New ‘My Open Library’ Services Launched in Carrigaline, Kinsale and Mallow
Cork County Council has officially opened the newly refurbished Carrigaline Library and has launched longer opening hours for library members in Carrigaline, Kinsale and Mallow.
My Open Library, a technology-driven service offering extended library opening hours to the community, has been rolled out to the three locations which will be open from 8.00am to 10.00pm, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Carrigaline Library has been upgraded inside and out to support the addition of My Open Library. The ribbon was cut at the facility by Cllr Patrick Donovan, deputising for the Mayor of the County of Cork; Minister of State with responsibility for Community Development and Charities and with responsibility for Rural Transport, Jerry Buttimer TD; and Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Moira Murrell.
Funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD) and Cork County Council, the My Open Library installation at Carrigaline, Kinsale, and Mallow Libraries has generated a 145% increase in the number of available service hours to the community at each location, rising from 40 hours to 98 hours per week.
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Joe Carroll said,
Mayor
Libraries are at the heart of our towns and villages providing so much more than books. They are community hubs and safe spaces to study, learn and work. The newly refurbished Carrigaline Library is a bright, welcoming, modern, high-tech space that has a place for everyone. My Open Library is a welcome addition to Carrigaline, Kinsale and Mallow Libraries offering greater access to library services with better choice of hours. It particularly benefits members of the community whose work, family or other commitments make it difficult for them to attend their local library during regular staffed hours.
Minister of State, Jerry Buttimer TD, added, “I am delighted to be here today in this beautiful building to launch the My Open Library service in three more libraries on behalf of Cork County Council. It is fantastic to see that the service is currently available in 23 of our 30 library authorities and I must praise our library authorities and library staff for being so progressive in meeting the needs of their communities. Our public libraries are a home-from-home for our elderly, our young people, and our new communities and now they will be able to avail of those services every day of the year, from morning till night.”
Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Moira Murrell said,
Moira Murrell
Chief Executive
We now have five My Open Library locations in County Cork with plans to expand to Macroom Library later this year. The expansion is a strategic ambition for Cork County Council’s Library & Arts Service which aims to improve access, use and visibility of the library as a community hub, and as a focal point for community and cultural development. The success of My Open Library is in the flexibility that it offers communities to visit their local library at a time that works for them. More than 50,000 visits have been made to Bandon and Fermoy libraries outside of regular library opening hours since 2022 with increased usage by students, remote workers, families, older adults and community groups.
The new additions at Carrigaline Library include a young adult zone with relaxed seating, a remodelled children’s area with more books and children’s worktables for homework, crafts and games, and comfortable seating in the windows for reading and watching the world go by. The multifunction community meeting room can be booked for use during the day and in the evening during My Open Library hours. Bike racks have also been installed outside to facilitate sustainable travel.
For more information about My Open Library and Cork County Council’s Library & Arts Service visit our Library Page.