NARELLE COULTER
SHORTLY after the old Dandenong library in Stuart Street closes its doors for the final time on Sunday, specialist removalists will start the mammoth task of relocating nearly 1.5 kilometres of books in sequence to the city’s new library in the municipal building.
As well as 58,000 books and magazines, 12,000 DVDs, Blu-ray disks and CDs will also be painstakingly packed into boxes and containers and relocated.
Planning for the move has occupied library services manager Mary Rydberg and her 70 staff for much of the past six months.
As she says “you don’t want to mix the collection up” or end up with a new library that doesn’t compare to the warmth, inclusiveness and longevity of the old one.
The physical packing and relocation of the 70,000-item collection will be understaken by specialist removalist company Allied Pickfords.
The really big job for library staff, said Ms Rydberg, will be reshelving the collection at the new site and then acquainting themselves with the layout before patrons are welcomed through the door on 17 March.
The new library will occupy two floors of the municipal building, a space of almost 2000 square metres or nearly double the old library’s 1100 square metres.
More than 1487 lineal metres of new shelving, manufactured in Victoria, have been installed at the new site.
The ground level, off the square adjacent to the cafe, will have, in Ms Rydberg’s words, a “absolutely beautiful” children’s area, alcoves for people to read newspapers and magazines, a teens’ room with game consoles and a high-tech discovery bar where people can “have a play” with new technology.
“We see that as the busy area where there will be lots of activity.”
Upstairs will be the fiction and non-fiction collections, alcoves where people can study as well as computer training rooms and spaces for community gatherings.
“It will be lovely,” said Ms Rydberg. “The current library is so busy and small in size that there are no quiet areas and that’s some of the feedback we’ve had, particulalry from students trying to study. The design (of the new library) means we’ve got lots of quiet seating areas and plenty of study areas.”
The new library will have radio frequency identification self-checkers so patrons can check out their own books.
Space has also been allocated for a mechanical sorting machine, which will relieve staff of much of the manual work of handling returned material, freeing them up to be much more interactive with people using the library.
“All libaries are moving to a more significant role in digital diversity. It’s very clear in our community that people want assistance in understanding the technology that is coming out like ipads and iphones and laptops.”
Work on the design of the new library started three years ago in consultation with the municipal building project architects.
“Because the staff have been so involved we’re all really excited and we realise how close it is. When we started three years ago it seemed something that was going to happen a long way in the future.”
Ms Rydberg cheerfully admits her own long career in management “has had nothing to do with libraries”.
Responsibility for the city’s library service fell under her community care portfolio after a management restructure five years ago.
The library service was a welcome addition to her responsibilities and she describes herself as “very much a reader”.
“I’m a fiction reader. I read to relax and I love audio books. When you get on the treadmill or are walking nothing is better than a good audio book.”
Ms Rydberg said the library service was a huge investment for local government, but one of its most important areas of expenditure.
Greater Dandenong boasts one of the highest membership rates in Victoria, around 66,000. Staff at the two branches handle more than 100,000 reference inquiries and process 1.5 million loans each year.
Those numbers are only expected to climb with the new library offering longer opening hours and access to technology not dreamt of when the old library opened its doors in 1972.
For Ms Rydberg and her staff, three years of planning will come to fruition on Monday, 17 March when the public gets the chance to explore the new library for the first time.
“We hope lots of people come in. We have lots of programs planned, especially children’s activities for the school holidays.
“It’s been an absolute opportunity of a lifetime, being involved with creating something that is going to have to last at least another 40 years.”
