Bringing books to the people across Cork, to brighten their day

CHRISTINE Cronin (nee Kennedy) may be a city girl from Fairhill, Cork, but she still loves travelling the highways and byways of rural county cork in her ‘book mobile’.

“It is a great way to see the country,” says the librarian, who joined the library service in 1977 - taking time out for 10 years before returning to work in the mobile library in 1999.

“In 1977 I joined the service and worked on the mobile library, then I spent four years in Macroom, got married, spent two years in Ballincollig branch and retired to have family. Sadly my husband Dan Cronin passed away in 1996 and I returned to work again in Macroom where my husband was from and where I had made great friends. I spent 18 years there followed by two years in catalogueing in HQ before returning to my first love the mobile library.”

Then Christine got wheels.

The variety of travelling in the mobile library to different parts of the county, meeting country people, is great job satisfaction for me.

I tell Christine that as a young girl staying with my grandmother in Rockchapel during the summer, I loved the escapism and enchantment that the mobile library provided. Its arrival in the village was a great opportunity for us book worms to indulge ourselves, feel the books, flick through the pages, take the books to the counter, and get that all-important stamp - all the while chatting to the mobile library driver and the librarian.

“I know the draw of the mobile library,” says Christine.

There is something lovely about being out and about every day, visiting familiar venues and new ones. It is a very sociable job.

“People are always delighted to see us and they find an importance in choosing their own books. We often visit people who may be house-bound for various reasons. We are always welcomed with open arms - a good old-fashioned welcome.

“They really appreciate our service, and they love chatting about what books are popular at the moment, and we can often recommend a book we know will interest them; because we get to know them and their taste in books, audio books or CDs.”

Christine was offered a carrot when she decided to return to work.

“When I went back to work, being assigned to the mobile library made me stay in employment. I needed a change.”

Why did she take time out?

“When I lost my husband, I took time out from work,” says Christine.

She got a new lease of life in her job.

I love travelling around in the mobile library and meeting people.

The people love meeting her too.

“A lot of people living in rural areas are housebound,” says Christine. “Some of them are elderly and have no transport into the town or the city or they are not on a bus route.

“Bringing books to them brightens their day and they look forward to our monthly visit.”

Christine and her regular driver Tom Cronin (no relation), clock up the miles travelling east to Carrigtwohill, west to Enniskeane, south to Ballinspittle and north to Grenagh - and all parts in between.

Do herself and Tom on the one road together get on well?

“We are always fighting!” says Christine, laughing. “Only joking! Tom and I get on very well. He is a very nice man, and he is a great driver. We run on a tight schedule, fitting in all our calls.

My first mobile driver, Danny O’Brien, used to say that he saw more of me than he did of his wife!

Christine and Tom like travelling together five days a week.

Every day is an adventure.

“Every day is different,” says Christine.

“I sit in the cab in the artic’ truck up front with Tom.”

She recalls the early days working in the mobile library.

“My main memory of the early days is putting on the kettle on the gas fire in the bus. The gas fire had a flat top tilted back. We’d have our elevenses then at the next stop. I always remember the sound of the gas barrel banging around. That wouldn’t happen today! These days we bring or buy our lunch, stopping at an outlet for a takeaway tea or coffee.”

Christine spent two years travelling in a school van around Cork county twice a year servicing schools.

She always loved the road.

“When I was working in Macroom library, I hitched to work for five years when I didn’t have a car. Nowadays I cycle to work.

“I used to hitch a lift in and out to work each day. I got a regular lift from Jimmy Murphy, Killnamartyra. The library in Macroom then was the lodge at the castle. It was a small building, but it was always busy, and a great place to work.

The mobile library is great too.

“We bring the library to people who have no access to their local library because of the location where they are living,” says Christine.

The mobile library promotes social inclusion and the people who use the mobile library really value the service. We reach people who don’t have books.

The mobile library reaches communities in a unique way. It reaches people who may be lonely.

“Getting to know people and having the chat with people is really nice,” says Christine.

“Giving something they want is very pleasant. We’ve built up long relationships over the years, getting to know what books people do and do not like.

“Tom and I look on our regular customers as old friends and they look upon us as friends.

“We often meet people who haven’t met another person for days on end, sometimes longer. Each town has different characters.”

Mums at home with small children also look forward to the mobile library visiting.

“The social side of the mobile library service provides huge benefits,” says Christine. “The mums are always happy to see us.”

Christine, as a young girl, was always happy to visit her local library.

“I used to go the library on St Mary’s Road,” she says. “I loved to read Nancy Drew mysteries.”

Did Christine always want to be a librarian?

I was offered some other jobs, the Civil Service, for instance. I opted for the library.

People were happy for Christine.

“My dad was very proud of me, that his daughter worked in the library,” says Christine.

Her mum is a reader too - “she gets The Echo every day!”

Christine looks forward to going to work every day.

“It was always a job I enjoyed. I love what I do. And I’m still a reader. I like science-fiction.”

Christine finds that constantly being on the go is good for her.

“It’s great that I am in good health and fairly fit,” she says Christine. “I am up and down steps and humping books around. I’m standing a lot.”

She isn’t going anywhere soon.

“I have no thoughts of retirement,” says Christine, 63.

Her job takes her on a journey every day.

“You often hear of people being in the same job for 40 years or more,” says Christine. “My job is full of variety, meeting people and making friends.”