wexford and Wicklow.
Users of the kits can channel information on biodiversity obtained to the National Biodiversity Data Centre (NBDC), where it can be added to records gathered over many years and will provide a strong basis for future decision-making.
Anyone wishing to borrow a Library Environmental Science Kit for Ecological Recording (ESKER) box should be an existing adult member of the library service and should ensure that all equipment is cared for as best as possible.
The trial phase of this project is complete and a decision has been made not to extend the pilot beyond the current counties. For further information on the loaning of ESKER boxes in participating counties, please contact your local Library Service or your local authority Biodiversity Officer in participating counties.
