Beachgoers on Port Phillip beaches this summer have been able to improve their minds as well as their tans. As a result of a creativity workshop run by Council last year, the Port Phillip Library Service’s wheelbarrow library service kicked off in February to coincide with some of Melbourne’s hottest days.
Beachgoers simply select books from a wheelbarrow as librarians push it along the beach.
Library Spokesperson, Rose Nolan, said it’s literally a bells and whistles service.
“Our bright orange wheelbarrow is hard to miss,” she said. “It is decked out with bells, whistles, streamers, an orange safety flag and, of course, the Council logo on the side. Beachgoers can choose from a range of crime novels, romance, Victorian Gothic, sci-fi, history, travel books and literary fiction. The barrow even has a few kids’ books.”
Rose Nolan said the books in the wheelbarrows have been withdrawn from the collection, so Council does not require them back.
“When people have finished, we’re simply asking them to pass them on to another reader or a suitable home,” she said.
All the books given out include a sticker stating: ‘This book began its journey in a wheelbarrow library on a beach in Melbourne as part of the Port Phillip Library Service. It wants to travel – so please read, enjoy and pass on’. There is room below for future readers to add their names and cities.
Rose Nolan said that all libraries rely on a program of acquisition and withdrawal to keep their collections fresh and up to date.
“This means a good balance of new and old,” she said. “We need to create room and get rid of books that may have seen better days or are factually out of date. Our aim since 2004 has been to meet state industry standards by having 47 percent of items five years old or less. At the moment, about 43 per cent of our collection meets this criteria. This doesn’t mean that we throw out all the classics, rather we ensure that the edition is reasonably recent so the book itself is in good nick.”
The library service also disposes of books at book sales twice a year and by donations to the annual Rotary book fair and other causes. Council recently donated a large number of books to the Melbourne Remand Centre. Some were also donated to the set of a new ABC comedy, The Librarians, being shot in South Melbourne.
The City of Port Phillip has five libraries and 11 kilometres of beaches, including St Kilda Beach, the most popular around the bay. The beach book barrow service will be offered on hot days, depending on the availability of staff, sunscreen and hats.
