Books are my business: Executive librarian Margaret O'Sullivan

Margaret O’Sullivan: 'There is nothing I don’t like about working in the library. I have been at it for 34 years now and I still love it.'

Margaret O’Sullivan is executive librarian for The Rory Gallagher Music Library.

She has responsibility for Cork City Library’s contribution to music and cultural expression in the city.

How did you become a librarian?

My grandad worked for the council, on the roads, and various family members have worked in public service down through the years, and there was always a sense of it being a worthwhile job and a privilege.

Both sides of my family were also avid readers; I remember my grandad reading cowboy books and my mum would have the Mills and Boons.

I grew up in Donoughmore and the mobile library would stop outside the local shop.

It was like an informal book club, if you wanted to meet someone, they would all be down there.

There was a part-time job advertised in Mallow Library and I was very lucky to get it; I worked there for 16 years.

I then went on to work in Fermoy and Ballincollig.

Then the city boundary was extended and I moved to the city library.

I continued on with my librarianship studies and got my final qualification and was lucky enough to get the job as the executive librarian for The Rory Gallagher Music Library.

What does your role involve?

We have a lot of vinyl records and CDs, covering all areas, from classical and jazz, to country and Irish.

We have a selection of music books and also a music archive, physical and online, which we are developing all the time.

I also purchase music stock and run events in the city library and other branches across the city.

Here in the city library, we also have music classes and we loan out instruments.

We have events like DJ workshops, toddler music time, and poetry and lyrics. For example, we host Ceol Mara, which is a traditional Irish song group, as well as a country music circle and a gramophone circle.

Things like that build friendship and community. We have a very supportive team here who look for opportunities and build relationships with people.

What do you like most about it?

I love the people. It hasn’t changed from when I started, my favourite thing has always been dealing with people. 

When you work as a librarian, you can help people improve their lives in so many different ways.

I love people’s generosity, kindness, and the community spirit you find in the city, it’s very strong and special.

Someone recently brought in a brand-new mandolin, banjo, and guitars for our instrument lending library. It feels good to pass those on to people who really appreciate it.

What do you like least about it?

There is nothing I don’t like about working in the library. I have been at it for 34 years now and I still love it. 

Whatever the challenges are, I got used to them and accepted them, and I can see the real good that libraries do. 

Through all the changes I have seen, from paper stubs to digital, I am so happy that we are still relevant to peoples’ lives.

Three desert island books

I would take The Island by Victoria Hislop, which was inspired by Spinalonga, a real-life leper colony off the coast of Crete.

It is such a gorgeous book and so beautifully written. I actually visited Spinalonga and I could feel the hairs stand up on the back of my neck as I went through the tunnel, which was there so that people outside couldn’t see in.

I would take any of Maeve Binchy’s books, she was such a fantastic writer. Her books seemed like they were about ordinary lives but looking back now, they were actually extraordinary stories. 

If I had to choose one, it would be Circle of Friends.

My third book would be Deadly Silence by Jacqueline Connolly, which is non-fiction. It is such a raw, honest, and brilliantly written book about coercive control.

Cork City Library will host a series of events on Culture Night, which takes place on Friday, September 19; www.corkcity.ie/en/culture-night/