News
Galway libraries may face future without staff
The Galway County Librarian has assured the public that the move to open up two of the county’s libraries out of hours without staff will not lead to any cuts in regular library staffing levels.
A public meeting has been called for Monday in response to the move to roll out an unstaffed pilot project taking place in three libraries in Offaly and Sligo to Ballinasloe and Oranmore libraries.
The ‘open library’ scheme involves opening libraries in the early morning, late at night and on Sundays but without staff. After vetting, members aged over 18 can let themselves in using an identification number. They can browse, borrow, return, use the wifi and photocopier. Unmanned cameras can monitor those inside and radio frequency Identification tags will ensure that books and other material have to be scanned prior to removal.
Galway county librarian Peter Rabbitt – who oversees 30 libraries across the city, county and islands with 40,000 members – believes the scheme is no cause for alarm for the future of our libraries.
Oranmore has been approved for funding of €62,000 to introduce the technology while Ballinasloe, the county’s newest facility, will get over €18,000 to convert.
“There’s a bit of a misconception about this with people thinking it will lead to unstaffed libraries. It’s to add extra hours. It doesn’t mean we’re going to reduce staff,” he told the Connacht Tribune.
“We do need extra staff and the priority should be staff in our libraries, especially during the day hours when children use it. We want as many staff as we can to interact with the public. The Government is adamant the scheme won’t affect staff and it isn’t affecting staff but when the library closes at 5pm this means it will be open to members on a trust basis up to 10pm.”
Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh is organising a public meeting in Galway to discuss the pros and cons of the new policy.
“I am asking members of the public and particularly library users who are interested in this issue to join us to inform themselves as to what is being proposed and to make their views known to the relevant people,” he stated.
“The one thing we all agree on is that the library services we do have play a really important role in our communities and that anything that can be done to enhance and develop them in a positive way would be welcome.”
Local poet Rita Ann Higgins has voiced her unreserved antipathy towards the concept.
“How much is this hare-brained scheme saving the Government? Did anyone do research into how it is impacting on people working in libraries? A visit to the library and an interaction with a member of staff can be life-saving for a person who lives on their own,” she fumes.
“The spin is that this hare-brained scheme does not affect staffing levels. Balderdash. Surely the whole psychology behind it is to cut costs by getting rid of library staff.
“Staffless libraries could prove to be a dangerous place for vulnerable members of society. There will be no toilet access during staffless library hours as this is an area that cannot be monitored by CCTV. Oh, but don’t worry, you can dial an emergency number if someone sticks a knife in your ear, but not if you live in Offaly, there you ring a security firm.”
A petition by the Staff Our Libraries Community Group – so far signed by 1,500 people, has calling for the idea to be shelved until a full independent analysis of the pilot scheme has been conducted.
They argue it discriminates against people with physical or mental disabilities, young adults and children who require assistance and that it undermines the work of paid library staff.
Advocates point to trials in Denmark and Finland where it has not resulted in any reduction in staffed hours. Instead, it has led to huge increases in use of libraries — up 23% and 59%. A third of new users in Denmark are under 35.
The city plans to open a new €20m city library on a permanent site in time for the 2020 European Capital of Culture.
The public meeting takes place in the Westwood Hotel tomorrow (Monday) at 8pm.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
On the eve of completing his 150th marathon, an odyssey that has taken him across 53 countries, Loughrea’s Marathon Man has announced that he is planning to hang up his running shoes.
But not before Jarlath Fitzgerald completes another ten races, making it 160 marathons on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
“I want to draw the line in 2026. I turn 57 in October and when I reach 60 it’s the finishing line. The longer races are taking it out of me. I did 20 miles there two weeks ago and didn’t feel good. It’s getting harder,” he reveals.
“I’ve arthritis in both hips and there’s wear and tear in the knees.”
We speak as he is about to head out for a run before his shift in Supervalu Loughrea. Despite his physical complaints, he still clocks up 30 miles every second week and generally runs four days a week.
Jarlath receives injections to his left hip to keep the pain at bay while running on the road.
To give his joints a break, during the winter he runs cross country and often does a five-mile trek around Kylebrack Wood.
He is planning on running his 150th marathon in Cork on June 4, where a group of 20 made up of work colleagues, friends and running mates from Loughrea Athletics Club will join him.
Some are doing the 10k, others are doing the half marathon, but all will be there on the finishing line to cheer him on in the phenomenal achievement.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
