Waterford Libraries and The Bar of Ireland join forces

On Monday 22 July, Waterford Libraries and the Library and Information Service at The Bar of Ireland gathered in Central Library, Lady Lane to launch a new partnership which will enable members of the South Eastern Circuit to access legal materials and other library services through Waterford Library Service.

The launch was attended by Councillors, staff from Waterford Libraries and The Bar of Ireland, as well as barristers practising on the South Eastern Circuit, lecturers from Waterford Institute of Technology and members of the public.

Waterford City and County Librarian, Jane Cantwell speaking at the launch said: “We were very pleased to be asked to facilitate this service and we hope that it is the beginning of some interesting initiatives which will be of benefit to The Bar of Ireland members and will help us to show how relevant our public libraries are to everyone. We are proud to collaborate with our Law Library colleagues to ensure that their users now have access to the most relevant books from the Law Libraries in Dublin and Cork when they are here in the South East.”

Cantwell added: “The national plan Our Public Libraries 2022 is about Inspiring, Connecting and Empowering Communities and it is initiatives such as this that will show the value of public libraries in bridging gaps for such a wide variety of people. Public libraries have developed considerably over the past 10 years and continue to change at a rapid pace. We had 570,000 visits to Waterford libraries in 2018. Around 16,000 people visit this Central Library every month.”

Nuala Byrne, Director of Library and Information Services at The Bar of Ireland, also spoke: “We thank the staff of Waterford Central Library for their generosity and their willingness to work with us to provide this much needed initiative for our Circuit members.  In this digital era, it is still important to provide access to relevant printed material as well as the space to read and think. Waterford Libraries have allowed us to do this for our members. Thank You.”

John Madden BL, South Eastern Circuit Liaison Officer, praised the excellent facilities in Waterford Central Library and thanked both libraries for this very welcome initiative on behalf of The Bar of Ireland members practising on Circuit. He also highlighted the fact that with so many courts now sitting outside Dublin, amenities such as this are a necessity for barristers in order to be prepared and ready for court. He and his colleagues look forward to availing of this service over the coming years.