It’s Friday morning at the Kyogle library in the New South Wales northern rivers region and Luca Barbieri is running an Italian language class. His students are seated across from crafters, teenagers studying or downloading videos, people using the bank of computers – and, of course, those checking out books.
There’s a sense of community here that has survived catastrophic local events: the economic devastation of the pandemic followed swiftly by floods that destroyed houses and damaged roads.
In 2022-23, the library ran and hosted nearly 250 programs, events, meetings and groups ranging from adults’ colouring-in to a Lego club, says Corinne Hughes, who has worked at Kyogle library for 23 years.
When the floods hit in March 2022, residents sought refuge – and internet services – at the library. An urn for tea and coffee was set up and jigsaw puzzles came out. As the only place in town with wifi, the library also served as an administration support hub.
During the Covid pandemic, Hughes and fellow librarians Cheryl Thompson and Ian McLean sent out packages of books with garden seeds, calm colouring sheets and a positive, handwritten note. “The phone rang all day and it wasn’t always about books,” says Hughes. “Our message was, and continues to be, we’re all in this together.”
All of this was done on a budget of $60.22 per person, funded by the council and the state government. It’s a lot to deliver for the cost of two new books.
Regional libraries that service lower socio-economic areas receive slightly more state government funding than those in wealthier areas, says Morley. Funding starts at $2.85 per capita then grants and levies are added in. Taken together, it amounts to about $50,000 or more per council, which then make up the shortfall.
That funding is an increase in previous levels, after a 10-year campaign by local governments resulted in a commitment to boost funding in 2020. The NSW government is set to deliver $40.89m in funding for public libraries in 2023-24, up from $24.53m in 2018-19, with another $6m distributed in grants for infrastructure and service upgrades.
In Kyogle, the council budget allocated $473,000 to the library in 2023-24, with the state government contributing $94,154.
It’s a “priceless” investment in the community, says Kyogle’s mayor, Kylie Thomas.
Catching those left behind
Even with that increased funding, Morley says, services in regional libraries can still be “a bit patchy”, with some not able to open five days a week or provide more than one staff member.
But libraries are increasingly called on to deliver a broad range of services. As the social cohesion index plummets to its lowest level in 16 years, they play a vital role as a social hub. Cost-of-living increases and the migration of services online, exacerbated by the closure of local bank branches, leaves many Australians – particularly older Australians – in need of help to access the internet.
“People are asking more of their local library and for that reason we’re encouraging councils to extend services and space,” says Cameron Morley, the head of public library services for the State Library of NSW.
“Pretty much all of our libraries do computer assistance for older people, often funded through the tech-savvy seniors programs we administer.”
Providing access and affordability to all as the digital divide widens is a priority, says Cathie Warburton, CEO of the Australian Library and Information Association (Alia). Libraries, she says, “catch anyone left behind”.
The services that make up that net are broad, and often region-specific. At Lambton library in Newcastle, there is a heavily-frequented centre to repair household goods. At Bathurst library, staff who noticed an increase in people experiencing homelessness visiting the library created a brochure on emergency housing, food and showers. They also created a no-fixed-address membership to promote inclusivity.
At Queanbeyan library, staff recently collaborated with Headspace to host a youth wellbeing night, while at Port Stephens library parents were invited to focus on their own health during a week that included yoga and meditation.
Most regional libraries also provide a toy library, taking pressure off the family budget, and in some regional libraries including Kyogle, a new speech pathology section has been introduced to support families who have children with learning difficulties.
In some communities, services such as Rainbow Storytime – a Pride event that involves drag queens reading stories to children – have been delivered against the backdrop of campaigns against inclusive programming,
“Libraries have seen people filming books that contain subject matter they may not agree with and effectively calling for libraries to ban them,” Warburton says. “It is a real threat to democracy.”
Alia has provided support to librarians and says it stands firm in its purpose – to promote a strong, future-focused Australian library and information sector that advances an inclusive and informed society.
And, always, to provide a home for books.
