Hay Library continues to grow in popularity, with an increase of 24 per cent in borrowers in March compared to the previous month and a slight decrease in April due to the two long weekends.
In a comprehensive report to Council, the Library Team Leader noted 11 new members, a registration renewal and a busy month with community activities.
“Our regular Tuesday morning Story Time continued to run each week, with a steady increase in numbers in the month of March,” the report noted.
“Numbers rose from a maximum of 24 participants in February to 30 participants, with numbers consistent throughout the latter part of the month and all groups consisting of 28 or more participants.
“Story Time operates on a drop-in basis every Tuesday at 10.30am for parents and children aged up to five.
“Story Time is led by library staff members and involves songs, rhymes, dancing, stories and craft, and is a great opportunity for parents and children to mix and make new friends.”
Library users up to the age of four were the top borrowers of books, closely followed by the five to nine-year age group.
Hay Children’s Services started attending their own designated Story Time at the library on Thursdays, rotating through different groups from the Early Learning Centre, Pre-School and Mobile Children’s Service.
Books and discussion packs are supplied for both the Long Paddock and Booroorban Book Clubs each month, the Knitting Group remains regular and consistent users of the community space and the public computers are continually accessed; making Hay Library a popular and well-used facility.
Hay Library added 166 items to the collection in March, taking the total of items in the collection to 20,950.
In April, a further 306 items were added.
“Popularity and consumer demand often drive the selection of new materials, as we aim to provide content that patrons are excited about, and interested in,” the report reads.
“As part of our ongoing collection management, we have been removing items that have not circulated in five or more years, are in deteriorated condition, or are no longer aligned with the library’s relevance criteria.
“This allows us to better accommodate new and in-demand resources and to ensure that reference materials are current and up to date to best support users’ research and information needs.
“Additionally, we seek to support diverse interests and needs, so materials that reflect special community interests such as local history, culture or emerging trends are also prioritised.
“By continually updating our collection we can ensure we offer educational, recreational and informal resources that are accessible to everyone and relevant to our community.”
Items removed are placed outside the library for people to take home for free or are donated to opportunity shops or the second-hand book shop so that they might have a second lease on life.
This article appeared in The Riverine Grazier, 4 June 2025.
