Council has received a grant to expand community access to its four libraries beyond opening hours through the Open Access Libraries initiative, which allows library members to upgrade their membership to access library buildings outside regular opening hours in the absence of on-site staff.
The extended access will encompass borrowing privileges, use of Wi-Fi, public computers, study spaces, along with the availability of print, scan and copy services.
Library members will be invited to participate in a comprehensive induction program to upgrade their library membership. This will grant them exclusive access to facilities during non-operational hours, from 8am to 8pm, seven days per week, including public holidays. The induction will include a safety briefing and contractual agreement, ensuring a smooth and secure experience. Security will be upgraded to ensure a safe environment, including automatic sensor lighting, security cameras and safety alarms.
Open Access Libraries has increasingly been rolled out with great success at both city and rural locations, including Victorian towns Numurkah and Tatura. Council will roll out Open Access Libraries from March starting with the Trentham library, and then introducing the program at Clunes, Creswick and Daylesford.
The ultimate goal of the Open Access Library initiative is to prioritise convenience and responsiveness to the community’s needs in a cost-effective way as Council struggles to manage a budget deficit. The project is possible thanks to a $185,000 grant from the Victorian Government’s Living Libraries Infrastructure Program.
“This is a wonderful initiative to enhance the community’s library experience and will make our library spaces and study areas more accessible during unconventional hours, catering to those who work full-time or face time constraints that prevent them from visiting during regular hours,” said Acting Council CEO Bruce Lucas.
“This initiative supports our community to utilise their local library at a time that suits them most. It aims to increase their opportunities to learn and share knowledge,” said Mr Lucas.
“The extended hours will suit families to come and enjoy their love of reading, students to study, and our community to access knowledge and learning outside our regular library hours. We will of course continue to have staffed hours of operation where patrons can seek assistance for photocopying, advice of book recommendations, library programming, public computer access and more,” he said.
However, as part of Hepburn Shire Council’s budget savings measures, staffed hours of operation will be reduced at some libraries. Trentham and Clunes libraries will no longer open to the public on Saturday mornings from March 2025. The decision to not open the two libraries on Saturday mornings was made after careful consideration of usage and borrowing rates, and aimed to minimise disruption to the community.
“The adjustments we’re making to our library operations will allow us to operate more efficiently and offer services in a cost-effective manner, focusing on peak demand times. Saturday mornings are our least busy times at our Trentham and Clunes sites,” said Mr Lucas.
Council will continue to have two libraries open to the public on Saturday mornings at Daylesford and Creswick.
This article is based on a media release from Hepburn Shire Council.
