A recent community engagement study has revealed how important the City of Onkaparinga libraries are to the community.
“The library is a special place and a very necessary one for many people,” one comment begins. “It can be a meeting place, a quiet place, and a place for lonely people to find some company and friendship.”
A second contributor says: “Having been a library user as a parent, teacher, retired person, and now as a nanna – the library is a wonderful institution for all age groups.”
And a third: “I have found somewhere to belong where I am accepted and appreciated… I no longer feel lonely or a failure.”
Modern libraries are fun, vibrant places, where the community can learn, play and connect, engage with literature and technology, and feel included.
The new Libraries Strategic Management Plan (SMP) 2018-2021 – approved by the council’s Strategic Directions Committee in August – acknowledges this and sets a course to ensure the City of Onkaparinga’s libraries will remain integral cornerstones of the community.
The document sets out goals for the future, including better promotion of library services to underrepresented groups and those who experience literacy disadvantage.
It aims to invest in digital literacy developments to ensure we stay ahead of the technology curve and develop support materials for parents and carers of children with special needs.
“The SMP is our strategy to provide our communities with the best library services we can,” says Community Relations Director Philomena Taylor, adding that digital, social and economic trends are reshaping the way people access information.
“Our strategic management plan responds to those trends based on feedback we received from libraries users, the broader community, and library staff. The SMP outlines what libraries will continue to do and what they will do differently, along with desired outcomes.
“This will include maintaining our six library locations in Aberfoyle Park, Woodcroft, Noarlunga, Seaford, Willunga and Aldinga.”
The SMP outlines six key result areas the council will focus on over the next three years to deliver its library services:
- Provide information and guidance
- Foster social connection and wellbeing
- Enhance use of library spaces and places
- Activate community knowledge and learning
- Build on positive partnerships
- Support the local economy
Read the Libraries SMP 2018-2021 at onkaparingacity.com – Libraries and About Us