Library History

History of the Library

Perhaps more than any other function of local government, the public library of today is intimately linked by tradition, by custom, and even by law, with its historic backgrounds. The modern public library descends from an institution solidly bulwarked in tradition. The English word "library" derives from the Latin word of book, Liber, just as the French bibliotheque (library) comes from the Greek biblios (book), denoting the august ancestry of our homely and democratic public library. The tradition of these words and the institution they define go back to antiquity. But the spiritual essence and inner core of the library remains the same. It is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, and it is one of the most precious things in the world. This inner core is knowledge: the knowledge of the world, preserved, cherished, and made available, more and more, in useful and pleasurable forms for the people, all the people who need it and have the capacity to use it.

That is what library should mean, a liberating, never a hampering force, one which invests the modern library with confidence, authority, and a stable base from which to advance toward the creation of new uses for its ancient treasures house.

The Galway Library Service was established in 1924. In its over 70 years of existence it has a record of progress and success which has confirmed its position as an integral branch of the Galway Local Authority Service. (Read more about Galway Public Libraries history here , on the occasion of it's 80th Anniversary.)

The service now has purpose built, full time libraries in Galway City, Ballinasloe, Carraroe, Clifden, Gort, Athenry, Portumna and Tuam and sub libraries in Ballygar, Dunmore, Eyrecourt, Glenamaddy, Inisheer, Inismaan, Inishbofin, Killimor, Kilronan, Leenane, Loughrea, Moylough, Oughterard, Roundstone, Spiddal, Tir an Fhia and Woodford. A mobile library brings books to many smaller towns and villages and a School Book Mobile services over 200 primary schools.

Almost 500,000 books are issued to and returned by library users each year.