DCU Library and the Community

DCU in the Community

Haughey exhibition at the O'Reilly Library in DCU

Visitors viewing exhibits at the 'Charles J Haughey: Politics in a Changing Ireland' exhbition in DCU's O'Reilly Library in 2022. Pic: Kyran O'Brien/DCU

HOMEPAGE - CREGAN LIBRARY

DCU Library actively supports the local North Dublin community through educational initiatives with schools, study support for Leaving Cert students, cultural events, and creative programmes that foster learning, literacy, and engagement.

For more than twenty years, DCU Library Service has engaged with the University’s local community members in a wide variety of ways. The O’Reilly Library (Glasnevin Campus) and the Cregan Library (St Patrick’s Campus, Drumcondra) have worked with schools, provided space for community activities, and hosted a range of arts and creativity events.

Schools

DCU Library has built strong connections with primary and post-primary schools in North Dublin through a number of initiatives.

A prime example is the Library team’s work with Leaving Certificate students. In May and June each year, the O’Reilly Library and Cregan Library are open to sixth-year secondary school students as study spaces.

In recent years, more than 1,500 students from over 100 schools registered annually for the scheme. Each May, DCU Library also provides masterclasses for the English and Irish Leaving Certificate examinations in the Cregan Library.

In addition, library staff regularly lead groups from schools and Further Education colleges on tours of DCU libraries, to introduce them to some of the opportunities that progressing to University can offer.

Other projects include the library-led History in Your Hands project which, with the help of library resources and archives, aims to teach students from local secondary schools about information literacy, research and collaboration skills.

Each year, DCU Library invites two local post-primary schools to attend events to promote the Irish language as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge. Meanwhile, our libraries host activities like storytelling, reading spaces and arts workshops for primary school students.

People gathering for Culture Night performance on St Patrick's Campus

Culture night outside Cregan Library on DCU's St Patrick's Library

Arts and Culture

DCU Library is proud to be an active contributor to the cultural life of North Dublin.

The Cregan Library has been the University’s hub for annual Culture Night events since 2013. In recent years they have partnered with DCU’s Cultural Arts Office to deliver a much-anticipated community programme that includes acrobats, music, craft workshops, tours, scavenger hunts and more.

DCU Libraries host a variety of exhibitions that are open to the public. These have ranged from shows by DCU Visual Artists in Residence, to an exhibit of artworks from participants in the MELLIE project (Migrant English Language Literacy and Intercultural Education).

Since 1999, DCU Library has been running a Creative Writing Competition that is open to members of adult literacy reading and writing groups based on the north side of Dublin. The winner is announced at a special event by a guest author such as Aingeala Flannery, Marina Carr, Dermot Bolger and Christine Dwyer Hickey.

DCU Library Book Swap

Community members are welcome to avail of DCU Library’s Book Swap scheme. Book Swap stands are located just outside the entrance gates of all its libraries. The stands help people to read sustainably with our ‘take a book, leave a book’ initiative. The library received over 1,000 books from members of the local community in the Summer of 2023, following a call for donations on the Drumcondra Social Facebook group.