Ireland's school libraries: Underfunded, under-resourced, and falling short of international standards

The Department of Education funds 4% of post-primary school libraries across Ireland. Two sisters researched school library provision. Education CorrespondentJess Casey reports

Librarian Jane Bingham Shee and first year student Milena Manska at the JCSP Library at Thomond Community College in Limerick City. Known as the Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP), these funded school libraries serve schools in disadvantaged areas. Picture: Brian Arthur

For a country with such a proud literary connection, Ireland is an outlier when it comes to our school libraries.

Unlike the UK, where there is a long-established tradition of professionally staffed school libraries, Ireland doesn’t have a national policy or funding model for schools, instead relying mainly on volunteerism from teachers and funding siphoned off from already stretched budgets.