It was officially opened on July 13, 1997, by the then Justice and the Arts Minister Peter Foss and then Environment, Employment and Training Minister Cheryl Edwardes.
Opening day attracted about 10,000 visitors and 4423 items were borrowed.
By its second day, staff had signed up the library’s 1000th member.
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READ NOWWith 70,000 items, and its own reference and local history section to house and preserve the City’s heritage, Joondalup Library was the biggest in the state by size and resources.
In 2005, there were refurbishments to the staff area and children’s section, and the adult area was transformed into the innovative ‘bookshop’ layout. That same year, the library issued its four millionth item.
Today, it has more than 14,900 active members with about 487,000 physical loan transactions each year, the most of any public library in WA.
Mayor Troy Pickard joined staff and guests at a morning tea last Friday to mark the 20-year milestone.
“The library actually preceded the City of Joondalup as we know it now,” he said. “The high standards of service provided on a day-to-day basis by past and present staff members are reflected in the impressive membership numbers that this library continues to enjoy.
“Approximately 9500 patrons attend various events and programs throughout the year.
“Coding and Lego clubs, technology classes and the inclusion of smartboards into popular programs like baby rhyme time are some of the recent initiatives that have evolved to support the social and continuous learning philosophy of the library for all ages.”
To join the celebrations, visit the library and write a message in the celebration book and receive a heart clip or sticker to say ‘thank you’ for being a part of the library community.
There is also a photographic display of the building works.
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