When me and my sisters were kids, mum used to pack us in the car and take us to Parramatta Library. It was a frequent weekend or school holiday treat. We’d park in Horwood Place and be there for hours until closing time.
I remember pulling out the old manual catalogues, five times as long as my arm. Deciphering the yellowed typeset punch cards.
Ransacking the aisles on every subject – science, geography, chess, cricket, murder mysteries – then hiding away with my newfound treasures. Families were allowed to borrow a near-unlimited number of books. The librarian would take a good 20 minutes to stamp ours. We’d almost need a trailer to tow the lot home.
The incredible things our parents do for us. Somewhere during those years, my love of the written word was formed. Decades later, the pace of the world has accelerated. Screens and mobile devices have taken over our lives. Yet libraries have found ways to digitise collections, reskill staff and keep their mission relevant.
Books have been supplemented by audio e-books, movies and video games. Our local library is a place to do cheap photocopying, use the WiFi, prepare job applications and work together or alone. It’s there for everyone, providing access to resources, services and knowledge in an egalitarian way. The best libraries are almost like town squares.
We’ve missed our libraries here in Parramatta during the pandemic. Deemed non-essential services, libraries across the city are still closed. Hopefully this won’t be for long. Public health orders have now been relaxed to allow ‘click and collect’. This has already started in the Inner West where people can reserve titles online, then pick them up upon receiving an email or SMS.
A plan to keep improving and refurbishing our libraries is also urgently needed. Suburban branches such as Carlingford and Dundas still occupy the same footprint they have for decades, even as the population massively expands. Newington’s library is so small that social distancing is impossible. Other locations like Toongabbie or Winston Hills with its aging population could be prime locations for new facilities.
The library of the future will need to provide a more flexible mix of physical spaces for people to dock in, conduct classes and hold meetings. We should aim to offer “makerspaces” where people can access everything from 3D-printers to audio and video editing tools; arts and crafts. Why not peaceful gardens and all-weather courtyards where everyone can sit outside with their laptops?
Modern digital resources such as e-readers, smart boards, tablets and audio podcasts, as well as non-English language collections, are also essential to serve our diverse population.
All of this requires funding and political will. However, the plans by the NSW Government to pool council developer contributions from across the state into a central fund will hurt Parramatta. As Lord Mayor Bob Dwyer observes, our city is “doing the heavy lifting” in terms of providing new housing supply. Councils, which fund our libraries, can’t be expected to raise rates to make up the shortfall. We need a stronger deal because we are bearing the brunt of new developments and population growth.
There’s no reason City of Parramatta shouldn’t have the best libraries in the southern hemisphere. A well-funded public library system is fundamental to a decent, civilised society.
My mum knew it all those years ago; today, there’s no excuse for all of us not to make it happen.
Alan is a journalist and communications specialist. He writes a weekly column for Parra News.