Port Macquarie Hastings Library and PMHC are big fans of the Street Library movement, where you ‘plant’ a library out the front of your house and swap and share books with your neighbours. Port Macquarie already boasts 5 existing street libraries, and now we have given away 10 more. We are clearly an area of books loving enthusiasts, which was apparent from the fantastic 48 Expressions of Interest we received. It was difficult, but we narrowed it down to 10, judging both the quality of the application and the geographic location, and so over the next few months there will be 5 new street libraries in Port Macquarie, 2 in Wauchope, 1 in Kendall, Lake Cathie and Bonny Hills (see streetlibrary.org.au for a street library near you!)
In partnership with the Port Macquarie Community College, during April we conducted 2 workshops in the Maker Space, constructing and decorating the new little libraries.
Our new street library community gathered together to celebrate at Port Macquarie Library on 25th May during Library and Information Week. They were all very excited to meet and are keen to stay in touch and support each other. There was an excited buzz in the room as they shared experiences and marvelled over the slide show of photos from the workshops, home decoration and installation street parties.
It was a special bonus that 2 of Port’s Street library founders came along (Swift St & Yarramundi Rd) and shared their wisdom and continued enthusiasm for street libraries.
We are extremely happy with the success of the program and haven’t ruled out a repeat offer! It’s a fabulous and rewarding way to connect with the community and support them in their love of books and reading.
