Cultural Plan 2013-2016 final.pdf - Coffs Harbour City Council ...

As adopted by Council on 28 February 2013
While the physical premises are small in terms of the population of the city, it is difficult to
see how external funding providers would be persuaded to invest in new premises whilst
annual expenditure of things like books and staff fall so far below acceptable standards.
As people age and their physical capabilities change, they retire and have opportunities for
recreation; libraries can become more important in their lives. A significant proportion of
library users are already elderly and this will rise in the coming decades. As many of these
older people will live alone and may have recently moved into the region, the library seems
an obvious place to host regular group activities to support social interaction and the
opportunity to make friends. While book clubs for new elderly residents will be important,
other possibilities include writing workshops and family history programs. The continuation of
the existing relationship with ABC Open to provide education in social media and other skills
will remain important.
The Library’s emerging e-book resources, while small at present, has considerable potential
for improved service to the community. This type of resource has advantages both to library
management in reduced storage and handling requirements, and to users in access to
diverse and audio-visual materials. The loan of e-book readers has particular advantages for
readers with sight problems as the font size and contrast levels are able to be adjusted to
suit the individual’s vision.
The Library has identified its relationship with the Aboriginal community as an area for future
development. The type of program for discussion with the community could include:
Aboriginal history and heritage projects;
story telling sessions at community venues;
introducing parents to the library and its resources; and
support for new parents in choosing books and regular reading to their children.
Page 36