Library amnesty triggers tale richer than fairy story borrowed in 1949

The connection between Galway, scarlet fever, library books and a plane carrying post-war Italian emigrants to Venezuela isn’t altogether clear at first – but the recent introduction of a fine amnesty on public library books unearthed an extraordinary link between the four.

On August 15, 1949, four years after the end of World War Two, a Transocean Air Lines Douglas Skymaster carrying displaced Italians seeking refuge in Caracas when it went down in Galway Bay – causing the death of nine of its 58 passengers.

At the same time, Kathleen Daly (nee Breheny) of Ballinlass was hospitalised at Galway Hospital – quarantined with scarlet and rheumatic fever.

Following the plane crash, a major rescue operation was launched and Galway Hospital was cleared to make way for a major influx of injured patients off the aircraft.

Kathleen, then 14, had in the days previous to this borrowed a copy of Hans Christian Anderson’s Favourite Fairy Tales from what was likely a visiting library service.

And as she was dispatched from the hospital, so too was the library book.

Some 70 years later, with the announcement that fines on library books are to be abolished, Galway County Library Service was contacted by her niece who said the book was now in the proud ownership of her mother, Phil, travelling with her from her childhood home in Galway when she moved to Dublin.

Kathleen now lives in Lincolnshire but the book has gone to good use, having been read from cover to cover on numerous occasions by Phil’s children since it was first borrowed over half a century ago.

This is just one of several quirky stories that have been thrown up across the country since the announcement that library fines are to be a think of the past, said County Librarian, Catherine Gallagher.

According to Catherine, it’s rare that a book isn’t returned – and the decision to ditch fines should be welcomed as making Ireland’s library service completely free and accessible to anyone who wishes to use it.

“The vast majority of stock is returned. It had been found that imposing a fine didn’t actually encourage people to bring books back,” said Catherine.

“If you had a book out for a certain period of time, you just weren’t going to bring it back.”

In fact, it is hoped that by abolishing overdue fees, people will return overdue titles and begin to use their library once again.

“It’s all about social inclusion. The service is now free to join and free to use. The feedback has been positive, particularly from families with children,” said Catherine, explaining that many feared incurring fines because of misplaced books.

The library service is currently going through a period of transformation as part of the strategy, ‘Our Public Library 2022’.

Since last year, members of any library in any county can present their card anywhere in the country to borrow a book – and can return it to any other public library.

Members therefore have access to a catalogue of over twelve million titles, from which they can request books to be delivered to their local branch.

“It’s still a very well-used service and in 2016, we had 17 million items borrowed,” said Catherine.