‘Red tape a threat to book events at public libraries’, says Cork illustrator

A Cork illustrator has warned that many of her colleagues in the trade, and also authors, may be forced to decline invitations to host workshops or events at libaries[/url because of increasing red tape.

Some 40 Irish children’s illustrators and writers have warned that book events in libraries are threatened by the increasing bureaucracy required to secure an event.

Arrangements are becoming “complicated, time-consuming, and increasingly stressful”, they have said in an open letter to the city and county librarians section of the Library Association of Ireland. 

They said the “amount of admin work” surrounding each library event, talk, or workshop has become “ever more difficult to manage”.

Signatories include Cork-based Olivia Golden, Midleton’s Eva Kelly, and Clonakilty’s Pauline McGloin, along with Erika McGann, Gerry Daly (who authored the Puffling series), Oisín McGann, and other well-established names in children’s writing and illustration.

Administrative burden

Ms Golden said: “The new regulations are going to add an administrative burden on an area that already requires a lot of unpaid hours to even exist.

“As a self-employed person, you know your own cash flow. Being treated as an employee on an ad-hoc basis and taxed as such can seriously disrupt that flow and your ability to plan, going forward,” she told The Echo.

“A great many illustrators and writers will have to consider if this particular judgement and the — possibly unintended — consequences mean they don’t participate in any, or as many, workshop events as they would have before.

“That would be a sad situation for both creatives and children alike,” Ms Golden added.

The letter said someone delivering a single, hour-long children’s session in a library or library-funded venue across different local authorities is often required to provide a quote and description, adapt the session to a different theme or format, and travel for Garda vetting — all without being paid extra for their time. T

hey said writers are also required to pay for accommodation in advance, promote the event online, and are often left unsure of when they will be paid, sometimes having to chase delayed payments. It added: “For a long time, libraries have been among our greatest supporters, and it would be heartbreaking for us to give up on the work we do together.”

The Library Association of Ireland was asked to comment.