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City of Bayswater to overhaul library services

Toyah ShakespeareEastern Reporter

THE City of Bayswater is set to complete an overhaul of its library services, with pop-up libraries, new technologies and renovation of ageing facilities to be considered.

Last month Bayswater Council allocated $50,000 to go towards a library services strategic plan to look at future needs, new technologies, evaluate the current model, review locations and library trends within the City.

According to a City report, the ageing Bayswater Library has public and staffing spaces that do not meet current size, design or access standards.

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There is not enough space at Maylands Library to cope with a 40 per cent increase in usage after its move to The RISE and is also 35 per cent smaller than recommended by guidelines.

The report said another issue was Morley Library’s temporary move to a smaller site at the Les Hansman Community Centre, after its Morley Galleria lease was not renewed.

The City will also develop a mobile pop-up library with the Bayswater Community Men’s Shed, including shelves, chairs and table.

Mayor Barry McKenna said the development of a mobile pop-up library was an innovative approach to delivering library services to the community.

“From parks to playgrounds, shopping centres to community buildings, festivals to events there is no limit to the places our library services could ‘pop-up’,” he said.

“The beauty of the mobile pop-up library is the ability to tailor services to suit the needs of the community, whether that be book borrowing in a park or upskilling seniors on the use of iPads at a local community centre.”

Staff would man the pop-up and deliver loan services.

The City will also host “story time” at a pop-up library at the Noranda Shopping Centre; Mondays during term one, 9.30am to 10.30am

The strategy plan is set to take six months to complete.

In 2015-16 the City’s three libraries had 325,000 patron visits and 348,700 items loaned.