A brand new, more versatile, Mobile Library packed with more than 2500 items hit the roads of Noosa Shire, Queensland, just before Christmas.
Equipped with an air-conditioned browsing section and an awning-covered alfresco area, the new Mobile Library has replaced the existing vehicle which had been on the road since 2006.
Noosa Mayor, Clare Stewart said the new vehicle would extend the library’s reach.
“Having a smaller, more modern vehicle will enable our library team to venture into new areas of the shire that the current vehicle can’t access due to its size.
“It also means we can answer requests to visit day care centres, retirement villages and Men’s Sheds.”
Libraries and Galleries Manager Tracey King said access to library collections had been extended even further with the roll out of two library ‘book-vending’ kiosks, each stocked with more than 300 items.
“These changes, which have been two years in the making and the result of community feedback, reflect our customers’ changing needs.”
The previous vehicle took to the road 15 years ago, when there was no library in Cooroy to service the hinterland, demand for public computers and Wi-Fi was much greater and library collections were predominately print-based.
“Nowadays multi-media formats are flourishing, and the library offers a large collection of e-resources online which people can access from home across all sorts of devices.
“Although Mobile Library visitors have roughly halved in the past decade, the service is still highly valued and our customers have told us they still want the convenience of accessing mobile collections, which we’re answering with the new vehicle and other additional new library services,” Ms King said.
To make access to library services even easier, Council will be developing a new schedule of library learning workshops which will be hosted at community locations across the shire.
