Minister Humphreys and the Lord Mayor of Dublin visit the newly refurbished Dublin Central Library in the Ilac Shopping Centre
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, today (3rdDecember 2020) visited the newly refurbished Central Library in Dublin City Centre which has received €200,000 in funding from her Department. It marks the 3rdday of libraries reopening to the public for browsing under Level 3.
Minister Humphreys was accompanied during the visit by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Hazel Chu, and Dublin City Librarian, Mairead Owens.
Commenting following the visit, Minister Humphreys said:
“I was pleased to visit this fantastic refurbished library in the heart of Dublin City. This is one of the most well-known public facilities in this part of Dublin and I am delighted that my Department was in a position to provide €200,000 in funding.
“As the Central Library is now open to the public following its refurbishment, I am also mindful that I am visiting during the week when libraries throughout the country are reopening their doors to their patrons again after weeks of being closed. I know that our librarians and the public are delighted to have their services back in action again and I urge people young and old to use their local library facilities, whether in person or online.”
The Minister concluded:
“We always promote our public libraries as being essential community resources and this is certainly true of the Central Library which acts as a hub and safe space for so many people, not just those from the city but also those who are visiting the city. Indeed, in 2019 there were over 414,000 visits to this library.”
The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Hazel Chu, said:
“The Central Library is a unique, free to visit cultural space in the heart of the City. It delivers a valuable service to those who live, work, study in, and visit Dublin, with a daily average of 1,500 visits in 2019. People of all ages and backgrounds use its resources for a wide variety of purposes. The recent, attractive refurbishment has created a modern, streamlined environment that will enhance the experience of all who use the library.”
The refurbishment of the Dublin Central Library has cost c. €388,000 in total, €200,000 of which was provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development to support the upgrades.
The refurbishment ensures a fresh and modern library for its 20,500 customers. The project itself consisted of necessary remedial works including the installation of new shelving, furniture and counters.
It also included the creation of a dedicated space for young people and the reconfiguration of the learning resources and Work Matters areas.
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Contact:
The Department of Rural and Community Development Press Office
076-1006843 / 087-1734633
Press.office@drcd.gov.ie
Notes to editor:
Central Library
Dublin City’s Central Library hasn’t had any significant upgrade works since it opened in 1986.
It recorded over 414,000 visits in 2019 with patrons actively engaged with resources such as borrowing, reserving and renewing items. There are an array of events and activities in the library including book clubs, storytelling, readers in residence, career development, Coder Dojo workshops, arts and crafts, science, and music recitals.
The library also has a designated Work Matters area which is used by people to prepare CVs and for entrepreneurs to do business admin work. Indeed the Dublin City Local Enterprise Office refer clients to this library regularly.
The new layout supports the coherent and effective layout of resources, facilities and areas targeted for specific purposes of reading, business research, learning, study and engagement with IT facilities such as the Magic Table (Tovertavel), self-service tablet and laptop lending services.
The refurbishment project will increase sources of natural light, open up lines of vision by removing high shelving and provide a coherent flow through the library, clustering quiet spaces together away from noisier activities.
Public Libraries Reopening
Public libraries are available for browsing, e-services, and call and collect since December 1stin accordance with new measures that were announced by Government.