Wednesday 18 June 2014

Libraries Board metro tour

The Libraries Board undertook its annual tour of metro libraries on Monday this week.  We visited West Torrens, Playford (Elizabeth) Walkerville & Adelaide (new city library).   It was great to see the diversity of the communities that these libraries serve & how each council is responding to their communities with their collections and programs. 

West Torrens has steered their services to meet the needs of their community from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, while Playford is focusing on family literacy amongst other things.  Walkerville is still bedding down their new building and looking to reinvigorate their public programs in their new space, and of course Adelaide is forging partnerships with all manner of groups to provide a diverse and vigorous array of offerings.

At Playford we were shown a scale model of their new library which will be built at Andrews Farm as part of the Stretton Centre.  The Stretton Centre is a collaboration between the Playford Council, The University of Adelaide and Renewal SA. It is anticipated that the new library will open in the second quarter of 2015.

The Board was impressed with the quality of all of the library buildings as well as the diverse range of services that were being offered.  And the presentations by library staff confirmed the very clear vision that the libraries have in both linking to and fulfilling their councils' strategic plans and enriching the communities they serve.

The Board's country tour this year will be to the Eyre Peninsula, where I know the Board will see another range of diverse libraries, responding to their councils' directions and communities' needs.

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