CORDIS Archive

Extracts from Country Studies: Ireland

Policy and Organisational Framework
Notable changes to traditional public library services
New services in Public Libraries
Inspiring examples of Public Libraries
Main barriers to development
Professional development of public librarians
Regional cooperation

Policy and Organisational Framework:

The Local Government Act of 1994 obliges the 32 Library Authorities to prepare and adopt a library development programme including extending the range of media and the provision of modern information services. The Department of the Environment is intending to prepare a policy on public libraries during 1996, the Ministry for Enterprise and Employment has set up a Committee to draft a National Information Society Initiative with a view to formulating a National policy on Information.

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Notable changes to traditional public library services:

Changes to traditional Irish public library services are:

• computerised catalogues and on-line access to MARC records, now available in 19 local authorities, mostly as stand-alone systems, as the costs of networking are too high. The TELTEC study (Study to assess the feasibility of providing a national telecommunications network to the public library services for the provision of access to digitised information, 1996) looks into solutions such as agreements with the research networks;
• automation of other housekeeping functions, now commonly (if not fully) available in 19 authorities. Mostly the cataloguing and circulation modules are implemented, followed by reservations and ordering / acquisitions;
• on-line access to at least one external database has been installed in all library authorities with the help of government funding;
• provision of information from CD-ROM is common to library authorities with automated catalogues. Most of them provide CD-ROM databases or use them on behalf of the public.

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