Can I request an update on current library services with an approximate timeframe as to when the full library services may be resuming in the county.
Minutes:
To consider the following Notice of Motion submitted by Councillor Ita Reynolds Flynn
Can I request an update on current library services with an approximate timeframe as to when the full library services may be resuming in the county?
Report by Director of Services, Housing and Community, Corporate Services, Cultural and Emergency Services
"In line with the plan set out in ‘Covid-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021: The Path Ahead’ the current situation regarding the reopening of public libraries is that they are “Under consideration from May 4th subject to prevailing public health situation.”
In this regard, Leitrim County Council will be adhering to guidance which will be issued by Libraries Development at LGMA to all 31 library authorities in the country. This guidance is expected the week beginning Monday April 26th and the likelihood is that resumption of services will be a gradual process commencing with the ‘Contact and Collect’ service.
Ove the past twelve months Leitrim Library Service has continued to deliver its services both in-house, when public health restrictions allowed, and virtually when physical library buildings were forced to close during levels 4 and 5.
Current library services (during Level 5) include access to the wide range of e-books, e-magazines, e-newspapers, e-courses, and e-languages. Library Programming has continued online, and a wide number of events and activities have taken place under the Right to Read, Healthy Ireland and Work Matters national initiatives. The library service has continued to engage with schools on events related to Seachtain na Gaeilge, Engineers Week, World Book Day, and the Ireland Reads campaign and has made a number of class novels available to teachers for use in the classroom. Other initiatives include the Grow it Forward campaign where over 800 seed packs have been posted out to those with an interest in growing their own food and the Age Friendly Digital Skills programme whereby Library staff have been engaged in assisting older people access and use library online services. The library service has also been heavily involved in Leitrim County Council’s Keep Well Campaign and has delivered the ‘Switching Off/Being Creative’ strand which included Charlie McGettigan’s Shed Sessions, Charlene Donnelly’s Dance Classes, the Wild Words Creative Writing Course and has worked with the Glens Centre in Manorhamilton on the recent set of sketches. A considerable amount of work is also ongoing in terms of the 2021 Decade of Centenaries programme and a digitisation programme has commenced on a number of items from the local studies collection.
Leitrim Library Service has been supporting communities in new ways over the past year and is continually reviewing and re-examining all service delivery methods in order to address the impact of Covid-19 on our physical library buildings to ensure that a high level of service is consistently available to all library users.
In terms of the reopening of our library buildings, there will be a number of factors to be considered such as the physical size of the space in question and maximum capacity levels. Health and Safety Risk Assessment requirements are likely to include direction in relation to ventilation, social distancing, face coverings and good hygiene practices as well as the need for additional cleaning and public hand sanitizer stations.
Leitrim Library Service, as always, is committed to supporting individuals and communities in terms of access to library materials and will continue to work hard to achieve this. The service provided by libraries goes beyond the physical library building as witnessed over the past year. We may need to look at employing additional models of service delivery and we may have to manage a different approach depending on what level of public health restrictions and guidelines are in place going forward but our commitment is to ensure that all those wishing to avail of a library service are facilitated in whatever way possible."
Councillor McGloin welcomed the response and hoped that Library Service resume as soon as possibly enabling the public to access the ‘Contact and Collect’ service.