Public Libraries

The public library is a free service with a nationwide reach. It is open to everyone across the country.

As centres of knowledge, information and culture, libraries play an important community role. Over 17 million library visits are made annually.

With over 17 million visits annually, libraries play an important community role as centres of knowledge, information and culture.

The public library:

• is a local service with a nationwide reach – members can use all library services, including borrowing and returning items, at any library in the country
• delivers a national literacy and reading programme Right to Read through a core set of services and resources
• delivers the Healthy Ireland at your library initiative – developing health information in public libraries, providing books, e-books, audiobooks and e-magazines on health and wellbeing, as well as talks, discussions and workshops with a focus on physical health, mental health and health literacy
• offers a national public library catalogue supported by a nationwide delivery service – items can be ordered online or in person and delivered quickly to the local library – the first such national service anywhere in the world

The public library provides access to a large collection of free online resources, with:

• A collection of over 110,000 eBooks and eAudiobooks
• A collection of over 7,000 eNewspapers and eMagazines
• Over 600 online eLearning courses at a variety of levels and comprising a wide range of subjects
• Over 110 language courses for speakers of 30+ languages

Find further information here.

How to access the service

Anyone with a public library card is allowed to borrow and reserve items from any public library in the Republic of Ireland. It is free to join and all 30 library authorities are part of the service.

At your library you can access:

• books from any library in the country
• audio books and DVDs
• literacy supports
• facilities for small businesses
• community meeting facilities
• health and wellbeing supports from the Healthy Ireland programme.

If a resource is unavailable in your local library, and is available in another library, then you can request it through the inter-library loan service.

Find your local library

View details about your local library service.

The current public library strategy, ‘The Library is the Place: Information, Recreation, Inspiration’, was developed jointly by the Department of Rural and Community Development, the LGMA, the CCMA and local authorities. It was also shaped by extensive engagement with key stakeholders and library staff and by feedback from a public consultation process that received almost 3,000 responses.

The ambitious strategy was launched in July 2023 and will build on the success of its predecessor, ‘Our Public Libraries 2022’, through 66 strategic actions that will support the sustainable development of the public library sector over the next five years.

The new strategy contains a number of ambitious new initiatives. Among the highlights are:

• Roll out of national “Skills for Life” umbrella programme covering issues such as digital skills, financial literacy, sustainable lifestyles and environmental awareness
• New national network of Gigabit libraries
• Expansion of Right to Read programme
• Increased access for library users to book clubs
• Expansion of user-centred design approaches to library services
• Delivery of digital skills training for library staff
• New national media literacy programme for staff
• Development of data dashboard for library leaders and ultimately the public

Some facts and figures include:

• 330 library branches across 31 local authorities
• 30.5 mobile libraries in Ireland, including a shared cross-border service
• More than 13,000,000 items held by public library services across the country
• More than 76 million items issued since 2018
• 765,000 library members across the country

You can access information on your local library information on your city or county council website.

You can also find up-to-date contact details for your local library on the library website. It publishes news and information about libraries in Ireland.

See resources and services available at your local Library for more information on what you can do and find at your library.

Information on the most borrowed library books in 2022 can be found in the document below:

My Open Library is an innovative, customer service focused, initiative that provides opening hours that are additional to normal staffed hours.

The free service provides enhanced access for the community and is currently available in 37 libraries nationwide.

My Open Library members can access the library from 8am - 10pm, 365 days a year.

Children under 16 can use the service if accompanied by a registered My Open Library Adult member.

Young people aged 16-18 can use the service with written consent of a parent or guardian.

My Open Library branches

The Right to Read Programme was launched in 2017 to support reading and literacy across all counties. The programme includes initiatives for children and families throughout the year – Spring into Storytime, Summer Stars, Children’s Book Festival and Family Time at Your Library – and a range of services to support schools.

In 2021, initiatives aimed specifically at preschool age were introduced under the Little Library Programme. The Right to Read Programme also focuses on supports and resources for adults and we will continue to expand this element of the programme under The Library is the Place. Right to Read is delivered by a local Right to Read network in each local authority and is co-ordinated by a Right to Read Co-ordinator in each local library service.

The Summer Stars programme saw impressive growth in 2024, with 67,560 children registered, which was an 11% increase from the 60,915 that registered in 2023. Last year was the first time that number of registrations reached the pre-pandemic level of 64,080 in 2019.

The increased number of registrations led to a rise in events participation with the 131,978 in 2024 being 32% higher than the 99,536 in 2023.

A total of 6,220 Summer Stars events were held in 2024, a 34.6% increase from the 4,620 held in 2023, and these drew 131,978 participants.

My Little Library Book Bag

Little Library is a programme under the cross government First 5 strategy and the public libraries’ Right to Read Programme. Little Library supports early language and literacy development among young children by encouraging library usage and providing library services to Early Learning and Care (ELC) settings.

The programme started in 2021 when more than 4,500 early learning and care providers were offered free book bags and storytime events.

Each My Little Library Book Bag contains:

• A book on starting school, or making friends or being comfortable to be yourself.
• Their very own library card and special ‘My Little Library’ cardholder.
• Book bags are available in both Irish and English.

A collection of resources and information are also provided in each bag, including a library social story card, First 5 Guidance for Parents of Children Moving from Pre-School to Primary School, Dyslexia and the Younger Child by Dyslexia Ireland and Bookshare Ireland by Vision Ireland

In 2024 there were 41,739 bags issued by public libraries, of which 36,814 were in the English language and 4,925 were in the Irish language. As a result, 9,085 new 4–5-year-olds joined a local-authority library during the programme and a further 11,504 renewed memberships. These children loaned 464,061 items, including books, from their libraries in 2024.

The Healthy Ireland at Your Library programme is part of the national Healthy Ireland strategy to improve health and wellbeing. The programme is available across all 30 library authorities.

Healthy Ireland at Your Library includes a book collection (books, eBooks, and eAudiobooks), events, and a Healthy Ireland at Your Library Co-ordinator at each library service co-ordinates a programme of free Healthy Ireland events across the year.

Healthy Ireland at Your Library is a consistent and reliable source of health information across Ireland’s 330 library branches. The collection items are evaluated by health experts and the selection of event topics and speakers are led by Department of Health guidelines. Engagement with the programme has increased since its beginning in 2017.

In 2024, the Healthy Ireland at Your Library programme saw a significant expansion, with 1,633 events held nationwide marking a 58% increase from the previous year.

In 2024, there were 40,013 physical books issued under the Healthy Ireland at Your Library programme, a substantial increase from 31,056 loans in 2023, marking a 29% rise. The programme's stock includes 556 eBooks and 562 eAudiobooks, which resulted in 39,551 eAudiobook loans and 14,591 eBook loans.

Sensory services in our public libraries have expanded significantly since 2019 when the Department of Rural and Community Development provided funding of €691,000. This funding supported the provision of sensory facilities, resources, and equipment in public libraries, including sensory pods, sensory toys and social stories.

These services have reached out and engaged people on the autism spectrum and have made the library space more accessible and inclusive, offering a safe and enjoyable space for all.

Many public libraries also offer a collection of toys and resources that are designed to support the development of important skills. Families can borrow the resources that might interest their child, without the expense of purchasing them.

A number of libraries have also installed sensory pods and sensory rooms which provide a facility for children and adults to go to, engage with and enjoy.

In 2019, Watch House Cross Community Library in Limerick opened the first ever dedicated Sensory Room for those on the autism spectrum and this initiative earned them the award for ‘Best Library Service’ at the Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards later that year.

The Libraries Development Unit in the LGMA is the national adviser and development agency for public libraries in Ireland.

It was established in 2012 within the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) and continues the functions of An Chomhairle Leabharlanna, The Library Council. They advise the department and the library authorities on public library development and on library co-operation.

The Public Library Standards and Benchmarks document provides a roadmap for the development and delivery of the library service in line with local and national government policy and with library service best practice nationally and internationally.

The aim of the document is to provide well-located, well-planned, effective public libraries with civic spaces, open and welcoming to all. It also aims to improve the physical community environment, promoting urban regeneration and sustainable communities.

All public libraries collect materials about the history of their county or locality.

There is a huge range of material available including:

• county and parish histories
• maps
• photographs
• drawings
• old records and newspapers

Developed by An Chomhairle Leabharlanna and funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (DRCDG), the Ask About Ireland Website is a substantial online resource.

It can be used as a:

• local history resource
• portal to public library websites and local studies contacts
• source of local content supporting the schools’ curricula
• gateway to nationally significant historical datasets

The Libraries Capital Programme 2023-2027 was announced in April 2023 and a list of successful projects is available at the link below.

Also, local authorities can submit library development proposals as elements of broader regeneration plans under the Ruraland Urban Regeneration and Development Funds.

To find all libraries development funding to date

It is a statutory responsibility for local authority to provide the proper management, custody, care and conservation of local records and local archives. The Department of Rural and Community Development assists local authorities to hire a qualified archivist and to rent accommodation for the purpose of processing archives.

The department also financed and co-ordinated a survey of local authority records and archives which was published in the report of the Report of the Steering Group on Local Authority Records and Archives. The report also outlines a strategy for developing local archives services. Most local authorities have already established, or are developing, local archive services.

The necessary qualifications for posts in the Library Service are available here