Draft:Newcastle Libraries

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Newcastle Libraries
The City branch of the library
LocationNewcastle, New South Wales, Australia
TypePublic Library
Established1945 (informally) October 21, 1957 (1957-10-21) (officially)
Branches11 (Adamstown, Beresfield, Digital Library, Hamilton, Lambton, Local History Library, Mayfield, Newcastle (City), New Lambton, Stockton, Wallsend)
Collection
Items collected879,323[1]
Access and use
Circulation1,315,641 (2021)[1]
Population served251,533[1]
Members126,763 (2021)[1]
Other information
DirectorJulie Baird[2]
Employees~74[1]
Public transit accessNewcastle Transport
Websitenewcastlelibraries.com.au

Newcastle Libraries are the public library system in Newcastle, Australia. They are the biggest lending library system in New South Wales.[3] Newcastle Libraries is connected with the Newcastle Museum.

History[edit]

Demand for a public (or "free") library in Newcastle had been around since the 1920s[4] and gained traction in the 1930s as part of the Free Library Movement,[5][6] of which the Newcastle branch was described as "most active and well organised".[7] In the late 1930s, the Newcastle Council had began plans for a free library, and the Newcastle School of Arts (which at the time had a subscription library) had offered space in their building for one,[8] but plans were put on hold until the mid forties because of resources being prioritised for World War II.[9]

The Newcastle Library informally began in 1945 after Roland Pope left in his will a collection of paintings and rare books to the City of Newcastle, with the wish that they be used to start a public library and art gallery.[10] The library initially functioned solely as a reference library, the collection built out primarily of donations, such as those by C. Barrington Darley,[11] a donation of the enterity of the Women's Club's children's library,[12] and eventually the property of the School of Arts when it closed in 1964.[13]

There was some debate as to whether the new library should be in the School of the Arts building or the new War Memorial Cultural Centre which was being built at the time.[14] The Newcastle City Library officially opened in the Cultural Centre on the 21st October 1957.[15][16]

Collections[edit]

Newcastle Libraries have a collaborative collection with Dungog Libraries[17] and Port Stephens Libraries at Raymond Terrace, Tomaree (Salamander Bay), and the Port Stephens mobile library.[18] They are united as Newcastle Region Libraries and share their collections.[19] Newcastle also provides technical and IT support, as some Port Stephens libraries are very small with only one staff member.[20]

Rare books collection[edit]

The rare books collection is housed on the first floor and locked, with items available to view on request. It includes part of the original donations by Roland Pope, rare monographs by John Gould[21] including The Birds of Australia with hand-coloured illustrations by Elizabeth Gould,[22] and over 2000 books bequested by Lucy Gullett.[23] The room is climate controlled to protect stock.[24]

The Stack[edit]

The stack is the name of the City Library basement which holds none-lending items. It contains over 100,000 volumes, with content dating back to the 1800s.[24] Items in this collection include old Newcastle Morning Heralds, NBN film reels, land title documents, maps, and limited edition books.[24]

Buildings[edit]

Newcastle Libraries has eleven branches. The Newcastle City branch (sometimes just City Library)[25] was the first and largest, and includes the Lovett Gallery and DigiLab. It is inside the Newcastle War Memorial and Cultural Centre. Most of the branches closed down temporarily during COVID-19.[26]

Lambton library opened in 1950,[27] the building being converted from a council chamber built in 1887.[28] It has unstaffed, members-only hours.[29][30]

Lovett Gallery[edit]

The Lovett Gallery is a single-exhibition gallery. Past exhibitions include a Paul Jennings exhibition,[34] Afgan Australian Stories in Threads,[35] Kakuda Nation Park,[36] and a photographic exhibition on steam trains in the Hunter region.[37]

Local History Library[edit]

The Local History Library is housed in the first floor of the Cultural Centre, above Newcastle City Library. It opened in 1957 with a donation from Wilfred J. Goold, the founder of the Newcastle and Hunter District Historical Society.[38][39] As such, it was originally called the W. J. Goold room. Goold's collection of photos, maps, models, and old firearms had taken over 30 years to collect.[38]

Services[edit]

Newcastle Libraries have a Home Library Service,[40] podcast and media room,[41] 3D printing and scanning[42]

The Newcastle Seed Library began in October 2020,[43] and seeds are shared at Newcastle City, the Digital Library, and Wallsend.[44]

Rainbow Storytime by drag queen Timberlina and was initially met with backlash[45] which was followed by counter protests.[46]

The Newcastle Toy Library was the first in Australia to be associated with a public library, rather than a "school for handicapped children or parents group".[47]

In 2007, Newcastle Libraries were given a $19,000 grant from the State Library of New South Wales for a community languages collection.[48]

The Memory Room[edit]

The memory room started in 2020[49] and uses items from the local history library to allow people with dementia to connect with their memories of Newcastle.[50] The program includes an educational podcast series on Dementia,[51] art workshops run by an art therapist,[52] a tovertafel,[51] and lending "memory kits" which have picture books, CDs, DVDs, puzzles, games and activities.[51] The project has worked with local schools to allow young children and people with dementia to interact and share stories[1]

[53]

DigiLab[edit]

The DigiLab (Digital Labratory) was created with funding from the State Library of New South Wales, with the purpose of digitising the heritage collection. The library has a Cobra Semi-Robotic Scanner and a fully automatic digitisation robot.[54]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Morrison, Kathy (2022-04-01). "Public Library Statistics 2020–21, Public Library Statistics in New South Wales" (PDF). State Library of New South Wales. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  2. ^ "Lambton Library: Using Open+ To Increase Access By 700% | Bibliotheca". www.bibliotheca.com. 2023-05-24. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  3. ^ "Mountains of books to mine for gems". Newcastle Herald. 2000-10-21. p. 24.
  4. ^ "Advisable". Newcastle Sun. 1929-09-03. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  5. ^ "PRAISE FOR NEWCASTLE". Newcastle Sun. 1939-03-31. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  6. ^ "Newcastle Free Library". Newcastle Sun. 1939-10-25. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  7. ^ "Praise for Newcastle". Newcastle Sun. 1939-03-31. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  8. ^ "FREE PREMISES". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. 1938-10-21. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  9. ^ "Mayor has chance to give Newcastle public library". Newcastle Morning Herald. 1944-07-19.
  10. ^ "Society of Artists Medal". Sydney Morning Herald. 1945-08-20. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  11. ^ "Darley Books For Library In Newcastle". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. 1947-03-11. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  12. ^ "Handed Library To Council". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. 1948-07-16. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  13. ^ "School of Arts goes to city council". Newcastle Morning Herald. 1964-04-15.
  14. ^ "NEWCASTLE SHOULD BUILD LIBRARY FIRST'". Newcastle Sun. 1948-07-26. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  15. ^ "Library opens in centre". Newcastle Morning Herald. 1957-10-22.
  16. ^ "City Library opens in centre Monday". Newcastle Morning Herald. 1957-10-19.
  17. ^ "About our library". www.dungog.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  18. ^ Council, Port Stephens (2021-11-29). "Mobile Library". www.portstephens.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  19. ^ Gordon, Jason (2007-08-27). "Library co-op extends". Newcastle Morning Herald.
  20. ^ Macroplan Australia (2010). A benefit cost analysis – Outsourcing of Acquisition. State Library of New South Wales.
  21. ^ "Art Collection for City of Newcastle". Sydney Morning Herald. 1945-07-02. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  22. ^ "Newcastle Libraries' Exhibition Showcases Rare Birds of Feather". Mirage News. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  23. ^ "2000 Books Left To Newcastle". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. 1951-01-25. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  24. ^ a b c Jones, Jacqui (2016-08-02). "Library opens basement to uncover rare archives". Newcastle Morning Herald.
  25. ^ "Our Branches". newcastlelibraries. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  26. ^ "NEWCASTLE LIBRARIES RE-OPEN TO THE PUBLIC". NBN News. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  27. ^ "LAMBTON FREE LIBRARY BRANCH IS OPENED". Newcastle Sun. 1950-02-02. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  28. ^ Live, Newcastle (2021-06-20). "Get a sneak peek at Lambton Library refurbishment this week". Newcastle Live. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  29. ^ Nealon, Kelly (2022-03-17). "Newcastle library OPEN+ for digital access". Inside Local Government. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  30. ^ McMahon, Hayley (2022-03-21). "Technology increases Lambton Library accessibility". Novo News. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  31. ^ Thompson, Rod (2023-05-21). "New funding child's play for Newcastle Toy Library". Newcastle Weekly. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  32. ^ New Lambton Library. (1973). [plaque]. 95 Regent Street, New Lambton, New South Wales, Australia.
  33. ^ Live, Newcastle (2016-05-09). "Happy 10th birthday to Wallsend District Library". Newcastle Live. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  34. ^ Live, Newcastle (2020-03-15). "UNREAL: Paul Jennings exhibition rolls into Newcastle Library". Newcastle Live. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  35. ^ "A friend told Samira to burn her burqa to protest the Taliban. She had another idea". ABC News. 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  36. ^ "Liz Anelli nabs top award for Dry to Dry". Newcastle Herald. 2021-08-20. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  37. ^ Scanlon, Mike (2024-04-14). "Newcastle photographic exhibition recalls the glory days of steam". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  38. ^ a b "Gift to the city: Historian to hand over collection". The Newcastle Sun. 1957-06-21.
  39. ^ Newcastle Local History Library. (n.d.). [plaque]. War Memorial Cultural Centre at 15 Laman Street, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
  40. ^ "Home Library Service". newcastlelibraries. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  41. ^ "Podcast & Media Room". newcastlelibraries. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  42. ^ "3D Printing & Scanning". newcastlelibraries. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  43. ^ Writers, Staff (2021-11-22). "NSW council's seed library is growing". Government News. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  44. ^ "Newcastle Seed Library". newcastlelibraries. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  45. ^ "Rainbow Storytime to go ahead 'in the face of hate' as protest planned". Newcastle Herald. 2023-04-21. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  46. ^ Jackel, Laura (2023-04-27). "'Love always wins.' What happened when protestors took on drag story time". Mamamia. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  47. ^ "New toy library first in Australia". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners Advocate. 1976-02-11.
  48. ^ McKenny, Leesha (2007-03-28). "Libraries the 'hub' of region bridging cultural gap". Post.
  49. ^ "The new initiative giving those living with dementia confidence". NBN News. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  50. ^ Cugnetto, Lisa (2023-05-21). "Power of memories resonates with those living with dementia". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  51. ^ a b c Slingsby, Lisa (2022-05-23). "Laughter and Tears: The Memory Room Project and creating dementia friendly libraries [slides]". ALIA Library. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  52. ^ Thompson, Rod (2022-10-14). "It's important to look after our carers in Newcastle, says Cr Wood". Newcastle Weekly. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  53. ^ "Newcastle's 'Memory Room' connecting people living with dementia". ABC listen. 2020-10-16. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  54. ^ New South Wales government. (2020). 95th Meeting - Public Libraries Consultative Committee Joint meeting with the Library Council. State Library of New South Wales.
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