By Alesha Capone
A library lounge is set to open at the Williams Landing Shopping Centre next year.
Wyndham council’s city life director Allison Kenwood announced the news this week.
“This space will offer a range of library programs and a curated library collection for all life stages,” Ms Kenwood said.
“Residents will also be able to join the library service and be assisted to find information they are seeking as well as collect library reservations.”
Ms Kenwood said the Williams Landing Library Lounge has been designed to provide services and spaces “to an increasingly connected community through an agile space that can adapt to evolving community needs”.
She said the lounge would be complemented by a book locker vending machine which the council installed in the shopping centre last month and a pop-up library programs van that will hit the road in early 2022.
“The van will be visiting areas across the municipality, including Williams Landing, to provide programs and activities to the community,” Ms Kenwood said.
She said development of the Williams Landing library project was placed on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Following a libraries service and asset planning review discussed at (a) council meeting in November, further decisions will be taken as part of planning and budget processes to develop a contemporary, flexible and financially sustainable library network for the Wyndham community to meet current and future service needs,” Ms Kenwood said.
A report submitted to a council meeting last month, in response to a notice of motion put forward by councillor Jasmine Hill, said that four additional library branches of varying sizes have been included in Precinct Structure Plans for Wyndham’s growth areas.
The future branches, set to be developed across the next 10 years, will be located in, or adjacent to, planned community centres.
The plans included a Truganina library lounge to be built in 2024 and two new libraries in Tarneit North, to be constructed in 2027 and 2029.
The Black Forest Road North library has been earmarked for development in Mambourin during 2026.
