Building a Library Without Walls: Rethinking Library Systems Through an Argentine Community Library in Ireland

This guest post is by Nadina Yedid, Assistant Librarian with Children's Health Ireland.

There’s a saying that goes, “They didn’t know it was impossible, so they did it”. This is the story of how I met an extraordinary group of people, who didn’t know it was impossible to build a library without a reading room, a storage space, or an LMS. So, we did it.

How it started

It was mid-2025 when I received a WhatsApp message from a colleague from my home country (Argentina). It was a link to an article in a local newspaper that read “A group of Rosarinos (i.e. from the city of Rosario in Argentina) created the first library of Argentine literature in Ireland” . The article explained that the founders of the project had come together out of a shared love of literature, but also as a way to recreate spaces they had in Argentina, to gather as a community, and to provide one of the things most migrants leave behind when we move: our books, in our native language. The article introduced some of the people behind the project, the idea that moved it, and had a few photos of the people building the project. But that was all. Saying I was intrigued is an understatement. Where was this library? What were the opening hours? Could I go visit? Was there an OPAC? And above all, were all these people from the photos Argentine librarians living in Ireland like me? I did some research and was able to find an Instagram account that I started to follow. I wanted to reach out, ask if they needed any help, but I worried that I might not have much to contribute. Surely there were other librarians in the group - and most likely better than myself. 

A few months passed with no news, and suddenly, a post: Book Club - Saturday October 18th - Charleville Mall Library. 

I attended the Book Club with the secret mission of finding out more about this library. To my surprise - or maybe not? - there were over 20 people taking part in the activity. The session included a round of presentations, throughout which I managed to keep my cover intact, without disclosing my secret librarian identity. By the end of the round I had realised none of the organisers or attendees had claimed to be a librarian. Were they also keeping their identity a secret? Or maybe there were no librarians in this library? I began to suspect, maybe this was a different kind of library than the ones I knew before. By the end of the session, the meeting gave way to informal chatter within the attendees. I had so far gathered only very vague information about the library, so I took a more direct method of research and started asking straight: “But where is the library? Where do you keep the books? What books do you have?” That is how I found out the library “Biblioteca María Elena Walsh” does not have a physical location. The books are donations from the community and authors, and they are stored in the houses of the people behind the project. They had an Excel file with around 200 book titles, and they wanted to build a catalogue, but none of them were librarians and they didn’t know how to do it. That was the moment when I let my guard down and revealed my true identity. When I told one of the organisers I was a librarian she was delighted to discover there was a library professional among us. I was immediately invited to join the project.

Building “The System”: the challenges

When I joined the first meeting of the group they were concerned about having a system that would allow them to share the books that were available through the library and lend them to other members of the Argentine/Spanish-speakers community in Ireland. The idea behind it was simple: there were people who hold books, and there were people who wanted to read books, they just needed a way to connect them. Since the library didn’t have a physical space for patrons to browse the shelves, they needed a way to let the community know which books were available. And since the library didn’t have a reading room, they needed their patrons to be able to borrow the books and read them at home. So essentially, an OPAC and a circulation module. 

By the time I got to them, some of the members had made enquiries with local librarians known to them. They were told, of course, that they needed an LMS, and were recommended to find out more about Koha. The group was divided between those who wanted to implement a more traditional library management system from the outset, this meant getting Koha installed on a server, catalogue the books properly, and manage all loans in the circulation module. Others felt that might take a moment, and it was better to just circulate the Excel file with the book titles, and have another Excel file to register loans and returns. I myself had mixed feelings. On the one hand, as a librarian, I felt it was my obligation to tell them “how things should be done the right way”, but on the other hand, I was afraid that if we waited to have everything perfect to launch it, we would end up not doing it at all.

Installing Koha presented a few problems: first and foremost, I didn’t have the technical expertise to implement it. Although I had worked with the system before, it had always been as a cataloguer, with a system already installed and parameters set by Interleaf. Hiring someone to do the job would have involved costs that the library, at that time, could not afford. Then, there was the problem of cataloguing the books in MARC format. Since the books were scattered across different homes, it would have been impossible for me to access all 200 volumes to catalogue them with the item in hand. So, this needed to be a collective work, where each “book holder” could enter the data of the books they stored. However, the idea of teaching a group of people with no prior library training how to catalogue a book in MARC format was out of the question. So, I began to wonder, perhaps Koha wasn’t the right solution? Maybe a library that is different to all the libraries I knew before required a different system to the ones I had used in the past.

All the books in the library were donations, so there was no real need for an acquisitions module. All materials were monographs, so no serials module required. All the borrowers would be end users, so no need for an ILL module either. The collection itself was composed mostly by widely renowned books that would almost certainly be available for copy cataloguing in many other catalogues or… platforms? It suddenly felt obvious.

Building “The System”: the solution

We live in an era in which almost all social activities are mediated by digital platforms. There are platforms to travel, platforms to meet people, platforms to share your photos, your videos, your research, and more. There is a platform for almost anything you might want. There had to be a platform to share your collection of books. I did some research and discovered there is actually more than one, but among them was one that seemed to have pretty much what we needed: LibraryThing.

LibraryThing  is a lightweight, web-based cataloguing platform that allows users to create and manage bibliographic records online. It can be thought of as something similar to Goodreads, but with a stronger focus on bibliographic metadata and structured cataloguing rather than on sharing opinions and reviews. Once you’ve created your account you can start adding books to ‘Your Library’ by copy cataloguing, importing records, or creating original records. The platform also links to a feature called “TinyCat”  that turns your LibraryThing catalogue into a library OPAC and provides a small circulation system for loans. It allows for institutional accounts, which, depending on their size and type can pay as little as €3 per month. 

I presented the idea to the rest of the group and we decided this system would do for the moment, at least until we have figured out whether we needed Koha or not. I recorded a short training video on how to add a book to our library. LibraryThing allows users to copy catalogue from many different institutions, such as the Library of Congress or the British Library. The sources from which you want to allow copy cataloguing can be edited, and we were able to add the Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno (the National Library of Argentina). This library produces a lot of MARC records readily available through Z39.50 protocol, and it’s one of the most robust and reliable sources of records for Argentine literature.

 

Figure 1. Adding records through copy cataloguing

A few books from the library could not be found for copy cataloguing. Especially, donations from self-published authors, that didn’t have a bibliographic record available in other libraries. In those cases, we added the records manually, using a structured, field‑based metadata form rather than MARC records. The interface presents a simplified, metadata‑driven form for manual data entry that is very intuitive and only requires minor explanations for those who have not received library training. Again, the fields for manual entry can be customised to meet the needs of the collection.

 

Figure 2. Part of the template to manually input a record in LibraryThing

Once the collection has been built, you can either direct your patrons to your LibraryThing account, where they can see a full list of your holdings, including circulation information, for a more browseable experience. Or you can point them to your TinyCat site, for a more search-oriented experience.

 

Figure 3. View of the full collection list, with lending information

Figure 4. View of the search interface of TinyCat 

The “TinyCat” feature also enables a small circulation module which allowed us to create our own Patrons database. As expressed in the Privacy and TOS  LibraryThing is assumed to be in the position of data processor, and the institutions in the position of data controller, managing the data of their data subjects. So, it is the institution’s responsibility to ensure GDPR compliance for their data subjects, including collecting consent, managing consent-revocation, enabling access, etc. In our case, we did this by requesting all of our patrons who wanted to be registered in the library to complete a Google Form. The form included consent and adherence to the Maria Elena Walsh Library policies and regulations.

Once the patrons database starts to be built up, books can be checked out, returned, placed on hold, or other custom status. Preferences can be set for lending times, automatic emails to be sent to borrowers at the time of borrowing a book, reminders of coming due dates, and overdue items. The feature includes an option for patrons self-check in/out of books, and a patron interface with username and password access, although these options have not been used by our library yet. The system also facilitates reports to monitor activity by books and patrons. The only downside we have noticed is that the system does not seem to allow for reservation of books that are currently on loan. It appears the books can have only one status, either they are checked out, or reserved, but can’t be both checked out to one patron and reserved to another. Yet, for us, this is a small detail in comparison with the great benefits it offers.

 

Figure 5. General view of the TinyCat admin page

How it’s going

LibraryThing provided the catalogue and the circulation module, but we still needed a procedure. We created a website, bibliowalsh.org, where users could be pointed to find all the relevant information they needed to borrow books from the library - and to see the other many projects and activities the library is involved in. The website included links to a “how to borrow books” page, the library regulations, the catalogue, and the registration form.

The procedure is simple: anybody over 18 years old can register with the library for free. To do so they must complete the form available on the website and tick that they agree to the library policies and regulations. Library regulations can be found on the website, but are also hyperlinked on the registration form, for full transparency. After registering, the person receives a confirmation email, and can start borrowing books. Loans are for free; each patron can borrow one book at the same time - for now at least. They can keep it for 30 days and renew their loan for another 15 days. There are no fines for late returns, as the library works as a collaborative project and we expect to have the respect from all of our users. After registering, the person can visit our catalogue, choose from the database the book they would like to read, and email us to coordinate a collection time and location. Books can be collected from the library member who is housing the book, or can be brought to one of the library’s activities in town.

The launching of the lending system was marked with an Open Mic Night at the end of April. Since then - less than two months ago - we’ve had over 30 people signed up to register with the library. We have lent 8 books, to 7 different borrowers, and we expect to reach more and more people as word-of-mouth spreads. We have also received more donations, and we are about to reach the 290 books. Seeing these results, I can’t help but wonder: would we be in the same place if we had implemented Koha?

Final reflection

A library without walls poses a challenge to our traditional ideas of what a library is. It is possible that if I had come across this project while it was still just “an idea” I would have dismissed it myself, thinking “it is impossible”. But I think that, in this particular case, the fact that they started without a librarian on the team may actually have been what made the project possible. Simply because there was no one there to tell them this couldn’t be done. By the time I joined the team the project was already ongoing, they needed solutions, not criticism. This put me in a place where I had to rethink my own knowledge about how library services are built. What level of bibliographic quality is good enough? When does accessibility matter more than perfection? Which library tasks can be democratised? What is the role of librarians in community-led projects? My learning from this project is that traditional library systems are not always the best solution for grassroots libraries. Community needs and resources should shape library systems, rather than the other way around. And above all, as in most aspects of life, we need to be flexible - perhaps not an easy task for a librarian.

Looking back, I think the most important lesson is that libraries are built by communities before they are built by systems. Catalogues, circulation modules, and policies are important, but they are only meaningful when they support a genuine community need. In our case, technology did not create the library; it simply helped a community that already existed to share its books more effectively. The real foundation was a group of people determined to create a space for books, language, and community, even without the resources that libraries are traditionally expected to have.

As one of the latest Instagram posts from the Biblioteca María Elena Walsh says: “We are still growing, between books, gatherings, and the will to share. This is only the beginning… Subscribe.”

Figure 6. Instagram post from Biblioteca María Elena Walsh

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The IADT Journal of Research + Creativity: Launched on the Diamond Ireland Press

This guest post is by Jane Buggle, Librarian, Institute of Art, Design + Technology (IADT).

IADT Library is delighted to announce that the IADT Journal of Research + Creativity (IJRC) has officially launched on Diamond Ireland Press, Ireland's new national Diamond Open Access publishing platform. As a library-published, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the full breadth of IADT's disciplinary life, the IJRC represents a meaningful step forward for open, inclusive, and barrier-free scholarly communication in Ireland.

The IADT Journal of Research + Creativity is a biannual, peer-reviewed, open access journal published by IADT Library and dedicated to showcasing scholarly and creative work from across the IADT community and beyond. The journal spans the full range of IADT’s academic focus including Art, Design, Film, Technology, Applied Psychology, the Humanities, Business, EDI, Entrepreneurship, and much more.

The IJRC publishes a wide variety of contribution types, including:
•    Academic articles and original research
•    Literature reviews and case studies
•    Creative works including poetry, photography, and original art
•    Opinion pieces, reflections, and reports
•    Film, television, and book reviews
•    Interviews and interdisciplinary essays

Interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary submissions are warmly welcomed, reflecting IADT's ethos as an institution where creative practice and research continually intersect.

One of the most distinctive and exciting features of the IJRC is its genuinely inclusive contributor model. Unlike many academic journals oriented exclusively towards established researchers, the IJRC is open to contributors at all career stages; undergraduate and postgraduate students, academics and researchers, practitioners and industry professionals.

Crucially, peer review is calibrated to the appropriate academic standard for each contributor category, meaning that undergraduate work is assessed on its own terms, postgraduate work on theirs, and academic research to the full standard expected of scholarly publishing. This creates a genuinely democratic scholarly space where an undergraduate exploring a creative research question can publish alongside an experienced academic, with intellectual integrity maintained throughout.

The IJRC also warmly welcomes external submissions from researchers, practitioners, and students at other higher education institutions in Ireland and internationally. All research articles undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process, and the journal adheres to the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and is informed by the Library Publishing Coalition's Ethical Framework for Library Publishing.

The IJRC operates under a Diamond Open Access model, which means that there are no paywalls or article processing charges (APCs); it is free to read and free to publish. This commitment to Diamond OA reflects the principle that publicly funded knowledge should be publicly accessible - to students, practitioners, policymakers, and communities, not only to those with institutional journal subscriptions. In an era of rising APCs and escalating subscription costs, Diamond OA offers a genuinely equitable alternative for scholarly communication.

Diamond Ireland Press
Diamond Ireland Press, Ireland’s national Diamond Open Access publishing platform for journals and monographs, launched in May 2026. It is a key outcome of the Diamond Ireland project, funded by the National Open Research Forum (NORF), which coordinates Ireland’s national strategy for open research.

The foundations for this development were laid by Publish OA Ireland, a landscape and feasibility study conducted between late 2022 and 2025. Co-led by the Royal Irish Academy and Trinity College Dublin’s Long Room Hub, and funded by NORF, the project set out to map and better understand Ireland’s scholarly publishing landscape. Its outputs included a Diamond OA Platform Pilot and Feasibility Report, a Landscape Report on Scholarly Publishing in Ireland, and a Directory of Irish Diamond Open Access Journals.

This work was undertaken in response to the Irish Government’s National Action Plan for Open Research 2022–2030, which aims to achieve 100% open access to publicly funded scholarly publications by 2030. The findings of Publish OA Ireland identified the need for coordinated, national infrastructure to support Diamond Open Access publishing.

Building on this groundwork, the Diamond Ireland project was established as a second phase, September 2025 to December 2026, focused on implementation. Its central output is Diamond Ireland Press, which provides shared, publicly owned infrastructure for Irish journals and publishers using Open Journal Systems (OJS), a widely adopted open-source platform. The platform supports increased visibility and technical capacity while allowing journals to retain full editorial independence and identity. The Economic and Social Review was among the first journals to migrate, and the IJRC now joins this growing national initiative.

Alongside the Press, the project is also developing the Diamond Ireland Hub, a suite of national and international resources designed to support best-practice Diamond Open Access publishing. The Hub is intended as a sustainable network that complements the platform.

Further elements of the initiative include a tiered partnership model, enabling organisations to engage with Diamond Ireland Press at different levels depending on their capacity and needs, and plans for a platform-agnostic discovery layer to improve access to Irish Diamond Open Access content. Diamond Ireland is also connected to international infrastructure, including the European Diamond Capacity Hub, supporting the quality, sustainability, and visibility of Diamond Open Access publishing across Europe.

Submissions to the IJRC are accepted on a rolling basis. If you are a student, academic, practitioner, or researcher with work to share, consider submitting to the IJRC.

•  Visit the journal: ijrc.ie
•  Contact the editorial team: journal[at]iadt.ie
•  Diamond Ireland Press: diamondirelandpress.ie

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Developing RDM expertise: A Librarian’s Review of the Introduction to Data Stewardship Micro-Credential

This guest post is by Margaret Irons, Librarian, School of Celtic Studies, 

Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5589-5601 | https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-kelly-irons/

Figure 1: Data Management Plan. The Turing Way project illustration by Scriberia

Good data governance is a core component of high quality research. Researchers are now being asked to produce robust DMPs (data management plans), to comply with funder requirements, apply FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) principles, select appropriate repositories and ensure that research outputs remain accessible, secure and reusable.  

As librarian at Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, RDM (research data management) has become an important part of the library’s contribution to research excellence, open scholarship, institutional policy, funder requirements, data and metadata management and compliance.

If you are increasingly being asked to assist with and advocate for RDM or Open Research best practice, and you are looking for formal accredited training whilst also working full-time, then look no further than the Sonraí DH5001 Introduction to Data Stewardship micro-credential which meets these challenges head-on, with a thoughtfully designed programme that is both academically rigorous, seriously practical and conveniently accessible for busy professionals.

Figure 2: Sonraí Irish Data Stewardship Network logo

Micro-credentials are accredited courses available to improve skills you already have or to develop new skills in relevant emerging areas. Delivered by Sonraí, the Irish Data Stewardship Network, and hosted by University College Cork, this thoroughly practical level 9 micro-credential provides an accessible yet comprehensive introduction to RDM and data stewardship. Delivered in a flexible hybrid format over 13 weeks it is aimed not only at current and aspiring data stewards but also at researchers, research support staff, librarians, knowledge managers, research administrators and technical staff supporting research infrastructure.

Figure 3: University College Cork logo

Over thirteen weeks, myself and the 25 or so other students on DH5001, engaged with topics including research data and data stewardship, data management planning, metadata and organisation, data curation and preservation, FAIR principles, policy and compliance, rights and licensing, ethics and governance, and GDPR. Guest lectures provided valuable real-world perspectives on subjects such as Open Research, reproducibility, research security, copyright and licensing, and research ethics.

The course delivery method is particularly effective for working professionals. Lectures and guest presentations are recorded and released alongside transcripts, slide decks and comprehensive reading lists, making the course highly accessible and flexible. I particularly enjoyed the optional online Q&A sessions hosted by the Sonraí team, which offered an informal and supportive environment for all students, whilst also knowing that the Sonraí team were available regularly via email to answer any questions. I also enjoyed the timed release of each module on a weekly basis which helped to keep me working at a steady pace and on schedule.

The course is assessed through a combination of practical assignments and online learning activities. Continuous assessment consists of the completion of an initial version of a data management plan, followed by a final revised research data management plan. Between the first and the final assignment I could really see how my expertise in the area had developed and I now feel even more qualified to offer advice to researchers in my home institution.

In addition, participants complete six online e-tivities in the form of self-assessment exercises and discussion board contributions, which encourage reflection, engagement with course content, and peer learning. These online self-assessment exercises, offered insights into other students’ interesting and varied projects and also offered a supportive forum for learning and expansion of knowledge through active engagement.

I thoroughly enjoyed this course, not only as a professional development opportunity but also because RDM and open research have become a professional passion of mine and to be able to practically expand my knowledge around the subject was both rewarding and exciting. Combining critical thinking with a directly relevant and comprehensive course was both stimulating and challenging in equal measure. It was definitely a bonus to be able to develop my expertise without the added commitment of undertaking another Postgraduate Degree or Masters.

The Sonraí team should be commended for developing and delivering such a high-quality programme. In particular, I would like to acknowledge Dr Aoife Coffey, whose dulcet lecturing tones became something of an unexpected highlight of the course. Aoife’s lecturing style is enthusiastic, engaging, and calming all at once. The programme was enriched by the contributions of many excellent Sonraí lecturers and a diverse range of guest speakers, all of whom brought valuable expertise and perspectives.

In a time where institutions, funders, and publishers increasingly expect robust data practices, this course has further equipped me with skills that are immediately transferable and professionally valuable. I believe this micro-credential represents an important advancement in the professional development landscape for data stewards nationally and it offers the opportunity to remain relevant in rapidly evolving research data management environment.

The next intake to the course will be January 2027 and registration will open in the autumn. Follow Sonraí on LinkedIn for further information.

Acknowledgements:

• I acknowledge the use of ChatGPT to refine my original text and to correct spelling and grammar.
• Thank you to The Registrar, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies for providing funding to participate in this course.

References:

1. UCC Micro-credentials courses https://www.ucc.ie/en/dh5001/
2. Sonraí – The Irish Data Stewardship Network https://datastewards.ie/
3. The Turing Way Data Management Plans https://book.the-turing-way.org/reproducible-research/rdm/rdm-dmp/
4. Data Management Plan. The Turing Way project illustration by Scriberia. Zenodo. The Turing Way Community & Scriberia (2024) https://zenodo.org/records/13882307
5. Coffey, A., Joy, C., Hayes, A., McCabe, G., O'Dwyer, L., McCarney, E., Clarke, R., Madden, F., Stokes, D., Quinn, C., Dalton, M. and Noonan, E. (eds.) (2025) Navigating Open Research - A guide for early career researchers. CONUL Research Group. https://doi.org/10.33178/10468/17586
6. National Action Plan for Open Research https://norf.ie/national-action-plan/

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Literacy for the future: Review of the LIR Annual Seminar 2026

This guest post is by Cathal Madigan, Library Assistant at TU Dublin.

On Wednesday May 13th, 2026, I had the privilege to attend the LIR Annual Seminar 2026. Hosted in the ASIERA Offices in Dublin and recorded over MS Teams, the Seminar had a theme of “Supporting Emerging Literacies,” and asked the question of how libraries design and deliver new literacy programmes. The presentations had a shared idea of literacy, with each presenter showcasing how libraries could hope to use these programmes to bolster services and assist clients.

LIR Group logo, from LIR Group website

The Seminar opened with a keynote from Dr Andrew Cox, Senior Lecturer at the School of Information, Journalism and Communication, University of Sheffield. Focusing on the emerging use cases of AI and how librarians could integrate it, Dr Cox provided an examination of the potential costs and benefits of AI integration in libraries, exploring the importance of knowing how best to safely integrate it into library structures and be aware of how students are using it in their daily activities.

Ann Byrne, Digital Librarian for Hibernia College, spoke about “digital literacy for all” and reflected on the process of creating a course in digital literacy for Hibernia College, a process that began in 2023 in the aftermath of COVID-19 as staff realised that students had no real instructions for how to use digital literacy. This made it a good choice for an open course system as it is a universal need. The pilot programme launched in 2023 and was deemed a success as part of UNESCO's Global Media and Information Literacy Week and Be Media Smart campaign from Media Literacy Ireland. The success prompted a second phase in 2025, which added new lessons and incorporated feedback like a dedicated module on AI.

ASIERA Offices, North Wall Quay, Dublin 1, where the event was hosted, from archdaily.com

Ronan Madden, Learning & Teaching Team Lead at UCC Library, discussed the new Digital and Information Literacy Framework that UCC had begun developing. A new team, the Framework provides tailored classes on request with a focus on increasing awareness of the different forms of literacy across the university, such as information, digital, media and AI literacy. Ronan outlined how the Framework had been developed and used by students and faculty at UCC, how students assisted with peer review, and how it is intended as a living document that is always innovating and expanding.

Siobhán Dunne,Teaching, Research Support and User Experience, TCD, spoke about the concept of Sustainability Literacy (i.e. the knowledge of the relationship/conflicts between humanity and the environment), discussing the Sustainability Action Plan that Trinity had launched in February 2026 after a survey for students requested sustainability awareness. One of the major components of the plan was that Sustainability Literacy would provide a new opportunity to position the library as a trusted information resource for students and staff. As an example of this, Siobhán shared how part of the Action Plan involved creating a space where students could learn about AI and its impact on the climate, and share their concerns.

A still from Siobhan Dunne’s presentation showing TCD’s Sustainability Action Plan for 2026

Patrick Keegan, Learning Specialist Librarian at RCSI, discussed a pilot workshop for postgraduate learners which included AI Literacy, or learning when would be an appropriate time to use AI. The concept of "cognitive offloading" was discussed (i.e. how the brain can only process so much information so steps must be taken to know ways to offload). Patrick emphasised how important it was to train graduates to be ready to avoid detrimental offloading when in the workplace, and that being able to retain cognitive prowess when working with patients is a key skill. The workshop he worked on provided three examples of issues healthcare students may face as AI usage becomes more commonplace; how to critically evaluate suggestions from AI, how it can disrupt learning journeys, and how to explain the choices one makes in their day-to-day operations. Patrick ended with the key takeaways from the workshop and suggested a “human in the loop” style of AI oversight where suggestions made by AI are always run by a skilled professional first before being implemented.

Dr Simone Fühles-Ubach, Library and Information Science at TH Köln, and Professor Elisabeth Kaliva, Computer Scientist and Educational Researcher at TH Köln, opened the final stage of the Seminar with a shared presentation on a research project they had been undertaking since 2020, based on the “Data Literacy” research project at TH Köln. They presented the progress and research findings of their project, focusing on the contribution and collaboration of academic libraries and the impact this had on students. The Data Literacy Initiative (DALI) at TH Köln has become a centralised shared working space for students and staff, creating an infrastructure to advise students on data literacy and usage of it while researching.

Ben Lee from Shared Intelligence, speaking about future literacy at the LIR Seminar 2026

The final speaker of the day was Ben Lee, director of think-tank consultant group Shared Intelligence. His event was named “Come Rain or Shine: futures literacy for libraries, and the role of libraries in building futures literacy among their users and communities.” Ben discussed how a report was made in 2023 to discuss the challenges facing public libraries in the United Kingdom and how to increase awareness and usage in local communities. The report suggested finding new ways to reverse declining attendance rates in libraries, and to beware the retirement cliff. Ben spoke of Futures Literacy, i.e. the concept of using the ideas of the future to inform the actions of the present. This led into a group exercise where Ben asked those in attendance to combine two uncertain future concepts on a graph to create different versions of the future, showing the different paths an uncertain future can generate, before the Seminar concluded.

The LIR Seminar proved to be a stimulating day. I was pleased to get to attend and found the experience very enlightening. The overall questions raised in the introduction of the Seminar of how libraries design and deliver new literacy programmes was appropriately answered and elaborated on. Each of the different representatives discussed how their own libraries oversaw new programmes to increase awareness of digital literacy among their clientele, providing a wide variety of alternate perspectives that showed how each of the guest speakers came to their conclusions. This allowed for improvements in their offered services and allowed for each facility to be more adept at handling queries asked by the modern library customer. 

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Demystifying Joyce - A reflection of the Ulysses Book Club at Dublin City University Library

This guest post is by Alana Mahon O'Neill who is a library assistant based in the Research and Teaching directorate in DCU Library.

Please note: This article gives examples of the language in Ulysses that led to the novel being banned in several countries. 

Ulysses is considered one of the most important texts of Irish Literature and it is celebrated as a pinnacle of English modernist literature. Celebrants mark the occasion annually on Bloomsday by walking Dublin's streets, reenacting scenes from the book, and turning fiction into living history.

James Joyce's mark on Dublin City. Image credits: Wikimedia Commons.

Joyce echoes in our culture, referenced in literary works from Flann O’Brien to Sally Rooney and resonates within the musical ambitions of Kate Bush, Lou Reed, and Fontaines D.C., to name a few. Widespread literary consensus holds that Joyce has influenced much of modern literature and art, and that Ulysses alone challenges narrative structure, experiments with language, and introduces stream of consciousness.

Ulysses inspired musicians Kate Bush, Lou Reed and Fontaines D.C. who reference lines from the text in their song lyrics. Image credits: Photographs by Columbia Records via Wikimedia Commons, Garry Gross and Simone Joyner/Getty Images.

So, why haven’t more people read it? Last year, the Dublin City University (DCU) Arts and Culture department announced a Ulysses book club. The objective: meet once a month (with a break for the summer) and discuss two chapters over some tea and biscuits? Yeah, sure.

The gathering was successful thanks to Jen and Claire. Inspired by their own book club, they facilitated this reading of Ulysses as James Joyce “enthusiasts”, rather than as academics, and invited an assembly of Drumcondra residents and DCU staff. We conversed at meetings and between sessions shared links to articles, podcasts and interesting tidbits. We all had very different approaches to engaging with the material: some read the text, others preferred the audiobook. Personally, I opted for full immersion by consuming the two at once, like a VR headset. This was particularly engaging for chapters like Circe, where Joyce uses onomatopoeia for inanimate objects, which the audio production conjured up into an eerie chorus of voices.

Examples of onomatopoeia from 'Circe', chapter 15 of Ulysses

If you haven’t read Ulysses, the pictured quotes might be surprising. It was for me. Popular sentiment is that it has been rigorously analysed by prestigious academics and therefore becomes “inaccessible” for the vast majority. This negates the most fascinating aspect of the book: it’s silly.

Ulysses is full of word plays, tongue-in-cheek allegories and crude language. It’s shameless, rude and transgressive in its religious, political and social allusions. When people gush incredulously about the book being banned in Ireland, believe them.

A sample of the 'highbrow' language used in Ulysses.

Also, don’t believe them. It was never banned. Irish authorities believed so few would read the novel that there was no need to submit it to the censorship board.¹

In hindsight, it was a miracle that the book was ever published. Joyce went through incredible lengths to make Ulysses true to life. While living in Paris, he wrote back letters to family members in Dublin to confirm the minutest of details, from the time it takes for a piece of paper to float down the river Liffey,² to whether one could jump the fence at No. 7 Eccles Street,³ and the presence of a shooting star in the night sky on June 16, 1904.⁴

“I want to give a picture of Dublin so complete that if the city suddenly disappeared from the earth it could be reconstructed out of my book.” - James Joyce.⁵

Jen and Claire shared some of their “rabbit-hole” deep dives into references within and between the lines of the text. Businesses mentioned on O’Connell Street led to an elaborate unfolding of the origin of Elvery’s Elephant logo.⁶ In Drumcondra, the Goose Tavern pub may have taken its name from the flocks of Brent Geese that flock to the area in the winter months. There are many more examples, but I do not have the word count to start unpacking. It felt like every line of the book had some deeper meaning, some way to spin it to illustrate secret and nuance, a reality to the unreality. After all, more than 600 people were referenced in the text, from Irish historical figures such as Charles Stewart Parnell and Daniel O'Connell, to real people such as pub owner Davy Byrne and National Library of Ireland director Richard Irvine Best.⁷

I would also like to acknowledge that we didn’t always enjoy the process. Some of us expressed frustration at its meandering narrative, its sizeable chapters, and the likability of its protagonists. ‘Do you like Bloom, yet?’ was a frequent topic at each meeting. I think such dialogue is important because in a typical book club setting, with contemporary texts, we get to express our frustrations and delights at surface-level impressions. If a book published last year has something unlikable about it, then why not a classic, too? Joyce is thoughtful in his detail, but also rather pedantic and self-indulgent, and this is also what made Ulysses so intriguing and mysterious to his critics.

Jen and Claire’s conversations at the book club were heavily inspired by the text “Ulysses and Us”,⁸ which argues that Ulysses is written about the people of Dublin and for the people of Dublin, but only for those who are willing to seek it out.

“It is not my fault that the odour of ashpits and old weeds and offal hangs round my stories. I seriously believe that you will retard the course of civilisation in Ireland by preventing the Irish people from having one good look at themselves in my nicely polished looking-glass.” - James Joyce.⁹

Joyce initially had quite an incredulous reception in Ireland, and only started seeing recognition posthumously. With that, his most lingering legacy appears to be the preconception that his works are not made to be read by just about anyone.¹⁰

So, what are we missing out on?

It sounds like the challenge has been set; most don’t engage because they don’t think of themselves as the target audience. Self-exploration involves challenging preconceptions. Let me assure you that Ulysses is for you.

If there is one thing I could take away from this experience, it is that, one, we need more book clubs focusing on demystifying classic novels, and two, everyone should try to read Ulysses cover to cover at least once. Well, this is what I would personally declare; other passionate readers have assured me that I will read it again.

The final gathering of the Ulysses Book Club in Belvedere Library DCU, March 2026. Image credit: Kyran O'Brien/DCU, 2026.

I also want to declare my thanks to Jen and Claire, whose passion and dedication made the experience so enjoyable for everyone involved. 

¹McCourt, J. (2023). From hostility to homage. The reception of Joyce’s Ulysses in Ireland. Journal of Irish Studies, 37, 4–14. https://www-jstor-org.dcu.idm.oclc.org/stable/27301718
² Joyce, J., & Murray, J. (1922). Letter from James Joyce, in Paris, to his aunt, Josephine Murray. https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000743146/HierarchyTree#tabnav
³ Joyce, J., & Murray, J. (1922). Letter from James Joyce, in Paris, to his aunt, Josephine Murray. https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000743153
⁴ Olson, D. W., & Olson, M. S. (2004). The June Lyrids and James Joyce’s Ulysses. Sky & Telescope, 108(1), 76–77.
⁵ From a conversation with Frank Budgen, circa 1918-1919, Zurich. Budgen, F. (1960). James Joyce and the Making of 'Ulysses'. Indiana University Press. pp. 67-68.
⁶ Rodgers, J. (2025, Jul 11). The colourful story of the Elephant House on Dublin's O'Connell Street. RTÉ. https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/0711/1495830-elephant-house-dublin-sackville-street-oconnell-street-elverys-supermacs/
⁷ Who Were the Real Men in the Library from "and Charybdis"? (2024, Mar 28). Blooms and Barnacles. https://www.bloomsandbarnacles.com/blog/who-were-the-real-men-in-the-library-from-scylla-and-charybdis
⁸ Kiberd, D. (2011). Ulysses and us: the art of everyday living. Faber.
⁹ James Joyce, on his collection of short stories ‘Dubliners’ in letter to his publisher, Grant Richards, on 23 June 1906, in Joyce, J., & Gilbert, S. (Ed.) (1957). Letters of James Joyce. Faber and Faber. pp. 63-64.
¹⁰ McCourt, J. (2023).

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Discover the Latest Issue of the Health Sciences Libraries Journal (HSLJ)

This is a guest post by the HSLJ editorial team about the latest issue of the Health Sciences Libraries Journal, Vol. 2 No. 1, (2026)

The Health Sciences Libraries Journal, Vol. 2 No. 1 (2026)

The theme throughout the current issue of HSLJ is Diversity, Equity, Belonging and Inclusion (DEBI). 

Dr Deborah Reed reflects on her career in librarianship across the UK and Ireland, exploring accessibility in Further Education and the importance of creating truly inclusive environments. Walsh et al. continue this conversation with an insightful examination of accessibility and belonging for neurodiverse librarians and library workers. While Jane Burns explores Graphic Medicine and its power to portray trauma across and between communities.

Readers will also discover the impact of the Human Library project through O’Neill and O’Connor’s account of a successful event at Dublin City University, where human “Books” and “Readers” come together to challenge stereotypes and foster understanding.

The issue also features a diverse range of contributions, including a dissertation summary by Annmarie Whyte on Australia’s role in the development of library and information science, a scaffolded model used to train librarians in systematic and scoping review services from Murphy and Adydan of Vanderbilt University, and Penny Wiggle’s engaging career journey across public, health, and school libraries.

Rounding out the issue are Mairéad Mooney’s historical exploration of James Wilkinson’s leadership of Cork City Libraries, Mc Keown and Lombard’s practice‑based insights on AI, and a report from the Health Sciences Libraries Group (HSLG) Conference in March, ensuring valuable insights are shared with the wider library community.

Whether you are interested in inclusion, professional practice or the stories of librarians past and present, this issue has something for every library and information professional.

Read the full issue here: https://journals.ucc.ie/index.php/hslj/issue/view/388.

Call for Winter 2026 submissions: The HSLJ editorial team invites new and returning authors to submit their work for our next Issue. We welcome submissions from students, researchers, and practitioners across all areas relevant to the journal. For submission guidelines and further information – https://journals.ucc.ie/index.php/hslj/about/submissions 

Research Articles - Submission Deadline: 10 July

General Submissions - Submission Deadline: 1 October

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