Dublin City Libraries open for 'Browse and Borrow'
4 May 2021
From Monday, May 10, sixteen Dublin City libraries are open for browsing and borrowing from Monday to Saturday. At this point of a phased re-opening there will be no seating for reading or studying, and users are encouraged to keep their visit as short as possible, and to use the self-service kiosks or library app to issue and return items.
Dublin City Council Historian in Residence Dr. Mary Muldowney and historian Catherine Holmes tell the story of the bombing of North Strand on the night of 30/31 May 1941. This special event to mark the 80th anniversary of the bombing was hosted by Charleville Mall Library on 31 May 2021.
Whether you’re an experienced writer or just starting out on your writing journey, we have an amazing array of fantastic resources to inform and to guide you. All you need is Dublin City Libraries card.
We’ve previously looked at the instantly downloadable comics on the libraries’ RBdigital app so now let’s turn an eye to those hard copies. Dublin City Libraries has a large collection of trade paperbacks on the shelves of their many branches. As well as the American heavyweight publishers like Marvel and DC, there are extensive collections from Image, Dark Horse, IDW, Boom!, Titan, and Rebellion. Of course, it’s not just British and American comics, there are shelves of Japanese manga and those hard-to-find translations from the massive French comic market. But as long as we’re talking about publishing behemoths, here are some of my personal highlights. I’m not big into superheroes. They were a gateway to adult comics for me, following on from the likes of The Beano and Oink! in my primary school days. Back in the day (when all this was nought but fields) comics were a niche interest. The local newsagent could get issues in on special order but a monthly trip to Forbidden Planet on Dawson Street was the only way to get a proper X-Men fix. But enough misty nostalgia. With Natalie Portman confirmed to play Thor in an upcoming movie, Jason Aaron’s excellent run on The Mighty Thor is a must-read. It looks like the film will follow Aaron’s chronicle of Jane Foster’s tenure as the God of Thunder. I’m not fond of the Thor comic books but this stands out because of the quality of Aaron’s plotting and characterisation. The grim realities of Foster’s life have a visceral effect on the reader. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is an out-and-out comedy with superhero tropes and social media memes lampooned throughout. 14-year-old Doreen Green is Squirrel Girl. When she moves to a new school, Doreen must hide her tail, along with her secret identity, to find new friends and clean up New Jersey. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is a reboot of a minor Avengers side character from the early ‘90s and she’s been given a new lease of life by Canadian author Ryan North. Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is the funniest, cutest, and punching-est hero in the Marvel Universe. Warren Ellis’ Nextwave: Agents Of Hate is a wild and satirical romp with minor Marvel characters. The author describes it as “an absolute distillation of the superhero genre. No plot lines, characters, emotions, nothing whatsoever. It's people posing in the street for no good reason. It is people getting kicked, and then exploding.” With titles like “I Kick Your Face”, Nextwave is the Ronseal of comic books.That’s all for now, I’ll be back soon with more recommendations from Dublin City Libraries catalogue. Don’t forget you can request any of these to be sent to your local branch. Get in touch in person, by phone, or through this very site to get your copy today.
The theme of Dublin Pride this year is Community, and for the second year Dublin Pride will be primarily virtual. As we can’t gather together like in previous years, we would like to suggest a selection of books available from Dublin City Libraries to share a variety of voices for the LGBTQ+ community.
Get Reading! Now that school is over you can still spark your imagination, join in activities and take part in our exciting Summer Stars challenge. This year you can do a marathon read, a sprint read or a read from your couch! If you would like to register for the Summer Stars reading challenge, contact your local library. Check out our eBooks and eAudio books with the special Summer Stars collection.Check out our Dublin City Libraries Tumble Book recommendation every day. Get Critical!Do you have strong views about a book you read? Was there a brilliant character that you wanted to shout about? Or was there a big twist in the plot that startled you? Have your review published here. Get Active!Flex Your brain muscles with activities like word searches, spot the difference, code scramblers and much more. The solutions are there too-but do not be tempted until you finish!Watch out for our special Dublin City Libraries Summer Stars Quiz. Get Creative!This year we have a very special competition –write your own short story and win a fabulous prize. The story should be about An Unexpected Adventure. Maybe you had one, maybe you would like one or maybe you dreamed up one! Either way it’s time to fire that imagination and enter. Age groups apply but the competition will be fierce!Get helpful!Tell your parents that there are great tips for reading to younger children here.Get in Touch!Keep up to date with all our Dublin City Libraries activities at www.dublincitylibraries.ie or email [email protected] Contact your local library to register for the Summer Stars reading challenge. For more information, go to www.summerstars.ie
