IMPACT has confirmed a breakthrough in the fight to secure library services in Sligo. It follows a campaign by the union which garnered support from community, voluntary and other campaign groups who gathered in September to protest the temporary closure of Sligo Central Library.
IMPACT official Richy Carrothers said that the union had secured confirmation from Sligo County Council that the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government has sanctioned the creation of six new posts to boost services in the county.
Richy explained: “The Department has confirmed to the local authority that four full time staff will be appointed, in addition to two project staff to work on the library management system for a six month period.
“We very much welcome this news as it means the future of the three libraries in Sligo have been secured. Our library services provide a vital point of connection for young and old, students and jobseekers. This is good news for the entire Sligo community who came together to fight to save these services. This demonstrates just how important it is to work together with local communities to defend, protect and improve our public services,” he said.
Richy added that a question still remained about the reduced staffing levels for libraries sought by the department. “In many respects this is a short term solution because the department is still insisting upon an overall staff reduction of 42%. We’ve seen a drop of 37% here, and the crippling effect it has had on library services. A further five per cent reduction in staffing levels equates to nearly 40 people. So while the future of the libraries has been secured, there are still challenges ahead,” he said.
IMPACT and other groups staged a protest in September against the unilateral decision, by Sligo County Council management, to close Sligo’s central library on a temporary basis for three weeks. The closure is now into its third and final week. At the time it was reported that local authority management was preparing to permanently close one of the three libraries in the county.
Richy said IMPACT members had worked hard to ensure the county library services stayed open, “It was IMPACT members in the Tubbercurry motor tax office who agreed to cover Tubbercurry library on Saturdays and evenings in order to ensure this vital service stayed open. Our members are committed to keeping this service alive in Sligo,” he said.
Related: IMPACT communications officer Niall Shanahan spoke on RTE’s News at One programme (Monday 26th September) about the union’s opposition to proposals for staffless library services.
