It’s been a long journey, but the Sebastopol Library is almost ready to open.
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After a year’s redevelopment, the library’s team leader Sally Pitman said she can’t wait to see the community’s reaction when they walk in the doors on January 2.
Taking over all of the old Sebastopol Borough Town Hall, the new library has almost tripled in space.
Ms Pitman, who has been at the library for 15 years, said her team had been working hard to unpack boxes and organise furniture, stacking the shelves with books and making sure everything is ship-shape.
A highlight, for her, was the incorporation of historical parts of the building - some of the walls are 150 years old.
“The library’s been here since the late 1960s,” she explained.
“The City of Ballarat did a feasibility study in 2013, due to the usage the Sebastopol Library was experiencing, and it was decided at that stage to try and source a grant to improve the services
“Over time, it developed into, ‘let’s do the whole building and make it a whole community centre’.”
As well as stacks of books, including a young adult section and a large-print section, the building also includes a community kitchen, free public computers, and the maternal and child health centre, which has already opened.
The children’s area, massively expanded, will allow librarians to run more storytime sessions for preschoolers, while the technology facilities will help more people to find their way around the internet - the library’s already planning more introductory classes for seniors.
This shows how the role of public libraries are changing in the 21st century.
“A lot of the programs we run are to do with digital literacy,” Ms Pitman said.
“People are still reading books, they can also access ebooks through the library as well.
“There’s a lot of development happening in this area … lots of houses and lots of new families, so we run an early years program at all of our branches and outreach sites, that’s aimed at developing literacy.”
There will also be outdoor areas, with decking eventually opening onto a landscaped play area.
The City of Ballarat contributed $2.2 million to the project, with the state government, through DELWP, adding another $600,000.
As well as the public opening in January, there will be a grand opening on March 19 for the building’s 150th birthday.
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