Activities for children, including craft workshops, story times, and a young readers festival, are high on the list of initiatives planned for Kilcullen Community Library,
writes Brian Byrne. But adults won’t be left out, new Librarian Ita Casey promises, noting plans for themed exhibitions and local studies events, among others.
“My predecessor, the wonderful Julie, will be a hard act to follow,” she told the Diary. “But I hope to follow up on her great work.”
Ita, who took over the Kilcullen role at the end of February after Julie’s retirement, has five years’ experience in library service, but her career background was in marine science. “I qualified in UCG, and I really enjoyed it for many years. But it’s all contract work here. It’s hard to get permanent posts without going abroad.” She says she always had an interest in library work, and decided to go for it when her children were older.
A Dubliner, she has lived in Galway and Cork, but these days is settled in Newbridge, which she finds really convenient for Kilcullen. Her most recent library post was in Celbridge, and prior to that, she served in Wicklow, Blessington and Bray.
Ita loves the fact of the Kilcullen premises being formerly the Boys School, and has already noticed the number of men who have come in and mentioned that they went to school in the Kilcullen building. She appreciates the level of investment that Kildare is putting into the service. “It’s great, too, that they turn older buildings into libraries, like the church in Athy, and here.”
With Ita’s arrival in Kilcullen has come extended library opening hours, and she says people have already welcomed this — the library is now open six hours a day Tuesday through Saturday, with a half-day on Wednesday and late opening on Thursday. The extra time will facilitate Kilcullen’s now larger population, with the full day on Saturday being especially useful for people working during the week.
A special exhibition is planned for Biodiversity Week, which runs from 15-24 May. “A set of wildlife drawings, which I think will be of great interest to many people.” Another idea which Ita is working on is to have daily papers available in the Library, something which could be of particular interest to people living on their own, offering an opportunity and a neutral, non-commercial space in which to socialise.
Libraries today are much more than places of books and hush. They offer an increasing variety of reasons to visit them. Kilcullen is no exception. Watch this space.
NEW OPENING HOURS
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm
Wednesday: 10am-1pm
Thursday: 1.30pm-5pm and 5.45pm-8pm
Friday: 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm
Saturday: 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm
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