Greater Hamilton Library invites all community members to take part in the Victorian Public Library Survey to learn more on how the Library is used and valued in the region.
The survey will inform understanding of community use, identify key customer issues and help inform strategic and service planning at both a state-wide and local level.
Southern Grampians Shire Council Library Services Coordinator Kelly Pitt-Lancaster said by participating in the survey, community members have the opportunity to help grow the future of Library services across Victoria.
“Libraries are a huge part of our local community and offer residents access to services that are not limited to borrowing books but also offer education and assistance with digital literacy and connectivity,” said Ms Pitt-Lancaster.
“The pandemic has really highlighted the important role that libraries play in supporting social connections and mental wellbeing as well as providing equitable access to information and reading materials that are vital to our friends and families.
“Our Library also provides community support functions in safe, fun and educational spaces to our local community.”
Right across Victoria, public libraries are working to advocate for increased library services and funding to help facilitate work libraries do in supporting communities. Research has shown that for every $1 invested in public libraries, $4.30 in value is returned to communities.
The survey is designed to capture information about library use including frequency, accessibility, users, and to understand what services are most important to library visitors.
“This survey will provide the community an opportunity to share their ideas about the services they receive, want and need. We welcome everyone to have their say and complete the survey to help get us all thinking about how we use libraries to enable us to plan for library services that meet the community’s current and future expectations,” concluded Ms Pitt-Lancaster.
The Victorian Public Library Survey runs for two weeks starting Tuesday 15 March 2022, closing Monday 28 March 2022 and is available online at https://www.research.net/r/publiclibrarysurvey2022 or in person at the Greater Hamilton Library and Mobile Library.
*Pictured: Senior Library Services Officers Chris Jenkins and Jenny Poynton.