The library was designed and painted by women of the Afghan Women’s Wellbeing Group with the support of the City of Ryde and INTO-ARTS Studio+Gallery in West Ryde. Created by these enthusiastic artists the designs are fusions of traditional motives from Afghanistan combined with visual links to their new home country of Australia. Moonlit starry nights, mountains, birds, rivers, trees and flowers create the ideal backdrop for taking time to meet with new friends, talk about a new book and feel at home.
Located in Anzac Park, West Ryde, the library provides a splash of colour and a handy walk-by for people interested in reading a new book and dropping off one they think someone else might enjoy. You are sure to see it as you cross over the park on your commute between home and station.
The City of Ryde is working with the community to share books through the installation of Street Libraries in our public domain.
Our Street libraries offer a range of benefits to the community including:
• Encouraging books to be recycled and shared;
• Providing any member of the community access to literature and the joys of reading;
• Providing opportunities for community members to meet, connect and socialise;
• Enlivening and activating public spaces.
This project aims to increase community activation through installing Street Libraries throughout our public domain. The libraries work on an honesty system with the motto “Take a book; leave a book”.
Council’s City Activation team are leading the project, which works with community groups to design and paint the libraries. A location for the street library is identified, and a suitable custodian of the street library is sourced. The custodian is typically a business that is located adjacent to the library whose role is to monitor and maintain the library, and communicate with Council.
For more information on the City of Ryde Street Library projects, please visit www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/streetlibraries
