ENFO

The ENFO service is the main resource for environmental information in Ireland. ENFO is a new role of the public library service throughout the country, managed by Libraries Development on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. The ENFO Nationwide and Online project offers an enhanced and expanded range of environmental awareness and information services at 348 locations nationwide and online delivered through existing infrastructure and staffing.

ENFO online content has been created in collaboration with the Department for the Environment, Community and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency and university environmental departments. The content is reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis.  The online service at www.enfo.ie includes downloadable versions of ENFO fact sheets, field guides, posters, exhibitions and education supports. Clear, authoritative information on each of the most popular environmental topics in Ireland is available with accompanying photos, illustrations and videos on the site. It also offers services to search across the environmental sections of the websites of all public authorities, as well as across a broad spectrum of related websites both nationally and internationally. This allows users to benefit from a single point of contact while interrogating a large number of websites. A similar multi-site “News” search is available on the ENFO site, which aggregates RSS feeds and news information from many relevant websites. An environmental query service is also provided, where environment-related queries are routed to the most qualified personnel at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency and relevant local authorities.

The new ENFOpoints  are an innovative new service which provide access to a wide range of local, national and international environmental information from public libraries in Ireland. The development of ENFOpoints is a key part of the strategy of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to make environmental information services available locally throughout the country. As demand for environmental information is continually increasing, libraries are uniquely placed in the heart of the community and provide natural centres for communities to showcase their activities towards improving the environment.

Resources in the new ENFOpoints include:

• access to www.enfo.ie with its large collection of information, posters, leaflets, exhibitions, audio and video material, and daily environmental news and event listings
• access to a wide range of books on environmental topics from the library’s own collection and from the collections of all the public libraries in Ireland through www.borrowbooks.ie
• exhibitions, workshops and talks with local and national experts on topics from how climate change will affect your area to learning about the wildlife in your hedgerows
• information for primary and secondary students to support the curriculum and their project work, with talks in schools and class visits to the library

Web: www.enfo.ie and www.askaboutireland.ie
Email: info@enfo.ie