Take a closer look at your local library!

The campaign is part of a wider national strategy to increase library use in Ireland

Are you one of those who think that public libraries are a time-wasting relic of the past? Well, a new national advertising campaign in Ireland which is running for the next four weeks across radio, cinema, TV on demand, digital and social media (all of them mighty substitutes of the printed book) is targeting people just like you.

All public libraries around the country have joined the ‘Take a Closer Look’ campaign which is asking everyone to visit their local library, see what it has to offer and overcome their prejudices.

The ‘Take a Closer Look’ campaign is a brainchild of the Libraries Development Unit of the LGMA and is supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development. It is part of a wider national strategy to increase library use in Ireland. At present, around 16% of the Irish population are library members. The ‘Our Public Libraries’ strategy aims to boost membership to 30% by 2022.

Dublin City libraries show the way

“People who use the library regularly know how great it is. But there are those who haven’t been in a while or don’t visit very often. So, we want everyone to take a closer look at their library, to see beyond what they thought it was, and find out about all the amazing services we offer – completely free,” Mairead Owens, Dublin City Librarian commented about the campaign.

Saturday, 29^th February will be an Open Day in all libraries around Ireland. Using the opportunity, Dublin City Public Libraries, the largest library authority in the republic, invites residents to drop in and find out that:      

• It’s free to join and everyone is welcome
• You can borrow a book from any library in the country
• 12 million items to choose from, to be borrowed free of charge
• eBooks, audiobooks and eMagazines straight to your phone or tablet
• Space to study, free wi-fi!
• Hundreds of events throughout the year – classes, talks, workshops, meet-up groups, book clubs, exhibitions
• Children’s Services: Storytime, STEM workshops, coding classes, creative arts
• You name it – it happens in a library!