Books Are My Business: Jackie Lynam, poet and librarian

Jackie Lynam is a librarian with Dublin City Libraries, working in Cabra Library. Her poetry has been published in several journals and in 2021 she was shortlisted for the Anthony Cronin International Poetry Prize. She recently published Traces, a collection of her writing.

Sat, 28 Oct, 2023 - 21:00

Marjorie Brennan

How did you become a librarian?

I fell into libraries by accident, really. I had wanted to be a journalist and I did the two-year course in Rathmines; I was doing a bit of freelancing and not getting much work. I was on the panel for the libraries and I took the job in January, 1995, for two months. I’m still here, almost 30 years later. I got really lucky that I fell into a job that really suited me and gave me more scope than I ever imagined. I went to college for three years to get my librarianship qualification, which was amazing. It has opened up my world, I thought journalism was going to be the path for me but being a librarian turned out to be my true vocation.

What does your role involve?

In my current role I deal with staff, the public, organise events for adults and general admin as well. I previously worked in the Dublin UNESCO City of Literature office; I was there for 10 years and I worked on campaigns such as One Dublin, One Book; Citywide Reads for children, and the Dublin Literary Award. I did lots of author events with Irish and international authors, it was probably the highlight of my career to date and I am hugely grateful that I got to spend such a long time there.

Any favourite authors that you worked with?

Edna O’Brien took part in One Dublin, One Book for the 'Country Girls' trilogy, in 2019. She is such an icon and those are such amazing books that have stood the test of time. She came over for the launch and a big event in the Mansion House, where she was in conversation with Colum McCann. It was such an amazing night, she was so funny, articulate and sharp. It was a privilege to spend a little time with her.

What do you like most about the job?

I like the variety and the opportunity to meet different people. In the City of Literature office, I got to know writers, readers, publishers, publicists, and other event organisers. In my current job, I get to deal with the public and while that can be challenging at times, it can also be rewarding. So you can have a child coming in to join the library for the first time and you present them with their card and their faces light up with joy. Nothing beats that.

What do you like least about it?

It is a really busy day in a public library dealing with all the different people with different needs and it would be nice to have more time and energy to devote to them and all the interesting projects that go on there.

Why are libraries so important?

There are lots of reasons, especially the fact that they are free and open to everybody. There is no expectation that anyone has to purchase anything, it is one of the few places where you can just go and be. We also provide services that may not be available anywhere else, it’s not just about borrowing books now. In Cabra Library, we have two activity rooms that are used by a wide variety of people and community groups.

Three desert island books?

Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession — I would say I have read it seven or eight times. It is such a beautiful story about friendship and kindness and it is also really funny — I still laugh out loud when I read it. Constellations by Sinéad Gleeson is an exquisitely written collection of essays on lots of different topics from illness and the body to art, music, and motherhood, so lots of things that would interest me. For the third one, I would go for In Search of Lost Time by Proust, which I have never read but people whose opinion I value have said it’s brilliant and the seven volumes might keep me company until I get rescued.