Victorian library votes to remove print books

Port Phillip Council in Melbourne has voted to remove the books from its Middle Park Library to make space for more desks and laptops, reports the Herald Sun.

The library’s collection of 4500 books will be moved to Albert Park Library. Cr Andrew Bond told 3AW that librarians would be retained to ‘supervise the 18 to 25-year-olds’ in the library’s ‘creative and collaborative learning environment’.

A council report said the library has been trying for many years to address the low level of community engagement. The report found that library visits and print book loans had declined by more than 50% since 2006.

Mayor Bernadene Voss said the changes would make Middle Park Library a ‘more relevant, useful and accessible community library for current and future users’.

Category: Library news