The threat to close libraries in Co Sligo for financial reasons has been lifted following approval from a Government department for the recruitment of six additional staff.
News of the extra staff came when county councillors were discussing a section 140 motion, a mechanism permitting them to compel the council’s chief executive, Ciarán Hayes, to keep the libraries open. During the debate, Mr Hayes informed councillors he had just received a letter by email from the department sanctioning the recruitment of six staff.
Author Brian Leyden, a former writer-in-residence at Sligo central library, praised “the wisdom of those who realised that there are higher values than economics when it comes to libraries”.
The Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government has sanctioned the appointment of four full-time library staff plus two librarians on temporary six-month contracts.
Mr Hayes had pointed out that only five librarians are currently available to staff six library points including the three main branches in Sligo, Tubbercurry and Ballymote, as well as a mobile library, a research library and a small branch in Enniscrone.
