Out-of-hours returns box ruled out for this Kildare library
Cllr Angela Feeney (LAB) requested a 'drop-box' for Maynooth Community Library, Co Kildare
Kildare County Council has ruled out installing an out-of-hours returns box for Maynooth Community Library, Co Kildare.
The request for a returns box was made by Cllr Angela Feeney (LAB), who raised a question at a meeting of Clane Maynooth Municipal District, held on Friday, July 3 2026.
Cllr Feeney asked: “Can the council confirm if it has any plans to install a return box at Maynooth Community Library for out-of-hours return of library loan items?”
In its reply, the local authority gave several reasons why it did not favour installing a returns box at the library.
Firstly, the council stated, the council no longer charges overdue fines and offers multiple renewal options online, via its online app, or by phone.
Loans may be easily extended if people are unable to return items during opening hours, without incurring a financial penalty, the council added.
The council pointed out that Maynooth Library is open to the public “six days per week, through lunchtime and until 8.00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
Additionally, installing a returns box was not suitable for Maynooth Library “given its Main Street location.”
Finally, the council concluded, returns boxes have had to be removed from other locations due to members of the public misusing them as waste bins, “leading to contamination and damage of library stock.”