Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am thankful for the opportunity to engage in this discussion and bring some clarity to the matter. I am disappointed with the way the initiative has been portrayed in some places but I understand information can take off in that way. I attended the launch of the initiative in July with a Fianna Fáil colleague of the Deputy from Tullamore, the new mayor or chairperson. There was great excitement because it is a very positive initiative. All would have regarded it as that.

I appreciate that the Deputy is raising genuine concerns and is not alone in that regard. I have heard from other sources also that this is a negative story but, in fact, we should be celebrating it as a positive one. My comments in this regard are genuine.

My Department, in collaboration with interested local authorities, is extending the initial pilot phase of Open Library. It is for those who are interested; it is not forced on anybody. There was a competition and libraries were asked whether they wanted to participate. The initiative is under Opportunities for All, the national library strategy for the period 2013 to 2017. The extended pilot phase will see the Open Library service trialled in some 20 participating branches from January 2017. There is actually considerable competition. Trim, Navan and other places in my county wanted to participate. Trim got the service and it was very positive. People want this.

The aim is to gather further learning and develop a model that may be rolled out on a mainstream basis in the longer term. The purpose of the Open Library service is to increase access to library services by extending opening hours to library members during unstaffed hours while continuing to have regular staffed periods for the ongoing delivery of library services. It is a question of increased access and opening hours, at night and weekends. Even on Christmas Day, if one wants to go to the library one has the option. This was not the case before now.

Everyone agrees that it is always best to have staff present when possible. The number of staff is not being reduced. The new service is an extra service that has been welcomed. It is quite common in other countries. It is quite common to have libraries that may be accessed by a PIN card in educational institutes.

When implemented, participating branches will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days per week. Access will be available to members aged 16 and over who sign up for the service. In addition to the traditional book-lending service, the services available will include study facilities, meeting rooms, Wi-Fi access and printing. Meeting rooms will be available for community use. In some places, our libraries are the centre of the community and are very important. It is a case of trying to make the services and meeting rooms usable after hours in addition to normal hours.

Staffing levels and staffed hours will not be reduced as a result of the service, either in the short term or long term. The service will operate only outside the normal staffed hours, which are set out in the Department's public library standards and benchmarks document.

We are extending the pilot given the success of the initial trial of the service in Tullamore, Banagher and Tubbercurry. Feedback from users in these branches has been very positive to date. The service continues to operate in these locations with the full support of staff.

There was a couple of hundred people at the launch of the event. I met numerous people, both staff and users, who were very happy with the service.

They have nothing negative to say about it. I am surprised that we are only getting a negative view today.

The open library service has attracted a considerable number of new users and is particularly popular with leaving certificate students, who make use of the increased availability of study facilities, and community and other groups, which have access to community facilities that would not otherwise be available. Use of the library on Sundays, bank holidays and over Christmas, when libraries would traditionally have been closed, has also been very popular.

In short, the service provides access to a broad range of library services which uses may not otherwise have had access to. It is an expansion, rather than a contraction, of the service. I am confident that the extended pilot scheme will prove to be equally popular and will be fully supported by staff in the participating branches.

The public library service is the heartbeat of many communities. The Government is committed to enhancing and developing the service, first in ensuring appropriate levels of professional staff in our libraries and guaranteed staff hours, second in range of services provided and finally in ensuring access to libraries for as many individuals and communities as possible.

I again thank staff involved in the library service throughout the country. They have embraced change in many areas of what they do. This is one initiative but many others have been rolled out and staff have tried to increase the numbers attending our libraries. They provide an excellent service, including a range of services for enterprises and businesses.

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