Rosewood will have a library service much sooner than expected. Ipswich City Council has decided to redeploy its Mobile Library service as a temporary Library and Customer Service Hub based at Rosewood until the new Rosewood Library opens in 2020.
After that it will be redeployed to another high demand or high growth area of Ipswich.
Any current customers of the Mobile Library who would have difficulty in reaching council’s expanding library network will be able to access council’s existing Home Library Service where material will be delivered directly to their homes.
Council’s Community, Cultural and Economic Development General Manager Ben Pole said council had committed to providing an enhanced level of service to the Rosewood community until the $6 million facility, currently under construction, was opened to the public in early 2020.
“In exploring our options we reviewed the performance of the Mobile Library in light of the recent opening of the Springfield Central Library (the busiest mobile library stop), the imminent opening of a new service in Rosewood (the second busiest mobile library stop) and the deployment of a Library Pod in Karalee (the third busiest mobile library stop),” he said.
“With the three busiest stops no longer driving performance of the mobile library, there was an obvious query whether continuing this service this was the best use of ratepayers’ money and the relevance of the continuity of service.
“The other nine current stops cater for around 85 individuals who on average borrow some 50 books a week.
Mr Pole said the annual operating costs for the mobile library service was almost $500,000. This means the cost per loan would be about $200.
“Additionally, the current prime-mover required to mobilise the mobile library is at end of lease and a new prime-mover would need to be acquired by council by mid-2020 if the mobile library service is maintained.”
Mr Pole said users of the mobile library who might be impacted by the loss of service could see alternative options, such as transition to a branch library or to the home library service.
“Considering the establishment of new library and customer service facilities at Springfield Central, Rosewood and Karalee – as well as existing services at Ipswich Central, Redbank Plaza and Redbank Plains – council has looked to maximise value and benefit for the community” he said.
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As a Willowbank resident this is one more example of the council treating its outlying areas as unimportant. This loss of library service comes on top of wanting to use our suburb as a dumping ground. There was no public consultation through the library service, and I don’t have the option of discussing this reduction of service with my local elected representative as the option has been removed from us.
I have subscribed to get updates from the library and would have expected some form of communication that the council has decided to remove one more level of service.