HRB National Drugs Library

About

The HRB National Drugs Library supports those working to develop the knowledge base around alcohol and other drug use in Ireland. We aim to enable evidence-informed decision making in research, policy and practice by providing relevant and appropriate library and information resources and services. We are funded by the Department of Health, and based within the Health Research Board, which is the lead agency in Ireland supporting and funding health research.
     

About the library collection

Our primary aim is to collect all Irish research on substance use (including the use of illicit drugs and the problematic use of other substances such as alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs). We also add relevant items related to gambling and other process addictions. In order to enable those working in theses areas to make evidence-informed decisions we include key international open-access research. Our library collection has articles, reports, ebooks, news and conference items, parliament debates, audio/podcasts and videos. The advanced search page provides options so you can choose to view Irish-related publications only and/or international publications. To learn more about the website and how to search our collection, please visit our tutorials page which has instructional videos. You may also wish to view our collection management protocol.

If you use our library in your research, we ask that you acknowledge us as a source in any subsequent publications.  

Note, that although we have identified items from what we perceive to be useful international sources, they vary in terms of type, depth of analysis and opinion. We do not assess or provide information about the quality of publications. You should therefore note the context and methods used as you read (for more information on critical appraisal of research see our Doing research resource). Neither inclusion nor omission should be taken as indicative of any view of that publication held by the library staff. 

A few examples of international evidence sources included in our collection
You can also view our collection by browsing our library subjects

Meet the HRB National Drugs Library staff

Mairea Nelson is an Information Officer in the HRB National Drugs Library, a position she has held since 2010. She has written articles and presented at many conferences. Mairea has a Masters in Applied Social Research from Trinity College Dublin. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mairea  

 

Mary Dunne is a Chartered Information Specialist who has worked in the drugs and alcohol area since beginning work in the Health Research Board in 2000. Her qualifications include a Masters in Psychology and a Masters in Information and Library Studies (Distinction). LinkedIn: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/LibrarianMaryDunne

 

Brian Galvin manages the HRB National Drugs Library and is editor of Drugnet Ireland, the HRB’s quarterly drugs research and policy bulletin. Brian is Head of Ireland’s National Focal Point to the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA).

 

This page was last updated in July 2026