Free library membership from January 1

Confirmation that library services are to be provided free of charge from January 1 next will be music to ears of library users in Westmeath.

In a move intended to encourage all citizens to avail of a library card to promote reading, collecting information and generally embracing the local community, Westmeath County Council senior executive officer, Hugh O’Reilly, told members of the Housing, Community, Corporate and Cultural SPC last week that the scheme would be rolled out in January.

Mr O’Reilly that the free membership scheme is a national initiative and while he was unsure if other counties would take January 1 as their starting point, Westmeath for one, will be involved from the get go.

He told the members that the cost of funding the scheme has been factored into the annual budget.

The progressive work of the Library Service in the county was underlined by Mr O’Reilly, who said the months of November and December had been busy. Embracing Library Week 2015 and its theme ‘A Library Holds a World of Ideas’, libraries within the county had staged a number of events celebrating their contribution to Irish life.

In Castlepollard, undergraduates students of graphic design in Athlone had produced an exhibition of posters, highlighting the campaign to build public awareness of the Midland Living Links group.

In Moate for the ‘March of the Scarecrow’ exhibition, members were invited to design scarecrows, which were then displayed for a week.

It was particularly busy in Mullingar where astronomer, John Nooney, hosted ‘Science and Invention’ which included talks on astronomy to local schoolchildren. The venue also staged the exhibition ‘Westmeath at War’, which highlighted the role played by local people in the Great War and which included posters, medals and postcards.

Craft groups were also facilitated: a group of quilt makers exhibited in the Aidan Heavey Library, Athlone; Castlepollard hosted a Knitting Group, and Mullingar, assisted by Foras na Gaeilge, held a special evening of music and poetry, featuring the Mullingar Harp School and including readings and discussion with author, illustrator and poet, Gabriel Rosenstock. Mullingar also hosted a special arts group for children with the Umbrella Group.

Teen Week was another important development in Mullingar and included competitions and targeted book promotions. Meanwhile, the Regional Final of the Battle of Wits took place in Athlone and featured teens from across the midlands (a team from Mercy Secondary School, Ballymahon pipped Athlone Community College to take the honours).

Responding to a query from Cllr Frankie Keena, Mr O’Reilly said there has been ongoing works at Moate Library which have just been completed. He said that the fitting out of the building would take up to three months after which the library will be fully operational.