In July 2003 Council officially opened the first of four new hi-tech community libraries. Located on North Terrace the new travel themed Library and Community Centre provides a unique, flexible and accessible centre where groups, clubs and social networks can meet, host functions and present special events.
Providing a gateway to global knowledge and information and a myriad of services and community resources, the North Terrace centre features:
- fully interactive, touch screen music poles with laptop access;
- specially designed children’s games consoles;
- radio frequency controlled identification technology and 24 hour automated return chutes;
- 12 Internet terminals, including two with larger screens and fonts for disabled users;
- plasma screens with multi media systems.
Council’s Library collection encompasses over 120,000 items, including the largest video and DVD collections available from any public library in SA.
The Library and Community Centre is a library like no other, according to the Lord Mayor, Michael Harbison.
“With an investment of more than $4 million over two years, we want to stimulate and inspire, educate, enlighten and enrich our community,” he said. “These centres offer much more – you can surf the Internet, locate a JP, pay your rates, register your dog, book your baby in for its immunisation, find out about legal aid, borrow a book, DVD or video, read the New York Times, send an email and even get some high quality colour photocopying done.”
Local communities will be encouraged to use the centres to promote events and issues of a local nature. Meeting rooms can be booked and local groups can make use of spacious kitchenettes, electronic whiteboards, comfortable seating, discussion tables and IT equipment, either during the day, or after hours.
The introduction of radio frequency technologies will enable staff to provide a more proactive level of customer service. Staff will no longer be based behind the desk only be issuing materials to customers, they will now be able to roam the centres with tablet PCs to assist with searches and facilitate the reduction of queues within the centres.
