Blogs

April Fools’ Day falls on the first day of April. It received its name from the custom of playing practical jokes on this day, for example, telling friends that their shoelaces are untied or sending them on so-called fools’ errands.

Celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Tiger.

Dublin City Libraries are thrilled to announce Summer Stars Competition Time! How do you enter? It's so easy.

Highly worthy of its place on the 2021 Dublin Literary Award Longlist, this début novel by Canadian author Nathaniel Lande (nominated by the Hungarian Katona József Library of Bács-Kiskun County), is a notable addition to the Holocaust fiction canon.

You probably know that Marie Curie won a Nobel Prize, but did you know she was the only person to win two.

Today is Africa Day, designated by the African Union as an annual celebration of the continent’s unity, on 25 May each year. Why not explore African literature, newspapers, magazines and music through Dublin City Libraries’ eResources? This list is just a taster of some of the great content available – we encourage you to explore Borrowbox, Pressreader and Freegal for more!Happy Africa Day 2020!African LiteratureIf you would like to read evocative and gripping novels by African writers, there is a large selection of eBooks and eAudiobooks available with Dublin City Libraries using Borrowbox. Many readers will be familiar with established and acclaimed authors such as J.M. Coetzee, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ben Okri, and Nadime Gordimer. Important breakthrough novels from some of those listed include Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie which re-created a seminal moment in modern African history: Biafra’s impassioned struggle to establish an independent republic in Nigeria in the 1960s. In the period since it won the Booker Prize in 1991, The Famished Road by Ben Okri has become a classic, combining brilliant narrative technique with a fresh vision to create an essential work of world literature.For those looking for more contemporary and emerging writers, why not check out some of the following authors and titles? Akwaeke Emezi explores the surreal experience of having a fractured self in her debut novel, Freshwater. This powerful story illuminates how we all construct our identities. The Society of Reluctant Dreamers by José Eduardo Agualusa is a surreal, vivid novel about courage versus fear, change and the old order, amidst the politics of Angola's tumultuous past, present and future. A debut novel published in 2019, The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell bounds along with colour and energy. It relates the story of three Zambian families (black, white, and brown) as they collide and converge over the course of the century, into the present and beyond.Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi begins with the story of two half-sisters, separated by forces beyond their control: one sold into slavery, the other married to a British slaver. This compelling tale traces the generations of family who follow, as the legacy of slavery is fully revealed. Novuyo Rosa Tshuma examines the death of colonial Rhodesia in her novel The House of Stone. Bukhosi has gone missing. His parents cling to the hope that he has run away, rather than been murdered by government thugs. Only the lodger seems to have any idea…The Blessed Girl by Angela Makholwa tells the story of the young, beautiful and ambitious Bontle Tau, who has Johannesburg wrapped around her finger. Her generous admirers are falling over themselves to pay for her Mercedes, her penthouse, and her Instagrammable holidays.African Newspapers and MagazinesOn Pressreader you’ll find dozens of magazines and newspapers from all over Africa, in different languages. There are titles from Algeria, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and many more! Log in to Pressreader selecting Dublin City Libraries as your service provider, use your library card membership number and then browse by country to see what’s on offer!African MusicFreegal is the free music streaming service for Dublin City Libraries members. We have compiled a playlist for Africa Day 2020 of some legendary and newer African artists. Some of the artists on our playlist include legendary South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo; Grammy nominated Afro-fusion artist BurnaBoy; the beloved singer, songwriter and activist from Benin, Angelique Kidjo; and Nigerian entertainer Wizkid, who has collaborated with multiple international artists including Drake, Wale, Skepta and Beyonce. Log in to Freegal using your library card membership number and PIN.  

We have all become aware over the last few years of the decline of many species on our planet. From the polar bear (who has become synonymous with climate change) to butterflies and bees, approximately one quarter of plant and animal species are threatened with extinction.Because of this, The UN has selected Friday, 22nd May, as International Biodiversity Day. Under normal circumstances, this would probably entail organised outdoor events, with schools playing a major role by involving children in activities such as building bug hotels, searching rock pools or counting butterflies/bees etc. Obviously we are all constrained by Covid19 restrictions but fear not, Dublin City Libraries is here to help. We can't actually bring you on a bug hunt or organise a day trip to search for rare species of flora and fauna, but our online resources can certainly educate and entertain you.BBC Wildlife's May issue for example, has articles from” Seven Species To Spot”, “ Working With Nature”,  and “Wild Month- What to Look Out For”. These have wonderful images to accompany them and are a joy to read.National Geographic's May issue also focuses on similar themes, citing the importance of insects for our planet, and the reasons we should be concerned that many of them are disappearing. There is even National Geographic Little Kids magazine which headlines “FUN WITH FROGS” ! Most kids love the idea of tadpoles and mucking around in a pond, so this is sure to catch their attention. These magazines and many more are available FREE to Dublin City Library members from RB Digital, one of our many online resources. Register for RB Digital magazines or via the Rbdigital app:  Google Play - Android | iTunes - iOS | Kindle Fire Watch our how to video for more information.If you have a particular interest in  butterflies, Matthew Oates's book “In Pursuit of Butterflies” may appeal to you. A life long conservationist, he chronicles his fifty year career researching these beautiful insects. This is also free to download for our library members from BorrowBox. Indeed, if you are more broadly interested in climate change and the many factors which contribute to it, there is plenty of choice on BorrowBox, from Tim Smedley's “Clearing The Air” to “No More Plastic” by Martin Dorey. These issues which affect us all are perhaps more relevant than ever at the moment, as we face an uncertain future with Covid 19.Access eBooks/eAudiobooks on your phone, tablet or reader. Once you have installed the app, search for Dublin in the ‘Library’ field provided and then sign in using your library membership card number and PIN. Watch our how to video on Borrowbox. Members of other library authorities will need to log in using a different link.So whether you  want to have fun with bugs and butterflies, or delve deeply into climate change and the environment, Dublin City Libraries can provide you with the necessary resources. Some of the following links may be of interest also: Otters in the city!,  Green-schools stay-home biodiversity,  or this YouTube video on the subject.Submitted by Maeve from Finglas Library

Our libraries are not merely places where people borrow books. They are places of learning, informal and formal, conversation (yes, really) and exchange of ideas. Many of our libraries facilitate the learning of history through local history talks, reading groups and promotional events. We know that these remain popular, and we hope to be able to facilitate them once our doors are open again. In the meantime, we have dug around for some documentaries and lectures to whet the appetite of history lovers. These are all freely available, some on our very own resources, and some on other brilliant platforms that are open to all. This is just a selection however.  There are countless eBooks, audiobooks, magazines and lectures available on RBDigital, Borrowbox, Freegal and The Great Courses covering loads of aspects of Irish History and World History.‘Ireland in Rebellion, 1782-1916’ – Trinity College Dublin (2015)This lecture series was created by staff at Trinity College Dublin and made freely available online ahead of the centenary remembrance of the 1916 rebellion. It is available through Trinity College Dublin’s YouTube channel. Originally delivered over 14 weeks, it offers 69 lectures, each between 10-20 minutes long. They chart the creation of modern Ireland from the Constitution of 1782 up until the 1916 rising and its immediate aftermath. It covers much in between, the impact of the French Revolution in Ireland, the 1798 rebellion, Act of Union, Robert Emmet, Daniel O’Connell and Catholic Emancipation, Parnell, Home Rule, Ulster Unionism and the Rise of Irish Nationalism. For anyone interested in Modern Irish history, this delivers in-depth coverage in concise and easily digestible form.The Irish Revolution – RTÉ Documentary Series (2019)This was a major documentary project commissioned by RTÉ to commemorate the centenary of the Irish War of Independence. Only broadcast in 2019, it is available to watch on the RTÉ player. There are 3 episodes, each 50 minutes long which detail the causes of conflict, the formation of a first Dáil and the process which ended in the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921.Alive Alive O : A Requiem For Dublin – Sé Merry Doyle (1999) IFI PlayerThe IFI player is worth checking out for loads of interesting documentaries on aspects of Irish history and heritage. You could easily lose hours on this brilliantly curated resource. We’ve picked one for those local for some very local history. Sé Merry Doyle’s documentary chronicles some of the unique people and places of Dublin as the city and its spaces changed over the course of the 1980s. It features remarkable interviews with real Dublin people on how these changes impacted them on a personal level. Look out for footage of a very young U2 and Tony Gregory. The Irish Identity: Independence, History, and Literature -  Professor Marc C. Conner, Ph.D. Washington and Lee University.The Great Courses (RB Digital)The onset of the 20th Century saw the Irish Renaissance or Irish Revival occur; a time in which Irish identify, cultural and artistic traditions and renewed nationalist pride awake. Prof. Marc O'Connor explores how art and politics intertwined in the creation of this Irish Identity, all against the backdrop of centuries of British Rule and at a time of enormous national upheaval. Delivered across 36 lectures, this is available to Dublin City Council Library Card holders through the Great Courses on RBDigital.Register for RB Digital and watch our how to video here.Submitted by Peter in Pembroke Library.