Library staff were told the closure of their building went “against the grain” of everything they stood for but that they had been left with no choice but to shut their doors.
Cork City Library was forced to close after a group of protesters – some of whom had previously been involved in library invasions – planned a gathering outside their Grand Parade building during the summer.
An email to staff said “another unwanted event” was due to happen and that the prime concern was for employees to be kept safe and “to preserve the safety of all who use libraries".
The message from the Cork City librarian said he wanted to thank staff for their “professionalism and humanity” in the face of ongoing protests.
In an appeal to staff, he wrote: “There can be no question of going home early or taking the opportunity to finish early please.
“It’s important to be here – and not our fault we have to close. It goes against the grain of what we do but we don’t have a choice.”
He also warned staff in other library branches in the city council area to be “on [their] guard” in case something cropped up in their workplace.
The protesters can appear at your door.
“The protesters can appear at your door,” an email said. “Already today they have been in Tory Top [another city library] and we don’t know where or if they will appear next.”
Library staff were told that a formal health and safety assessment had taken place, which recommended the closure of the building with both a protest and counter-protest due to take place in late July.
However, Cork City Council said they would not release a copy of this assessment under Freedom of Information laws given that similar protests were likely to happen again in the future.
Another email said staff needed to familiarise themselves with “control measures” on what to do and how to react in the event of being confronted by protesters.
It added: “Early closure of the library on Saturday is advised to prevent such protesters from entering the library … causing disruption to public and stress to staff.”
The email added that the health and safety assessment was a requirement because of the city council’s duty of care and concerns over the safety of people working in the library.
Another message said they would look at whether they would be able to reopen once the demonstrations were finished.
It said: “On the grounds of safety of both staff and public we have very reluctantly made the decision to close at 12.30pm.
“It’s unclear if we will open again later in the afternoon. From past experience, it’s unlikely but will be kept under review.”
Staff were also told that the only “silver lining” from the protest would be that they might be able to catch up on “some bits” they hadn’t been able to find the time for otherwise.
