Cllr O'Rourke 'disappointed' about delayed Open Library for Athlone

Cllr Aengus O'Rourke raised the question of when a service called My Open Library will be made available in Athlone Library.

The subject was brought to the table at the October meeting of the Municipal District of Athlone-Moate.

First introduced in 2014, My Open Library (MOL) is a scheme which allows self-service access to the library outside of staffed times, between 8am to 10pm 365 days per year.

Members of the scheme can access the library and check out books by swiping a card to enter the premises. The scheme has been offered as one measure in the approach to deliver better and more user-friendly opening hours.

Cllr O'Rourke asked why the service has not been put in place in Athlone, noting that he is “disappointed that it has taken so long”.

The Municipal District responded that in order to facilitate the My Open Library within the Civic Centre in Athlone, a Fire Certificate Application Process would need to be carried out to adapt the Fire Strategy for the Civic Centre.

The process for the Fire Certificate Report is complete and the Fire Certificate application has been submitted.

Upon approval of the Fire Certificate, the Municipal District said they will move forward with the Athlone Library project, appointing a contractor to carry out the necessary works.