Now home to over 100 street libraries, Parramatta’s love for reading is helping to bring the community together.
Recently elected City of Parramatta Councillor Kellie Darley has long been an advocate for installing more street libraries across the city and its surrounding suburbs.
“I was approached back in 2017 by Street Libraries Australia, back when they only had a few in Parramatta, to see if I could help grow the network,” Cr Darley said.
Designed to be a home for books, street libraries invite people to simply reach in and take what book interests them, before returning it to its shelf. Unlike a library there is no check-in and check-out process, street libraries instead choose to be seen as a symbol of trust in the community.
Cr Darley believes that street libraries provide a great opportunity for people to come together.
“A lot of street libraries are on private property, and the street librarians have talked about how it’s just bought the neighbourhood together,” Cr Darley said.
“People come by when they’re out gardening, have a chat when they’re looking for a book or putting books in, so it’s a nice way to have people connect.”
When libraries were forced to close due to the pandemic, Cr Darley said street libraries helped to fill the gap.
“During COVID, when all the libraries closed, it was one of the only ways you could get books aside from buying them new,” Cr Darley said.
“It’s a fun thing to do, to go hunting around for a street library, you never know what you’re going to get.”
Not only a great way to bring neighbourhoods together, street libraries also address an important environmental issue.
“The community interest in trying to find ways in which we don’t throw things out and instead re-home them has definitely helped in terms of growing street libraries. It’s just a lovely way to bring the community together,” she said.
To buy a street library or make a donation go to streetlibrary.org.au.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.