Did you know that more than 20 percent of Murrindindi Shire residents are active library users? In 2017/18 alone, Council’s library service loaned more than 73,000 physical resources (books, audio books and DVDs) and saw a further 8000 ebooks downloaded. That’s a lot of reading, listening and viewing!
Murrindindi Shire Mayor Sandice McAulay said while books are very important, libraries are about so much more than just books.
“Between our Tuesday Talks with authors, storytimes for children, craft groups, music sessions, blokes’ nights and ‘On the Couch/Pageturners’ book review gatherings, the Murrindindi Library Service had almost 8000 attendees to its program of events and activities in 2017/18.
“Not to mention the 4000 computer sessions our residents enjoyed. Some residents are simply bringing their own electronic devices and logging on to our free Wifi – in fact, this happened 8500 times in 2017/18!” McAulay said.
“Our libraries are community hubs as well. They are places that welcome community members of all ages and stages and enable them to meet, gain skills and exchange ideas and information.
“Libraries are beneficial to everyone – even non-users. For every dollar invested, Victorian public libraries generate $4.30 worth of benefits to their local community. In total, the economic activity generated by public libraries equates to $328 million per year across Victoria. That’s what I call a fabulous return on investment!
“While the economic and community benefits of libraries are unquestionable, we do need to take action to make sure the government knows how much libraries mean to the community The more funding a public library receives, the more likely people are to visit because the library can afford to purchase more new books more often, and offer more programs that meet more people’s interests and needs. Funding is also critical to ensuring our library buildings and facilities support our communities.
“To that end, Murrindindi Library Services is taking part in Public Libraries Victoria Network’s ‘Libraries Change Lives’ campaign and council urges residents to get involved too. The goal is to make sure our politicians know just how much we value our libraries and want to see continued investment in them.
“All you have to do is jump onto your social media pages and share a story about how libraries have changed your life or the life of someone you know. Be sure to include #librarieschangelives and #murrindindilibraryservice in your post!” McAulay said.
“For more info, why not pop into one of our libraries – Alexandra, Kinglake, Yea or the Mobile Library and Customer Service van.”
