Last week marked the 70 year anniversary since both Woy Woy and Gosford Library branches first opened their doors to help meet the needs of a rapidly growing community.

Council Local History Librarian, Geoffrey Potter, explained the creation of the Library Service was among the first major decisions made by the then newly instituted Gosford Shire Council, which officially began operating on 1 January 1947.

“Our Library Service commenced operation on 13 August 1948 at Woy Woy, and 16 August 1948 at Gosford in the former Council Chambers of the Woy Woy and Erina Shires, respectively,” Mr Potter said.

“Miss Phyllis Bennett, a well-respected educator and library board member was card holder Number 1, and she was always very proud of this fact.

“At the time of opening, the Library collection was small but reflected the agricultural production interests of local farmer’s and subjects such as citrus-orcharding and vegetable-growing.

“After four months of operation there were 5,000 items and 3,000 borrowers registered.

“By the time the first purpose-built Gosford Library was opened in Mann Street in December 1951, there were 8,000 borrowers, which represented 40 per cent of the district population, and the Library collection was equally divided between fiction, non-fiction and children’s books.”

Council’s Library Service has come a long way since its humble beginnings, now with 11 branches, two community branches and a Bookmobile helping to service residents of the Central Coast.

“We now have over 112,000 members and boast one of the largest catalogues in the state with around 315,000 items, including books, DVDs, magazines, audiobooks, large print books, graphic novels, CDs,” Geoff added.

Last financial year saw more than one million people visit one of Council’s library branches and over 1.5 million loans from the physical and online collections.

Council Acting Unit Manager Libraries, Beth Burgess, said Council’s Library Service is as relevant today as it was back then and has evolved to meet the needs of residents.

“We have grown to become so much more than books,” Mrs Burgess said.

“Libraries are constantly adapting to meet the changing expectations of our community, while simultaneously enhancing education, learning and recreational needs.

“From storytime sessions to family history, knitting clubs to gaming meets, we offer something for all ages and interests.

“In this day and age we also understand the need to be available 24/7, so many of our key services are available online giving people the freedom to access them, anywhere, anytime - this includes eBooks, eMagazines, research databases, music and film streaming, language tools, online homework help services and much, much more.

“Our Gosford branch has served us well, though, like many of our branches, we are constrained by the building’s size and capabilities to continue changing to meet our community’s expectations.

“The proposed multi-use Regional Library will ensure we can meet the contemporary and the future needs of our increasing population and provide an active and welcoming social space for people to meet, collaborate, research and exchange ideas.

“Libraries have always been at the heart of creating liveable and connected cities through lifelong learning and that is definitely what we want to see continue, to help our region prosper.”

The designs and cost estimate for both the Regional Library and Regional Performing Arts Conference Centre will go back to Council at the 28 August Ordinary Meeting.

Those who work, live and study on the Central Coast can sign up for free at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/jointhelibrary and take advantage of the great range of resources and services on offer.

ENDS

Photos can be found at flickr.com/photos/gostalgia/6514407849/in/album-72157628436707621/