The Eurobodalla’s chief librarian says information, engagement and empowerment have been the core business of libraries for centuries.
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After the NSW Public Libraries Association claimed this year’s budget allocation for libraries the lowest since 1999-2000, the shire’s councillors unanimously voted to lobby for libraries at last week’s council meeting.
Our demographic means members have the time to read and a cultural preference to have a book in hand.
- Linda Heald
In 2016-17, the Eurobodalla’s three libraries welcomed about 158,000 visitors, and loaned more than 210,000 books. Library membership ran to 24,000.
Linda Heald has managed the libraries since 2015. She said a relatively high proportion of residents were members.
“Our demographic means members have the time to read and a cultural preference to have a book in hand,” Ms Heald said.
“I see our core business as story telling, life-long learning and literacy. Reading books is where innovation is born.”
Readers have plenty to choose from, with about 85,000 books in the shire’s collection. However, the librarian of 30 years lamented contemporary libraries lacked depth.
If people don’t wander in and ask for Tennyson, we don’t have the space to have him on the shelf.
- Linda Heald
“We used to hold books that were 20 or 30-years-old,” she said.
“Older books can have a depth not always found in the brightest new release. I’d like more classics, but there is no demand … if people don’t wander in and ask for Tennyson, we don’t have the space to have him on the shelf.”
Ms Heald said the shire’s 20,000 online titles – e-books, e-audio and digital magazines – backed up research suggesting up to 80 per cent of reading would involve e-books by 2020.
However, lovers of physical books should not despair.
“There is continual talk of print books going out, but people like to hold onto their book. The pendulum will swing back,” Ms Heald said.
She said libraries had embraced technology.
I don’t have staff to sit down with someone in a one-on-one, but we have people come to us for help.
- Linda Heald
“The challenge is to present all the different resources and, through events, encourage people to explore our offerings,” Ms Heald said.
Last year the libraries hosted more than 400 events including pre-school story time, guest talks, and art displays.
“The art shows are stories themselves. Then we have the artists come and talk about how they created the art – another story,” she said.
“[The events] are about bringing stories off the shelf; about bringing books to life.”
A grant enabled tech-savvy seniors courses at all three libraries; four sessions in a month of computer basics. But money is always tight.
“I don’t have staff to sit down with someone in a one-on-one, but we have people come to us for help; things like passport applications. So many forms must be done online now and people are getting quite lost,” Ms Heald said.
“I am looking at ways to make that happen. It could be a grant to make staff available one day per week, or have high-school students come in to help.”
Ms Heald said services like these reinforced libraries’ trusted place in the community.
“So often people are harassed to do something or buy something … The library is still a place to go that is comfortable and warm, where you can be left alone.”
Online titles are available from the library pages on the Eurobodalla Shire Council website: “We have three e-book vendors, each with an app to download, but it is all pretty intuitive,” Ms Heald said.
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