Melbourne libraries sign up for Libraries After Dark campaign

In Melbourne, four public libraries have signed up for the Libraries After Dark program, staying open until 10pm to host late-night activities and events, reports the Age.

The program started seven months ago to help people who might otherwise play poker machines in the evenings and the four participating libraries—Preston, Mill Park, Glenroy, and Broadmeadows—are all located near high-loss pokies venues.

It will continue to run across four councils for two years with grant funding from the state government’s Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation.

The initiative was the brainchild of Victorian Local Governance Association senior policy adviser Susan Rennie and Moreland council social policy officer Judy Spokes. ‘It’s in the evening when people feel particularly lonely or when a pokies venue seems appealing,’ Rennie told the Age.

‘We thought about the role of libraries and whether we could activate libraries at night and see if that could provide an alternative.’

Since its launch, Libraries After Dark has extended its appeal beyond the program’s initial purpose, and a wide selection of nighttime events, including film screenings, board games, decluttering workshops and pasta making classes, and now attracts a variety of visitors to the libraries.

Category: Library news