Australia: First dedicated children's library attracting visitors
After the library for children under 12 opened in June as part of a $250 million redevelopment of Ipswitch CBD, it has attracted over 22,000 people in its first month alone. Ipswich City Council Mayor, Teresa Harding, said, "Ipswich is Queensland’s fastest growing city, with that growth being driven by young families, so it makes sense to provide a space for families to socially connect". The library itself has 35,000 items and includes innovative technology and digital experiences as well as an external garden area and specially designed sculptural elements.
Architecture & Design / (LGIU Australia Daily News, October 2021)
England: Calderdale library provides hands-on air quality education
Working with the University of Manchester, Sowerby Bridge is engaging the public in awareness over air quality and health by allowing residents to borrow air quality monitoring equipment from the library to take home and test indoor and outdoor quality, sharing findings back to a university project to aggregate town data. This initiative is being combined with public speaker events and education at the library, alongside a parallel project with a local primary school.
Carnegie UK trust
South Korea: Public libraries to feature cutting-edge innovation by 2023
To attract more visitors and provide a more personalised, useful service, libraries in Korea are making innovative changes. Online ‘digital libraries’ will be offered to those who cannot travel or visit during opening hours, while AI will be used to recommend relevant information or services to citizens based on their life stage and needs, whether that be children’s entertainment and education, employment opportunities and careers advice, or inclusive services for older or less technologically capable adults.
Korea.net
Australia: Library fines abolished by the City of Melbourne
The City of Melbourne has removed library fines, following the temporary suspension of late return charges from March 2020 due to pandemic impacts. The decision aims to encourage more people to use library services and sign up for membership, particularly people who are young, socially and economically disadvantaged or experiencing homelessness. Replacement charges will still be in place for lost or damaged library material, although the best way to support people in vulnerable situations regarding this will be considered. The impact of the removal of fines will be tracked over the next two years and assessed in a report for councillors in August 2023.
City of Melbourne; City of Melbourne / (LGIU Australia Daily News, May 2021)
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