New mobile library hits the rural roads
WICKLOW County Council has launched a new €230,000 mobile library which comes complete with easy to access internet.
The mobile library service is used regularly by 1,500 people in remote locations around the county, who will now have access to over 3,000 items on board the new vehicle. The mobile library also has a ‘bounce pad’ providing easy internet access to the public along with an electronic notice board which will be used to showcase and promote Wicklow County Council events and notifications.
Cllr Irene Winters, Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, believes the mobile library is an important tool in reaching out to people and curbing isolation.
‘The service has an emphasis on social inclusion as it reaches the most remote areas of the county on a regular basis. This element has been utilised by the council to highlight services and bring them to an audience that otherwise would have been very difficult to reach.’
By investing €230,000 in the new mobile library, Wicklow County Council intends to reinforce its commitment to people living in rural areas.
‘It is my wish that, commencing tomorrow, this new vehicle will serve the rural areas of Wicklow over the next ten to15 years as its predecessor has done,’ said Cllr Winters at the launch.
Frank Curran, Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council, said it was encouraging, despite the increased use of electronic devices, that the libraries continue to grow in popularity, with people borrowing in excess of 600,000 items a year.
‘The library of today provides a critical function for citizens of towns, cities and rural areas. Wicklow County Council is well-served with 13 branch libraries through the county; six of which are full-times while seven are either part-time or single staffed,’ Cllr Mirriam Murphy heading into the mobile library for a closer look.
said Mr Curran.
New libraries are being developed in Wicklow town and Rathdrum and these, along with the new mobile library, represent a capital investment of €6 million.
Close to 50,000 items are borrowed each year from the mobile library, which has a membership of over 1,500 and annual visits of 23,000 from the public it serves. The first mobile library was launched in 2004 and has clocked up well over 400,000 kilometres over the past 15 years.
The new mobile library is supplied by Cahill Truck Bodies of Graiguenamanagh, Co Kilkenny and includes six solar panels which will provide the primary source of energy for the vehicle’s internal lights and electricity.