From left to right, Sean Connolly, Chair of Board of Management, Kilsheelan NS, Joe MacGrath, Chief Executive, Tipperary County Council, Cllr. Siobhan Ambrose, Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council, Damien Dullaghan, County Librarian, Frances Hearne, Principal of Kilsheelan NS and the Prize Winners of Best Dressed Book Characters

Cllr. Siobhan Ambrose, Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council  launched a new replacement Schools Mobile Library vehicle last Tuesday, May 23rd. The launch took place in Kilsheelan National School. The Schools Mobile visits 150 Primary Schools in County Tipperary 3 times per year. A dedicated Schools Librarian works closely with Primary School Teachers to provide guidance and advice about children’s literature, reading and literacy support. The Schools Mobile Service provides a range of titles to support teachers in their day to day teachers. This integrated approach between the Library Service and Schools ensure there are strong links between schools, the public library service and the community at large. This is very important in the development of child literacy, and in particular, in the provision of supports for children with literacy problems. In 2016, there were 17,000 visits to the Schools Mobile by Primary School Children who borrowed over 45,000 books. Tipperary County Council received 100% grant aid funding from the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government in the sum of EUR 100,000 to cover the cost of building this new Mobile Library.
Cathaoirleach Siobhan Ambrose said ” We are proud of the strong tradition of our Schools Library Service in Tipperary. We have committed considerable staffing and financial resources for nearly 50 years to providing a high quality book lending service to our Schools. Tipperary County Council Library service is committed to assisting schools to improve achievement and raise standards, particularly in terms of Literacy”.
The Chief Executive of Tipperary County Council, Joe MacGrath stated “The Schools Mobile Library Service is a proven example of using an integrated approach between the Library Service and Primary Schools in the development of child literacy. Tipperary County Council will continue to provide a high quality Library Service for the County”.