Books in the bag

KNOX’S libraries will soon be bolstered by an influx of 22,000 new books and audio materials.
The new stock will be distributed across Knox’s four Eastern Region Libraries – at Knox Central, Ferntree Gully, Boronia and Rowville – and its mobile library service.
Many of the new titles were requested by Knox residents during the Bag a Book for Your Branch day at Borders Knox City in May this year.
Patrons were invited to select a book to become part of their local libraries’ collection.
As the books find their way to library shelves in the coming months, requested books will be accompanied by a bookplate indicating who selected them.
Knox mayor Jim Penna said that while Knox’s libraries accommodated more than 850,000 visits each year, many of the patrons were unaware of continuous updates to stock.
“What they probably don’t know is that if they ask for a book that has been recently published, there is a fair chance the library will buy it,” he said.
In its recently released 2007-08 budget, Knox City Council increased library funding by five per cent to a total of $2.88 million.