Waterford Libraries awarded €33,597 funding for Library Supports
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, and Minister of State with responsibility for Community Development and Charities, Joe O’Brien TD, have today (Thursday 4th August 2022) announced €700,000 in funding for library supports.
The funding, under the Dormant Accounts Action Plan, is designed to assist libraries in reaching out to older people, children from disadvantaged communities, people with disabilities and other marginalised groups.
Waterford Libraries has been awarded €33,597 in the latest round of funding. The funding will help in the provision of programmes and equipment such as Touch Type Read & Spell, a multi-sensory course that teaches touch-typing to help children and adults improve their reading and spelling skills; C-Pens, line text scanners for those with reading difficulties, and Times Table Rock Star, an application that makes maths fun to learn. Waterford has also received funding to continue the Story Collecting Oral History project which has been running successfully for the past two years across the County.
Announcing the funding, Minister Humphreys said, “I am delighted today to announce €700,000 in funding to libraries across the country. The sort of innovative projects that are being funded under this initiative will create a more welcoming and engaging library experience for thousands of people. They will put our libraries at the forefront of reaching out to all members of the local community in which they serve. I would really encourage families to look at the projects being funding in their own county.”
Jane Cantwell, Waterford City and County Librarian, Waterford City and County Council, welcomed the funding. “We are delighted to be included in the latest round of Library Supports funding for Marginalised, Socially Excluded and Disadvantaged Communities. The programmes that will be put in place as a result of the funding, will galvanise our wide range of dyslexia-friendly services at our branches and allow us to continue collect the great stories that Waterford people have to tell across the city and county.”
Commenting on the funding, Minister O’Brien said, “I am delighted to approve these projects under the 2022 Dormant Accounts Action Plan. The projects are diverse in nature and target a multiplicity of groups including the Traveller community, Ukrainians displaced by war, residents of Direct Provision Centres and the elderly. There is also funding for groups working to provide autism supports, and groups working with hearing and visually impaired communities, prisoners and people with learning differences such as dyslexia. This funding package will build on the excellent projects which have been delivered over the past three years and also help our public libraries to continue to foster community well-being and build community cohesion in their role as community hubs.”
The Funding complements over €3.1 million announced by Minister Humphreys recently for major expansion of My Open Library which saw Tramore Library benefitting to the tune of €225,859, while Dungarvan and Lismore Libraries were granted €52,672 and €33,379 respectively for the upgrade of the existing ‘My Open Library’ services.
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