Exciting future ahead for library services in Kilkenny

We are blessed with a brilliant library service here in Kilkenny.

The good news is that it’s set to get even better in the coming months and years.

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The Mayfair Library in Kilkenny City is flying up, a new state-of-the-art library is planned for Thomastown, and Callan will also host a top of the range facility soon.

On top of that, other libraries across the county are continually improving and expanding their services with gusto.

In Urlingford, laptops have become borrowable for use onsite in the library by adults, young adults and under 12s with adult supervision.

Our local library staff are a credit to Kilkenny, and County Librarian Josephine Coyne is a fantastic leader and ambassador.

I was in attendance at a council meeting recently where she made a presentation to elected officials on the value of local library services and it stuck with me.

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Josephine did an incredible job communicating the value of having a library service that adapts and evolves to meet the needs of local citizens.

These are vital community spaces that are not static, but multifaceted. Simply put, they’re invaluable.

Take Callan for example.

The new library in the town centre will bring renewed life to the Friary that will house it.

It will add value to living in the town and it will also serve as a networking hub for locals to meet, work and exchange ideas.

Youth, community and art spaces are continually being incorporated into library buildings now and remote working hubs have become a critical part of library infrastructure.

Libraries are always looking to the future, not content to wallow in the past.

Let’s go back to basics though. Books. Reading.

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When’s the last time you picked up a book?

Given you’re a local newspaper reader, probably more often than the average joe.

On second thought, scratch that. I’ve come up with a better question.

When’s the last time you’ve made distraction-free time to read a book?

I don’t know about you but for me it feels like it’s getting harder and harder to put aside the time.

That’s something I really want to change.

As a young kid in school, silent reading time was always my favourite time of the day.

It was a break from the stress and strain and loudness of life and a pathway to imagination that I treasured.

Not only that, but it provided me with knowledge and education that I think has served me incredibly well in life.

I know I’m still only in my mid-20s but I grew up in a time before smartphones and tablet computers were commonplace.

I wonder if such distractions had been there when I was in primary school, would I have taken to reading like I did?

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I realise it’s not an either/or scenario, it’s a balancing act, but I’m so glad I was given that little push to read at a young age.

Our literacy levels have plummeted in recent times and I think that’s a shame.

At that meeting I attended where Josephine spoke, she informed councillors that in the coming years funding to the library services will need to be increased.

She made clear that the return on the investment in libraries is measured by increased membership and improved literacy levels.

Under the new national strategy for libraries, investment is going to become more important.

Director of Services with Kilkenny County Council, Mary Mulholland, acknowledged that the library service is an essential public service.

It’s so important that funding for our library services is safeguarded and that we support them as they expand.

There’s something to be said for bringing a young person to a library, getting them signed up and checking out their first book.

It’s a rite of passage that will always stick with you.

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The initial excitement of entering the building is wonderful, the variety of choice and options of books is awe-inspiring, and as a kid you feel like a million bucks whipping out your library card.

This goes without saying, I hope, but it’s never too late to join yourself too!