Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I would be happy to liaise with the Deputy on that issue. They are excellent projects which bring people out of their comfort zones who would never have thought of doing something in their communities. They are brilliant.

I will give a little more information on libraries because while they are used well, more people could use them. In response to the crisis, systems were put in place to allow people to join libraries online without having to physically visit one. This resulted in an upsurge in membership, with over 30,000 new members joining the library in March 2020, compared with 17,000 the year before. The Department subsequently provided €400,000 in funding to purchase an additional 10,000 ebooks and audio books to meet the rising demand for online services. Members now have access to an online catalogue containing 35,000 ebooks as well as a range of other resources. Libraries also moved other resources online, including book clubs and workshops for an array of areas including first aid, parenting, coding, and autism awareness. They also held story times via Facebook Live and Twitter and ran writing and drawing competitions. Libraries Ireland and various library authorities are using social media to encourage people to use the online services.

See this speech in context