RRL Annual Report 2019-2020

Christmas Craft

49

Temora|

Temora Library

Contact Us

Address: 294 Hoskins Street, Temora NSW 2666
Telephone: 02 6977 1781

Open Hours

Monday to Friday 10:00am - 5:30pm
Saturday 10:00am - 12:00pm

Library 2U – Lockdown Brings Out The Best

COVID-19 lockdown closed libraries for over ten weeks. Temora Shire Library brought itself out
into the community and started a Library2U delivery service. The first delivery took place on 1
April 2020 and the service ceased when doors opened again on 1 June. Patrons would phone
and let staff know what material they would like and items were delivered around town every
Wednesday. During this time staff delivered over 3000 items to many patrons and had great
feedback on the variety of items selected; with some patrons stating they had found a few new
authors and enjoyed reading something they normally wouldn’t select. The Library 2U delivery
service gave staff an opportunity to keep in touch with older patrons and check how they were
coping week to week in such difficult circumstances. With the reopening, the library transferred
some of the Library 2U patrons to the regular fortnightly housebound delivery service. Whilst
being shutdown staff also created online Storytime sessions, craft packs and book trivia to keep
patrons engaged.

LEGO Club

In 2020 Temora Shire Library commenced a regular monthly LEGO Club group which took off with
great interest and proved very popular with younger patrons. A free LEGO Club session was held
on the first Monday of every month after school, where children were asked to create and design a
specific LEGO design around a challenge. Some challenges included, boat building/racing, bridge
building, tallest towers and even parachute drops. This great program achieved sucess in getting
the kids’ engineering minds to think outside the box. The LEGO Club session was for an hour and
once the challenge was completed kids were then able to have free build time.

14,765 1,621
Library
Library Visits Members

20,382 11,464
Loans
Collection Items

50

One Book One Temora

Temora Shire Library was successful in receiving funding from the Ariah Park B & S Ball Committee,
which was used to purchase more LEGO and a team build item, which was the Harry Potter Great
Hall. Kids were halfway through this build when COVID-19 hit, so the Harry Potter kit sat on the
front counter until the LEGO Club resumed.

One Book One Temora

Following Wagga Wagga City Library’s successful One Book program, the Library held its first One
Book One Temora over the summer months of 2019 - 2020. Patrons read The Wife and The Widow
by Christian White through December, January and February, and planned to meet at the end of
March for a Big Book Club event. The event had to be cancelled due to COVID-19. In the lead up
to One Book One Temora, staff knew they had to select a title which would be intriguing for all
audiences. They knew they wanted to stick with an Australian author; however it did prove quite
tricky with so many amazing authors. Overall The Wife and The Widow proved to be extremely
popular. All reviews from patrons were positive, with readers stating they couldn’t put the book
down. The library had over seventy readers throughout the duration of the program, which
officially wrapped up on 29 February. Due to the overwhelming positive feedback and success,
One Book One Temora will run again in the 2020 - 2021 summer.
Wendy Manning | Librarian in Charge | Temora Library

51

Tumbarumba|

Tumbarumba Library

Snowy Valleys Council Network of Libraries

Contact Us

Address: Prince Street, Tumbarumba NSW 2653
Telephone: 02 6948 2725

Open Hours

Monday 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Tuesday to Friday 10:00am - 5:00pm (closed for lunch 1:30pm - 2:00pm)
Tuesday 1:00pm - 5:00pm (winter)
Saturday 10:00am - 12:00pm

Library Displays

Library displays were a big hit with the Tumbarumba community during 2019 – 2020. Staff put a
lot of work, time and effort to really make them a feature. Stand out displays included Bookweek
superhero Cityscape. The large windows in the children’s area were taped and painted to look like
a colourful cityscape. A superhero photo booth was set up for borrowers and school classes to
take pictures. Origami cranes were the feature of the next display, as they adorned every surface
and beam. The paper cranes were all made by one local 12 year old boy who made them for
his father’s wedding to decorate the reception hall. Library staff rescued the birds and rehomed
them in the library, for the community to enjoy. Early 2020 Tumbarumba Library received new
shelving which transformed the library space making it more functional, and easier for staff to
accommodate programs.

Library Programs

School holiday programs were extremely popular in the library. July school holiday workshops
included Beading and Bath Bombs. Children were able to experiment with colours and scents
to make their own bath treat. After the bombs were made the children worked on making and
decorating gift bags. OzGrav (ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery) held a
hands on Virtual Reality Science Workshop in the library meeting room, this was popular with
older children.

14,414 929

Library Visits Library
Members
6,452
12,709
Loans Collection Items

52

Sleeping Beauty

October school holidays were no exception. Three big programs were planned and bookings were
taken. Allegro Ballet School’s performance of Sleeping Beauty was incredible. The performance
was a hit, but what really made it a special program for the children was meeting the dancers
afterwards and being able dress up in the costumes. Crocodile Encounters was as always, a popular
hands on and informative program, enjoyed by both adults and children. This time there were 78
adults and children enjoying the program. Vegetable Plot was a hit with the Storytime families,
who enjoyed singing and dancing around the library.

Storytime

Pre-school Storytime was a very popular program with many local families enjoying the weekly
service. In October, Friends of Tumbarumba Library hosted a morning tea for grandparents in
conjunction with Storytime. This was a lovely morning where parents, grandparents and great
grandparents all came together with the children for a morning of stories and craft. Children
enjoyed helping make a scarecrow for the annual Open Garden Weekend competition. This was
an extremely messy but fun-filled Storytime program. The children enjoyed repeat visits to the
library to see the scarecrow. The Mobile Play Bus visited the library and set up fun activities in the
park for the Storytime families, after a morning of songs, rhymes and stories.
Vicki Hulm | Library Team Leader | Tumbarumba Library

53

Tumut|

Tumut Library

Snowy Valleys Council Network of Libraries

Contact Us

Address: 169 Wynyard Street, Tumut NSW 2720
Telephone: 02 6941 2541

Open Hours

Monday to Friday 10:00am - 6:00pm
Saturday 9:00am - 12:00pm

SWITCH 2019

Snowy Valleys Council Libraries received a Highly Commended Award at the NSW Public Library
Association Conference in November 2019. The Award was for the 2018 National Aborigines
and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week. The library service had convened
and delivered events on behalf of Snowy Valleys Council. Whilst Tumut Library led the program
of events, all SVC Libraries participated in delivering Indigenous activities as part of the wider
program. Snowy Valleys Council Libraries continued to forge a wonderful connection with the
local Indigenous community and it was fabulous that the libraries have the opportunity to play
an active role in showcasing Indigenous culture to the community.

MOSAIC Ladies

The Tumut area has a diverse mix of cultures with many travelling to the area to work as part of
the local timber industries. Born from this, the multicultural Mosaic ladies are a group of women
from all over the world who meet regularly in Tumut to forge community and social connections.
The Mosaic ladies attend workshops held at the Tumut Library regularly including Bath Bombs,
Beeswax Beauty Products and Watercolour Card Making. These workshops have provided a
wonderful opportunity for both the group and the library to develop relationships and the ladies
love the varied activities they have experienced and participated in at the library.

34,945 2,504
Library
Library Visits Members

34,507 14,481
Loans
Collection Items
54

MOSAIC Ladies
OzGrav Workshop

The OzGrav (ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery) Workshop, hosted by
Research Coordinator Lisa Horsley, provided a fantastic and dynamic opportunity for local youth
to connect with virtual reality at the Library. Participants had a wonderful time looking at the
stars and the universe using a high tech laser projector on a large screen and using virtual reality
goggles.
Rhonda Twomey | Coordinator Library Services | Tumut Library

55

Wagga Wagga|

Wagga Wagga City Library
Contact Us

Address: Cnr Baylis & Morrow Streets, Wagga Wagga NSW 2650
Telephone: 02 6926 9700

Open Hours

Monday 11:00am - 6:00pm
Tuesday to Friday 10:00am - 6:00pm
Saturday 10:00am - 4:00pm

Children’s Programs and COVID-19

Storytime events attracted 13,454 visits with physical visits numbering 6,727 from July 2019 to
March 2020 before the library ceased operations due to COVID-19. The remaining 6,000 visits
were online views, from April to June 2020, via the Virtual Storytime program. This program was
named The Show Must Go On.
Popular onsite programs in 2019 included ballet performances, holiday movies, Travel Bugs with
Jackie Love, Science Week activities, special Dinosaur Storytime sessions in the Wagga Wagga Art
Gallery, and the Pop-up Riverina School of Strings performance. Additional online programs during
COVID-19 included the Little Bang Discovery Club and the June School Holiday program based on
the popular children’s book The Little Wave. From 1 June families embraced the opportunity to be
back in the library to stock up on school holiday books, movies and science kits.

Multicultural Services

In 2019, the library appointed its first Multicultural Services Officer, Mahsa Nikzad. One of the
key responsibilities of this role was to coordinate the Language Café program, which focused on
connecting and supporting community volunteers and English as a Second Language learners.
There have been 40 active community volunteers and over 2,000 learners who have attended the
Language Café since it commenced in 2017.

150,918 20,206
Library
Library Visits Members

211,556 77,411
Loans
Collection Items

56

Dinosaur Storytime

In response to COVID-19 restrictions library staff established a closed online Language Café group
with weekly activities presented as interactive learning opportunities. Online learning resources
and vital updates from NSW Health were shared regularly in community languages. The library
also provided 150 library bags and resources to the Red Cross for distribution to support local
culturally and linguistically diverse families living in the Wagga Wagga community.
The library also worked with the local Iranian community to advise the State Library Collection on
the purchase of classic Persian literature in the Farsi language which are now housed at Wagga
Wagga City Library. At the annual SWITCH Public Libraries Conference, Claire Campbell, Manager
Wagga Wagga City Library, was awarded the 2019 Individual Award for Multicultural Services for
an individual practitioner working in a NSW public library, who has demonstrated innovative,
dedicated and outstanding service to the multicultural community.

57

Wagga Wagga|

Collection - Improving Access and Visibility

Significant changes were made to increase the visibility and access to library collections including
the period when the library was closed due to COVID-19. This included relocating the large print
collection to Level 1 and the spare shelves were filled with junior non fiction books. This addressed
a significant issue for older readers by removing the need to navigate the stairs or wait for the lift.
The Art collection was relocated to face-out shelving in the centre of the library to improve visibility
and customer awareness of this collection holding. The Local Studies collection was reorganised,
rehoused and had some items digitised. A new library Flickr photo database was added to the
library’s website and a COVID-19 stories webpage was established to capture local stories. The
introduction of remote access to Ancestry.com, the new NewsBank subscription and the purchase
of additional eBooks during the COVID-19 library closure period were popular additions with
regular library visitors.

Riverina Summer School for Strings

58

CALD Tour with Mahsa Nikzad

Lifelong Learning - Activation and Social Inclusion

Adult literacy programs and workshops commenced in July 2019 with a program designed to
engage with a diverse range of audiences across the year. This schedule commenced with Plastic
Free July workshops in partnership with Sustainable Wagga, and Wagga Wagga Art Gallery.
Author talks were popular and included Kaneana May, Sophie Green, Lee Kofman, Sarah Myles
and Charles Sturt University academic Dr Sam Bowker.
Workshops and events for adults were well attended and covered topics including: Tech Savvy
Seniors technology classes; Writing Your Family History; Peace and Permaculture; and, livestream
events included the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Sydney Writers Festival, and the All About
Women festival. Community members also enjoyed the annual Library Lounge Book Club Party
and the annual Booranga Writers 4W book launch. Public speaking with toastmasters, database
sessions and tours for high school students were also well attended throughout the year.
With the onset of COVID-19 the library team mobilised and moved events like the 2020 One Book
One Wagga (OBOW) Gala Dinner online. Author Charlotte Wood was interviewed, by Amy Heap,
about her Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) award-winning book The Weekend with the
Civic Theatre providing in-house technical skills to record, edit and share the event via YouTube on
the 29th May at 7.30 pm. The 2020 OBOW Gala event successfully engaged with a diverse audience
of readers at home who came together for a virtual experience that provided camaraderie and
connection to past OBOW events.

59

Wagga Wagga|

Bushfire Response - Building Resilient Communities

In January 2020 the bushfire crisis in our region impacted local communities in Tarcutta, Batlow
and Adelong with many impacted community members being evacuated to Wagga Wagga. In
response to this crisis the Wagga Wagga City Library opened its doors on Sunday 5th January to
provide a cool and relaxing public space for impacted community members to retreat to. Many
families and people who needed access to the internet visited the library on this day. Feedback
from the community was very positive including the following: “I am proud of our library! Had
news from England and the USA congratulating the library for being open in such an emergency
time!! They lead our city for friendliness and service! Well done!” (email 8th January 2020).
WIRES Knit In Partnership: During January and February 2020 regular knitters and newcomers
to the City came together at the library to make pouches for injured and abandoned joeys in
the bushfire disaster. The local Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) group
coordinated the distribution of the pouches to the network of wildlife carers in the region. By the
end of January, the tally was 50 pouches, 250 liners and 10 nests completed and distributed to the
carers network.

Riverina Science Festival

The Wagga Wagga City Library was awarded one of five Inspiring Australia Grants across NSW
from the Federal Government, for the annual Riverina Science Festival, for the fifth successive year.
Working with Local Elders, schools, Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, the Museum of the Riverina, Charles
Sturt University, Macquarie University and Swinburne University, the Wagga Wagga City Library
coordinated a week long program of science based interactive activities culminating in a day-long
festival at the Civic Centre called Future World.
Other program highlights in the Science Week 2019 program included the delivery of the National
Indigenous Science Education Program (NISEP) at Tolland Community Centre with Charles Sturt
University scientists, local Wiradjuri and First Nations Elders and students. Students learned about
the historical migration of Bogong Moths and their significance as a traditional food from specialist
Dr Pettina Love. They also made their own moths with the help of the Hands On Weavers group.
The 2020 National Industrial Security Program (NISP) was awarded a Eureka Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Prize during National Science Week in Canberra.
Dr Rina Fu travelled from Western Australia to present live edutainment science shows as well
as Quiet Science sessions for students on the autism spectrum. Other activities included TwistEd
Science, Kitchen Science Storytime, Headset Holodeck, SciVR, Post-Apocalyptic guitar making and
the mBot Hot Spot. The festival attracted five thousand participants, who participated in ninety-
four events and activities.
Survey feedback indicated that 90% of respondents would recommend future National Science
Week events to friends and colleagues, indicating a high level of satisfaction with the events and
91% indicated that it was important to have access to community science events.
Claire Campbell | Manager Library Services | Wagga Wagga City Library
60

Science Week

61

RRL Statistics 2019-2020

11,621

Internal Delivery
Service

tubs distributed

around
RRL branch libraries

500,627

RRL items loaned

Discards Purchases

Collection item 28,333 33,040
purchases and discards IN OUT

442,785 43,060 total RRL members

visits to
RRL branch

libraries

28,333 258 Book Club titles 2,155
collection circulated to 92 donated
items purchased Book Clubs items received

62

RRL Statistics 2019-2020

6,315

Story Box Library views

34,351 121,535

eBook loans RRL website visits

148 Inter Library Loans Member Notifications
IN
94,854
15,025
Letter
eMagazine 11%
SMS Email
downloads 26% 63%

302
OUT

47,462 1,134 4,583

eAudio loans ancestry.com sessions Kanopy views
63

RRL Statistics 2019-2020 New stock by Local Government Area

Total stock by Local Government Area

Member Council populations Council %pop. $
and contributions 4.29
Bland 5,985 3.15 125,617
4,390 8.06 112,531
Coolamon 8.92 215,331
Cootamundra-Gundagai 11,244 7.60 297,725
Federation 12,444 4.67 299,660
10,602 2.32 124,691
Greater Hume 6,511 10.43 129,204
Junee 319,649
Lockhart 3,237 4.47 133,724
14,552 46.09 1,437,064
Snowy Valleys 6,236 100.00 3,195,196
Temora
Wagga Wagga 64,265
139,466

64

Membership as percent of population by LGA RRL Statistics 2019-2020

Loans by Local Government Area

Loans per capita by Local Government Area

65

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Happy are the readers;
they shall have boundless adventures.

RRL photograph taken near Methul, NSW
67

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rrl.nsw.gov.au