Ireland's libraries to get €40m to buy new books and audio-visual materials

There are roughly 770,000 library members across Ireland at present, with more than 13.2 million books in the national collection.

Local authorities are to spend €40m over the next four years topping up the country's public library stock of books and audio-visual materials.

The Local Government Management Association has tendered for a contractor to provide the materials to the various library services up until May 2029, at a cost of €10m a year.

There are currently 29 public library services operated by local authorities across the country, encompassing 330 branches.

Tender documents show the expenditure will be dominated by the provision of adult books, with €6m to be spent on adult fiction and non-fiction publications each year, with an additional €2.8m to be provided for younger readers, incorporating junior fiction and non-fiction and young adult genres.

The remaining €1.2m allocated for each year is to be spent on non-core products, including audio-visual materials and Irish language books.

Some €500,000 will be allocated to audio-visuals, including DVDs, music CDs and video games.

Irish language stock, including learning materials, is to be budgeted at just €300,000 for each year.

Other products that will be provided include graphic novels at a cost of €200,000 a year, foreign language books, and non-serviced stock, with €200,000 set aside over the duration of the contract for ‘incidentals’ to be acquired on an ad hoc basis.

While broad emphasis is placed on the availability of adult-oriented books and materials, the borrowing charts at Irish libraries are generally dominated by books and novels for children.

Last year, children’s books accounted for the top 37 spots for both in-person borrowing and online bookings at libraries across the country, with the top two titles — Dog Man: The Adventures of Dog Man 2 and Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties — being borrowed 17,395 times between them, while programmes aimed at raising children’s reading levels such as Summer Stars — which aims to have children finish 10 books across the summer months — are common.

There are roughly 770,000 library members across Ireland at present, according to the Government’s overarching public library strategy, which is in place until 2027, with more than 13.2 million books in the national collection.

The civic nature of libraries and the presence of inclusive titles in the collection has attracted protests from right-wing agitators in recent years, with Cork City Library being forced to close temporarily in the summer of 2023 due to the sustained presence of a group of protesters gathered outside the building on Grand Parade.

Last November, a survey of library workers carried out by academics at UCD found staff in the system live with a “pervasive undercurrent of anxiety and unease” in their workplaces due to disruption from such protests.