Annual Report 2005 - English Version ( pdf file - 3340 kb in size)

Limerick County Council Annual Report 2005LIBRARYChildren’s activities:The annual “Children’s Book Festival” drew a large andenthusiastic crowd to the Official Launch in NewcastleWest Library on 8th October ’05. This event now spans3 weeks and consisted of 48 events held in 8 venuesthroughout the County. A broad range of activitieswere again on offer including science, art and craftworkshops, digital photography and modern danceworkshops and puppet shows. There was somethingfor every age group including a visit by a local vet, tocookery classes for tots!! A full programme of authorvisits for children took place also throughout the year.Social Inclusion:The Library Service continues to provide a livelylocal venue for arts and cultural activities focussedon the promotion of an inclusive society. NewcastleWest Library hosted an exhibition by residents ofRathfredagh Cheshire Home and special classes inDesmond College also exhibited work. A talk onwildlife photography was attended by students fromCatherine Mc Auley School. Foynes and DooradoyleLibraries hosted “Bealtaine”- the national festivalcelebrating creativity in older age with craft,storytelling and dance workshops. Internationaland multi-cultural services for adults were furtherenhanced with the launch of a collection of multilingualfiction in Dooradoyle Library consisting of over200 titles in languages as diverse as French, Slovakian,Urdu and Arabic.“Science is Fun” workshop in Foynes Library duringCBF ’05“Bealtaine” at Foynes LibraryInformation Technology:Information provision reached another level whenDooradoyle Library was nominated as one of eightrelay centres in Ireland chosen for the Europe DirectInformation Service. This is a new and excitinginitiative aimed at bringing relevant information aboutthe EU to members of the public in easy and accessibleformats. The Service - which includes printed, onlineand freephone information sources, was launchedby an Chathaoirleach Bridgid Teefy on 7th December’05. An additional extension to the informationservice in Dooradoyle Library is the subscription tothe “pressdisplay” website, which allows readers freeonline access to over 250 international newspapertitles in full-text format.At the launch of the Europe Direct Information Service46