A new resource for public library planners
abevan August 15th, 2008
Cllr. Mark Dearey, Chairman of An Chomhairle Leabharlanna, recently launched a new website showcasing the development of public library buildings over the years.
www.Librarybuildings.ie aims to provide comprehensive and readily accessible information about local authority public library buildings in Ireland. The database concentrates on two facets of public library design – libraries recently opened and libraries in heritage buildings.
In 1998, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Mr. Noel Dempsey T.D. launched Branching Out: A New Public Library Service. This database gives details of all 51 libraries co-funded by local authorities and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government under the Branching Out programme to date.
The database is intended to act as a valuable resource for library and local authorities, officials in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, senior officers in An Chomhairle Leabharlanna, for design teams developing new and converting library buildings, and, indeed, all who are involved in the functionality of library services.
To this end, the database contains information on all aspects of the library building – from details of the locality the building is situated in, to listings of the buildings features and facilities, as well as photographs of the buildings. A selection of these photographs are available in the Gallery section, where images from galleries including Work in Progress, Converted Markethouses and Branching Out Libraries are also displayed. Where available, there are video clips of the library and, in two instances so far, a 360 degree virtual tour. A tie-in with the powerful Google Map’s API allows the user to pinpoint exactly, the location of featured library buildings. Further details are available from Alun Bevan [abevan@librarycouncil.ie]