Contents Preface ii Acknowledgements iii Public Library and the Arts Committee: list of members iv Foreword by Professor Declan Kiberd, Chairman of the Public Libraries v and the Arts Committee Executive Summary vii Introduction xii Chapter 1 Background: arts and libraries in the service of the community 1 Chapter 2 Public libraries and arts: existing provision 4 Chapter 3 What the public says: the consultation exercise 9 Chapter 4 "This sense of ecstasy and freedom": young people and libraries 17 Chapter 5 The artist's voice 22 Chapter 6 The perspective of the professional 26 Chapter 7 The public as library users 42 Chapter 8 Conclusions: the main themes 44 Chapter 9 Recommendations: models for partnership and development 53 Appendix 1 Brief for Consultants 57 Appendix 2 Questionnaire to City and County Librarians 60 Appendix 3 Questionnaire to Arts Officers 70 Appendix 4 Advertisement inviting submissions and list of organisations 77 and individuals who made submissions Appendix 5 Artists who participated in group discussions 80 Appendix 6 John Coll: The Library and the Arts. The Arts and the Library 81 Appendix 7 Robert Dunbar: Blazing Windows 84 Appendix 8 Tom McCarthy: A Poet in the Library 88 Appendix 9 Patrick Conway: For everyone - not the few 94 Appendix 10 Access all areas conference: attendance list and programme 105 Appendix 11 Essay prize winners 109 Appendix 12 Bibliography 110 Preface This report was commissioned by the Public Libraries and the Arts Committee, a joint initiative of The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and An Chomhairle Leabharlanna/The Library Council. The decision to establish the Committee has its origins in the Arts Plan 1995-1997 published by the Arts Council in 1994. The plan noted that "through (a) partnership with An Chomhairle Leabharlanna/The Library Council the (Arts) Council (would) seek to increase access to and expand the participation dimension of literature...in the field of arts and libraries". The appointment of a specialist executive by An Chomhairle Leabharlanna was envisaged in order to develop the arts and libraries field. Arising out of the recommendations of the Arts Plan, the Public Libraries and the Arts Committee was established and met for the first time, under the Chairmanship of Professor Declan Kiberd, on 10 May 1996 (a full list of the members of the Committee is given on page iv). Representative of a wide range of interests (artists, librarians, arts officers, local authority management, as well as the two State bodies), it has initiated a public consultation process which included a major conference in November 1997. As part of the Committee’s work, Anne Kelly and Peter Kelly were retained as consultants to carry out a number of research projects and to assist the Committee in the formulation of conclusions and recommendations for effective partnerships. The consultants were appointed in July 1997 and submitted their final report in April 1998. Important technical assistance was provided by Andy Feist, currently working with the Home Office, London and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Arts Policy and Management, City University, London, in relation to the quantitative analysis in Chapter 6. The terms of reference for the consultants’ assignment are given in Appendix 1. This report summarises their work and puts it into the context of the Committee’s overall objectives and approach. Acknowledgements The greatest debt owed by the authors of this report is to the many members of the public who made submissions to the Public Libraries and the Arts Committee, and to the hundreds who entered the essay competition organised in conjunction with The Irish Times. To an extent which exceeded our best expectations, their feelings and perceptions shaped our research and influenced our findings and recommendations. The intensity of their emotions about libraries, and the strength of their desire to see the good news broadcast, gave an almost spiritual basis to the work. The list of prize - winners in the children's essay competition is given in Appendix 11 Many individuals and organisations concerned with the arts and with aspects of human development also made submissions. These are listed in Appendix 4. The expert information about policies, practices and provision which they contained added to the project's factual base, while many of the recommendations draw on the proposals made by these bodies. One of the most rewarding elements of the research was the consultation process with artists. The time spent with groups of artists in different parts of the country gave fascinating insights, not just into the experiences which they have had with the public library service, but also into the extent of possible future initiatives which could be taken in an environment where artists are working in concert with librarians and arts officers to improve access by their communities to a wide range of arts events and activities. Appendix 5 lists those artists who participated in the process. The conference "Access all Areas" held in Dublin in November 1997 brought together artists, arts officers, librarians, representatives of arts organisations and people with disabilities, as well as community groups, civil servants and many other interested parties in an intensive day of discussion and debate. The Committee owes a special debt to the speakers, but also to all who attended and who dutifully allowed themselves to be allocated to workshops, each of which was tasked to provide answers to specific questions. Particular thanks are due to Mr. Patrick Conway of Durham County Council, who spoke of his experience of collaboration between arts and libraries in the Britain, to Ms Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, poet and writer, to Dr Alan Titley, of St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, and to the chairs and rapporteurs of the workshops. The programme for the conference, and a list of the attendance, is given in Appendix 10. A critical and central part of the project was constituted by two postal questionnaires, one to Chief Librarians and one to Arts Officers. Filling in questionnaires is never an enjoyable task, especially when the objectives behind particular questions may be unclear, but we are happy to record that the vast majority of both arts officers and librarians responded, most of them displaying a degree of interest in the subject matter which added considerable substance and colour to what could have been a largely statistical exercise. The material submitted in support of questionnaires, detailing the arts and library activity in local administrative areas all over the country, was illuminating, and bore eloquent testimony to the good effects of enthusiasm, organisation and commitment. The Department of the Environment and Local Government was helpful to the project in many ways, and was a ready source for information about national library policy and about the important changes taking place in the way that local authority services are delivered and controlled. Finally, tribute must be paid to the staff of An Chomhairle Leabharlanna and the Arts Council, who supported this project from beginning to end, and who never allowed the extra burden which it added to their workloads to dim their commitment to its success. Public Libraries and the Arts Committee: Members Niall Bradley, County Manager, Kildare Lar Cassidy, Literature Officer Arts Council* Mary Cloake, Development Director, Arts Council John Coll, Arts Officer, County Mayo Robert Dunbar, Children's Books Ireland Marian Flanagan, Local Arts Development Officer, Arts Council Fionnuala Hanrahan, County Librarian, Wexford Declan Kiberd, Professor of Anglo - Irish Literature and Drama, UCD Mary Linehan, Arts Officer, County Kildare Sinéad MacAodha, Literature Officer, Arts Council Pat McMahon, County Librarian, Galway Tom McCarthy, Poet Norma McDermott, Director, An Chomhairle Leabharlanna Mary Morrissy, Writer Carmel 0' Sullivan, Assistant Director, An Chomhairle Leabharlanna Kevin 0' Sullivan, County Manager, Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown Secretariat: Orla Fitzpatrick, Library Assistant, An Chomhairle Leabharlanna Stephanie 0' Callaghan, Library Assistant, An Chomhairle Leabharlanna Betty Boardman, Librarian, An Chomhairle Leabharlanna * Died on 09/10/97 Foreword: by Professor Declan Kiberd, Chairman of the Public Libraries and the Arts Committee In an age when many churches are often locked for fear of vandals and when bouncers stand in the doorway of many a city pub at evening - time, the public library remains one of the few civic spaces which extends an equal and unconditional welcome to every member of the community. Nobody challenges you when you walk in. Nobody tells you what to do. People who still feel shy of entering a bank have little compunction about walking into a library. Once inside, you can read a book, consult a reference - guide or sit and savour the unusual blend of sociability and silence. Old people sometimes frequent libraries to meet their friends or to keep warm on winter days. Young people often use the facilities in order to complete a school project. Others go there to borrow the latest winner of a Booker Prize or to discover what interesting new books on the subject of car mechanics have been published in the past year or so. To all of them, the library offers the appeal of a long - standing and trustworthy friend. Even the most regular users are not always aware of the full range of services on offer. You can not only borrow videos and cassettes, but also books which have long gone out of print in the retail shops or rare novels which can be accessed from afar on inter - library loan. The libraries often publish lists of upcoming events in an area or mount displays on local authors or parish history. In some, budding poets exchange pages at regular meetings of writers' workshops; in others, people of varying ages practise foreign language skills; in more again, those with problems of literacy are equipped with that priceless gift; and already in a few libraries, people learn to play a musical instrument.