Number one in the EU for Blanchardstown Library Europe Direct Centre

Library staff have been busy creating and sharing content such as book reviews and recommendations; storytelling sessions; online courses; arts and crafts demonstrations; e-services tutorials; blog posts and much more.

The good news for library users is that there is much more planned as staff work together and with our network of contacts to keep Fingal Libraries at the forefront of supporting the community in lockdown with plenty to keep our patrons of all ages and interests occupied and stimulated during these challenging times.

The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Eoghan O’Brien, said: “Our Library staff, like all of our staff who are now working from home, are still providing great services and content to our residents online. It is great to see that our staff of the Europe Direct Blanchardstown are number one for social media activity out of all the branches in the EU. It is a testament to the all of the work being done by Fingal staff to provide services to the public as best as they can during the Covid-19 emergency.”

The Europe Direct Information Centre based at Blanchardstown Library has been busier than ever with plenty of online queries and social media activity. Each week, the centre has focused on a different EU country, posting facts and videos about a new EU neighbour every few days. This is part of our lead up to Europe Day (9th May). On the day itself, we plan to link up with our friends around Europe via video to ask questions about life in their home countries.

Fingal’s County Librarian, Betty Boardman, said: “Our staff are continuing to provide as many services as possible to our residents and members by online and offline channels. The Europe Direct Blanchardstown team have been part of this, and it is great to see that they are the number one centre in the EU for social media activity. The staff have been busy doing what they can to create content for people to entertain, learn or distract themselves during this emergency. We are delighted to see an increase in the use of our e-services as our members adjust to the new reality of our branch network being temporarily closed.”

Director of Housing and Community Department, Margaret Geraghty, said: “Fingal is committed to providing services during the Covid-19 crisis and it is great to see that Fingal Libraries staff, including the Europe Direct Blanchardstown branch staff, are stepping up to that commitment. This news shows the hard work that is being put into creating content for our residents while in lockdown, I would like to thank all of the staff involved for their work during these difficult times.” 

Europe Direct staff have also been busy on social media sharing important news and information on the EU response to the Covid-19 crisis. So much so in fact, that Europe Direct Blanchardstown is currently the number one centre in the EU (out of more than 500) for social media activity.