The Gutterbookshop in Dublin and The Booknest in Sligo will host launches for Kevin Connolly’Yeat’s in Sligo.

The book explores Yeat’s connection with Sligo through his poetry and writing and features photographs by Alan Reevell. It is one of the first works to take advantage of the poets work since they passed into the Public domain on 1 January 2010.

The Gutter Bookshop launch will take place on Thursday 17 June from 6pm until 7.30pm
The Booknest Sligo launch will take place Saturday 19 June 2010 at 3pm

The OPW has named Conor Kostick as the Farmleigh Writer in Residence for 2010. He is the fourth writer to be chosen for the residency. He will live on the estate in the Clocktower lodge from July to October.

Kostick has a guest post about the program of events planned during his tenure on The O’Brien Press blog:

When I was shown around the building the librarian, Julia Cummins, introduced me to the book collection that Benjamin Guinness (1937-1992) gathered. It is incredible. First editions abound, including Ulysses and collections of poems by Yates, with annotations in his own hand. But what excited me most of all was a thirteenth century manuscript by Gerald of Wales.

The highlights of the residency will include author talks, school visits and children’s writing workshops that will have an open application call.

The O’Brien Press has confirmed that those who have vouchers for their Kellogg’s Storytime books can redeem the books in the re-opened Hughes & Hughes bookstores.

The promotion had been endangered when Hughes & Hughes went into receivership in February 2010. However, five stores have re-opened under the Hughes & Hughes branding but under the ownership of Sivota, a new company backed by Bus Stop newsagents owner, Pierce Moloney.

Writing on the company blog O’Brien Press MD, Ivan O’Brien said:

we are delighted that the Hughes & Hughes shops in Santry, Ennis, Dundrum and Swords have re-opened, and they they will redeem your vouchers for books — or you can send the form, tokens and €1.50 per book to Kellogg’s Storytime Promotion, PO Box 9922, Dublin 15.

Eason now operate the former Hughes & Hughes Dublin and Cork airport stores as well as their Marine Road, Dun Laoghaire location.

Ireland’s first Laureate na nÓg, Siobhán Parkinson, issued a statement today on the subject of School Libraries in Ireland. I think it warrants re-issue here and I have, after requesting permission, done so. To read more about the Laureate go to the website here.

One of the things this country got absolutely right during the economic boom was the JCSP (Junior Certificate Support Programme) to encourage young people at risk of dropping out of school to stay in the education system at least until Junior Certificate. This programme was properly planned, properly implement and properly monitored, and it has been famously successful in saving thousands of youngsters from early school-leaving and the appalling (and appallingly expensive) consequences.

An important element of the JCSP programme is the development of school libraries in several disadvantaged schools. So far there are thirty of these in the country, but they have had remarkable success in combating illiteracy and academic failure, as well as opening children’s minds in all kinds of ways. The essential features of this very successful intervention are a pleasant, comfortable, welcoming dedicated library space, well-stocked shelves and dedicated and properly trained professional librarians. I know: I have had experience in working on writing projects with children in these libraries, and I have been hugely impressed by the quality of provision and the passion of both librarians and teachers in these schools.

Plans to roll out the JCSP library programme to more JCSP schools are currently on hold, which is regrettable but perhaps understandable in current circumstances. It is very encouraging that there seem to be no active plans to withdraw funding from the JCSP libraries that are already in place. At the same time, however, our wonderful JCSP libraries are under grave threat from the embargo on public sector recruitment. Most of the JCSP librarians are on contracts that are due to finish in August of this year.

If we lose these librarians at this crucial point in the development of this best-practice library system, we will certainly lose the libraries themselves, in which so much has been invested, in terms of time, money and energy, and which have had such success in terms of student use and improved academic standards. We will also lose the experience and expertise in running libraries for teenagers, which we have  accumulated for the first time in this country. This would be a tragedy for the children whose libraries will inevitably limp on for a while and finally wind down, but it would be an even greater tragedy for the whole education system, which would lose a successful model on which future development of libraries can be expected to build, as the economy climbs slowly into recovery in the coming years.

For this reason, I appeal to government to make an exception in the case of these contracts, and retain our JCSP librarians. This could be done by redefining them as front-line staff, which in effect they are. This is not about individuals and their jobs. This is about the future of the country’s most deprived and disadvantaged children. Our national pride in our literary heritage rings hollow in the face of such a threat to the only properly funded and managed school libraries outside the private schools.

Current support of school libraries in Ireland is already at an incredibly low level. The funding previously made available to local authority libraries for the purchase of books for primary school libraries in their counties was withdrawn in the last couple of years.

This funding amounted to very little over €2 million. This is a very small outlay, and it represented tremendous value for money, because in effect the public libraries matched the government funds for stock with a comparable input of their own in terms of staffing and support.Since the withdrawal of this grant by the Department of Education, school library stocks have been running down, and our children are suffering.

There is an argument that capitation grants have been increased, and that this form of funding is supposed to cover the purchase of books. This is not an efficient use of funds, and the fact is that teachers who request funds from their schools to buy books are given inadequate amounts, which they tend to spend, without the guidance of trained librarians, on the cheapest books they can find on special offer in their local stationery shop, instead of on thoughtfully selected stock bought at a discount from properly stocked school library suppliers.

Once again, I call on government, and in particular the Minister for Education, to restore this very minor but hugely important grant. The outlay is small: the effects on our children’s future are enormous. How can we hope to recover from recession if we refuse to spend even small amounts on creating cultural and educational capital?

Roderick Hunt was the most borrowed author and The Official Driver Theory Test was the most borrowed book in the country in 2009.

The figures come from data on the most borowed books and authors in Ireland in 2009 released today by the Public Lending Remuneration (PLR) scheme, which is administered by An Chomhairle Leabharlanna (The Library Council). The scheme is design to reward authors for lost sales through libraries.

In 2009 the PLR scheme paid out some €349,874.74 to 4,608 authors and five authors received the maximum payment of €3,000, and the rate-per-loan was 13.93 cents.

Darren Shan was the most popular Irish author of the year coming in at number 13 on the list of 100 top authors. Speaking about the news he said:

I was delighted when I heard I was the most borrowed Irish author in Irish public libraries in 2009’, said Limerick-based Mr Shan, ‘but I know that I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for Ireland’s fabulous libraries. I’ve always been proud of how well my books have fared in Ireland, but no writer makes it to the top by themselves, and any success story of mine is also a success story for Ireland’s librarians and libraries. They’re a national treasure.

The data gives fascinating insight into what we read as an nation. For instance, despite being one of the top ten books borrowed (see the table below) Sebastian Barry was only just in the top 100 Authors borrowed.

Top Ten Books Borrowed in 2009

It has been a busy month for Irish Publishing News. So busy we didn’t get a round up post out so here, as a monthly digest, it is! To celebrate the iPad launch in the UK and the forthcoming launch here in July we’ve added a rather nice image from Flickr User Jesus Belzunce.

Lots more to come in June!

Gill & Macmillan has acquired Craig Sexton’s “heartbreaking, yet inspiring” story, The Boy Who Lives.

The book is written by Craig’s father Neville. Craig died at only six years of age from cancer.

The title will be released in Spring 2011 and was negotiated by Prizeman & Kinsella.

Debut novelist Shirley Benton Bailey has signed a three book deal with Poolbeg.

The first of the three books, Looking For Leon, will be published in spring 2011 and Benton Bailey is already working on her second manuscript.

The deal was brokered by relatively new agents Prizeman & Kinsella.

Four Hughes & Hughes stores have re-opened and another two are set to follow in the coming weeks, saving around 60 jobs.

In an exclusive interview Chief Executive Derek Hughes tells Irish Publishing News about the firm’s strategy, its relationship with suppliers and its intention to honour former customers’ gift and loyalty cards.

Sivota Ltd, a company set up by Pierce Moloney who owns the Bus Stop newsagent chain, is the new owner of Hughes and Hughes.

[pullquote]Four Hughes & Hughes stores have re-opened and another two are set to follow in the coming weeks, saving around 60 jobs[/pullquote]

In an interview, conducted by email, Mr Hughes said that the ‘Strategy going forward is less centralised without central distribution with store managers having a much stronger input into buying. The range will be more local and the focus will on our strengths customer service and knowledgeable committed staff.’

Mr Hughes said that Andrew Waters will be responsible for central buying in the new company – a role he held before Hughes & Hughes entered receivership.

‘The range will be more local and the focus will on our strengths customer service and knowledgeable committed Staff,’ Mr Hughes said.
[pullquote]The range will be more local and the focus will on our strengths customer service and knowledgeable committed Staff[/pullquote]
Mr Hughes said he has received positive reaction from many of their partners in the book industry saying that reaction from ‘suppliers has being extremely positive and any suppliers we have met or spoken with all are very pleased to supply again.’

The bookseller said ‘suppliers are conscious that a monopoly is not good for anyone.’

Mr Hughes has been pleased by customer reaction, which he says ‘has being extremely positive’ with many expressing ‘genuine delight we are back’.

He said the Hughes & Hughes ‘brand has stood up very well as customers and the public understood that the downturn has been so severe and with high rents and upward only reviews bookshops and many retailers could not survive unless rents came down to match the new business environment.’

Mr Hughes highlighted their intention ‘to honour all the Hughes & Hughes gift & loyalty cards, which will be costly but we realise not to do so would damage the brand.’
[pullquote]Mr Hughes highlighted their intention ‘to honour all the Hughes & Hughes gift & loyalty cards, which will be costly but we realise not to do so would damage the brand[/pullquote]
He said this action ‘is key to our customer commitment and ensuring we will go forward with our customers goodwill.’ Although there are some problems around data protection Mr Hughes said ‘customers have to sign a waiver allowing us to reactivate the card.’

The new Hughes & Hughes owners, Sivota Ltd, will reopen the Hughes & Hughes St Stephen’s Green bookshop next Monday after reaching agreement with the landlord despite what Hughes & Hughes CEO Derek Hughes has called “strong competition from Eason”.

When it opens the St Stephen’s Green store will be the fifth of a hoped for six bookshops to reopen under the new Hughes & Hughes. The other four reopened shops are Swords, Santry, Dundrum, and Ennis. The sixth location has yet to be agreed.