Cork City Library Action Group welcomes progress for a new city library for Cork

Cork City Library Action Group has welcomed the progress on the new city library for Cork. The group met today following Cork City Council’s announcement on Monday that the former Counting House complex is to host the new city library, as reported by TheCork.ie earlier this week.

Colette Kelleher, spokesperson for the Cork City Library Action Group shared the sentiment of the group after the meeting, saying that they were looking forward to the upcoming public consultation on the project:

“I welcome this week’s announcements that there is action at last on the new Cork City Library. It was clear from the meeting today that the group are eager to participate in the public consultation, see the designs for the new library and seek reassurances that adequate funds are being made available to realise Cork City Council’s stated ambition for a world-class library in Cork.

“The Action Group have set out our vision for what this flagship civic project ‘must include’ in the 10-point vision statement adopted by Cork City Councillors in April, and we are looking forward for the wider public to set out their views in the upcoming public consultation process.”

Social Democrats TD Pádraig Rice, who attended today’s meeting, said:

“The progress on the new city library is really welcome. This is something I have been working on since I was elected two years ago. However, a number of key questions remain unanswered. How much money does the City Council have to turn the empty offices at the back of the Counting House into a world-class library that is promised? What form will the public consultation take? What steps will be taken to get the views of people who use the library, including children, students and older people? How long will the retrofit take? When will the new library open? And what will happen to the current library building? It’s really important that we get clarity on these questions as soon as possible.

“A key part of our vision is that the new library has space for new services like a “Library of Things” where you can borrow things like musical instruments, board games, seeds, sowing machines and tools, as well as books. This is key to a more sustainable future. I hope there will be space in the new library building for new services like this.”

“This week’s announcement must mark the beginning of finally delivering this important civic project that has been delayed for far too long.”

Green Party councillor Dan Boyle, who is also a member of the action group, stressed the importance of the public engaging with the consultation process, he said:

“The Part 8 public consultation is a vital part of the process of developing the best central library the city can have. I would encourage as many people as possible to take part in this process.”

His Green Party colleague Cllr Oliver Moran, who was also in attendance, said:

“The purchase of the building is the easy part. The real challenge is defining a vision for what the library will hold and mean for future generations.

“There are many strong ideas, both from Cork City Council, like expanding the Rory Gallagher library or housing revolutionary-period collections, and from the community and library users themselves.

“To shape this vision, we should involve these ideas early, with a non-statutory consultation before any final proposal. Workshops in the library, listening to users, should be central to the process.

“Cork was the first Irish city to adopt the public libraries act. We opened our first library in 1892. The library service has evolved since the first dedicated Carnegie Library of 1905. Now, we need to listen again to imagine the library of the future.”