John Gormley actions first public library closure in Dublin

by Jim Byrne Sat Sep 12, 2009 20:42

Brutal and incredible news; I just heard about this. Like an above poster I spent many an hour in that library, they had lots of information on planning law, so much so that I actually took my own case, a planning application which was refused by the local authority, to the High Court and won. No fat cheques for lawyers from my hard earned salary, I just got the facts from that library, fit them to my case and put it before the court.

Gormley; words fail me, you want to bail out banks with our money and double the nations debt , beggaring the country in the process and at the same time you close down a public library which is an invaluable service for all !!

by Eileen - n/a Wed Sep 09, 2009 23:35

Cmon anything that makes vital information less readily available is another nail in the coffin of freedom and inegrity. Not everyone is computer literate.

by soubresauts Wed Sep 09, 2009 16:14

To take just one environmental issue, a big part of why I am well informed about fluoridation is that I was able to spend hours in the Enfo library studying books such as the EPA annual drinking water quality reports. Of course I got much more from Enfo, about all sorts of issues.

The money saved by closing Enfo will pay a small fraction of what the Government spends every year on the slow but sure poisoning of the population with fluoride.

John Gormley knows this very well. Amid his frantic back-pedalling from almost everything he used to believe in, this caps it all.

by Pat Kelly Tue Sep 08, 2009 22:35

Take your logic to its conclusion and we should close down all public libraries and libraries in universities and "go online" for research .

One problem with that is that not all information is online, far from it, I can assure you.

The other reality is that not all people and their children have computers and as money tightens, and more indirect taxes load up on people online access will become less of an option for many citizens.

Broadening access to information and education to all social classes should be top priority, instead for Gormley and the Greens it is anything but, as they seek by their actions to entrench environmental information within a neat middle class domain.

Shame again on them, especially Gormley

by environmentalist Mon Sep 07, 2009 22:49

Libraries and information architecture has changed in the past twenty years. People generally dont go to a physical location like ENFO as a first point of call to look up information, they go straight to Google.

Just something to be mindful of. I always cringed when I saw printouts of local government bills in my local library, sitting there gathering dust, when everything is online. Such a waste of paper.

Good luck to cultivate in their new location. They were slightly off the beaten track where they were before.

by Pat Kelly Sun Sep 06, 2009 22:31

These books were purchased out of public funds, to stock a public library for use by all, young and old, regardless of means and with a view to encourage and raise awareness of the environment.

This country is not exactly a paragon of environmental awareness and Gormley and the Greens contribution is to shut down a dedicated environmental public library.

This probably, ironically, would not have happened under an FF Minister as the Greens would be swinging out of the trees about it, but no doubt they are quite content to keep info on the environment the preserve of a social elite like themselves and the "contribution" of the "masses" will be to pay water and waste charges, etc and do what their told.

I never thought the Greens had a shade of red or pink if you scratched the surface, but closing public libraries dedicated to what is supposed to be their raison detre, well that is probably one for the books.

PS : There is a sign on ENFO today which says they will be launching their new revamped online service and that ENFO is now closed.

Johnny (Rotten) Gormley you will never be forgotten in this town.

Never Mind the B.....cks the Public Library is gone !

Pat Kelly.

Shell and their friends to Hell.

by Wayne Tobin Sun Sep 06, 2009 15:59

Over the 4 years of my BA in Geography I found this service to be very useful as they many other students and vistors. The Green party are the greatest disgrace to the history of Irish Social Politics-they are a very elitist group who are out of touch with ordinary working people and workers rights-recently I saw one of its TDs parading out of the very over-priced Fallon and Byrne with bags of shopping and Brown Thomas Bags in the other hand-clearly not feeling the pinch of the recession (these shops just a stone throws away from the now closed ENFO).

by Sneaky snake Sun Sep 06, 2009 14:45

I think its time the people who vote for the Green Party realised that they are not in any way shape or form a left or center left party and that they will support the neo-liberial agenda of Finna Fail to the bitter end.