Library Services in County Carlow set for huge funding of over €20,000

Ministers Humpreys and O'Brien have announced funding of €550,000 for library supports and County Carlow Library Supports will receive €20,257 for library supports across the county.

The summary of funded items in Carlow library include:

A range of furniture, including 4 height-adjustable desks and 12 ergonomic chairs, which will support people with physical disabilities and mobility needs. In addition, assistive technology is provided for the visually impaired including 4 ReadEasy Evolve devices and 3 C-PEN Readers.

The supported communities include: 

Age Friendly

People with mobility needs

Physical Disability

Visual Impairment

The funding, under the Dormant Accounts Action Plan, will assist public libraries in reaching out to people with disabilities and other marginalised groups.

Funding of €400,000 has been approved to support the provision of assistive technologies such as hearing loops, electronic magnifiers and wayfinding tools. It will also help people with disabilities to access library services by providing wheelchair-accessible shelving, height-adjustable desks and seating.

Announcing the funding, Minister Humphreys said:

“I am delighted today to announce €550,000 in funding to libraries across the country.

The projects that are being funded under this initiative will create a more welcoming, accessible and engaging library experience for thousands of people. This will put our libraries at the forefront of reaching out to all members of the community in which they serve – this is a key objective of the new library strategy “The Library is the Place”, which I launched last July at the official opening of the new Portlaoise library.

This funding will make a huge difference to people’s lives by providing equipment to support our elderly people and people with disabilities. It will also build on the excellent projects which have been delivered over the past five years and will help our public libraries to continue to foster community well-being and build community cohesion in their role as community hubs.”

Commenting on the funding, Minister O’Brien said:

“I am delighted that the overall 2024 Dormant Accounts Action Plan will support 52 different measures across the country with a total value of €47.6m.

I am particularly pleased that the assistive technology and furniture that will be supported by this funding will make our public library service more accessible to everyone in our communities.

This equipment will support the hearing and visually impaired communities, the elderly and those with physical disabilities.

I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute and thank all our library staff, who play such an important role in cities, towns and villages right across the country.”