CLARE Fine Gael TD Joe Carey has welcomed an allocation of €26,744 to the Clare Library Service which will enable it to provide assistance for people with reading difficulties, books in Ukrainian and other languages,­ and a programme of events for recent arrivals in the county.

The funding from the Dormant Accounts Fund will enable the provision of electronic resources both in library buildings and online and will also be used to assist libraries in offering literacy supports across the library network.

In recent years Dormant Accounts Funding has helped Clare’s libraries to fund online literacy supports, sensory spaces and gardens, among many other relevant and important literacy-based projects.

One of the highlights of the funding this year will be the purchase of “C-pens”, which have a simple scanning mechanism that reads text aloud and will be available for borrowing in a number of libraries, making life easier for anyone struggling with reading and enabling parents to try out a pen before making a decision to purchase.

The grant will also enable Clare County Council to purchase a subscription for an online data base of children’s picture books in 50 different languages. This includes Ukrainian titles and will be welcomed by parents of young children now living in County Clare, if English is not their main language.

Planned library programming, as a result of the funding, includes a pilot multi-disciplinary arts programme called “World of Welcomes”, with children from five schools participating in libraries all around the county.

Clare County Librarian, Helen Walsh, said the funding will improve the accessibility of literacy supports across the library network and will further position libraries as a valuable community resource.

“Clare County Council welcomes this funding and will ensure that it is promoted and made available to those who need it most. It will complement literacy support programmes which the council has already made available across all schools and libraries in the county,” she explained.

Above: The c-pen which will be a more common sight in Clare Libraries