COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF LUCAN / PALMERSTOWN / NORTH CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

QUESTION NO. 1

QUESTION: Councillor L. O'Toole

In 2015 the motion attached was raised as a way of seeking out possible locations for teenagers to meet, and to be able to avail of community buildings where they could set up a youth service style group. Given the constraints on the existing youth services/cafe in Griffeen youth cafe, additional venues such as library's, which are for public use, were asked to be considered, official response stated that specific opening/closing hours were in place the status at the time did not make this request possible. The committee asks Chief Executive to report back on this same request, given the new plans for our council owned buildings/libraries are changing, as demographic changes, trends changes, population increases. Could the use of our libraries be used for teens after closing hours? and noting that a request recently passed to examine costs and plans involved in extending the Adamstown Community & Youth centre, as teenagers don't have indoor spaces to showcase their works, events and so on. Libraries could facilitate this need for teenagers while other plans are ongoing. 

REPLY:

While Libraries do not currently have extended opening hours beyond the established full-time timetable, we are actively seeking opportunities to make our buildings available for other cultural activities outside of regular hours. This would allow us to further serve the community and make use of our facilities in innovative ways.

It's important to note that any activities held outside of regular hours would remain under the direct supervision of South Dublin County Council, ensuring that they meet our high standards of safety and quality.

We are also excited to announce that Libraries are in the process of developing procurement documents for the piloting and roll-out of My Open Library, which is a building automation system that will allow us to extend our opening hours. This will provide our community with more flexible access to the library's resources, and we're looking forward to exploring this opportunity further.