By Eleanor Wilson
Cardinia Shire is falling short when it comes to library access for its growing population of young people, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
ABS data analysed by the ABC found growth areas with younger populations like Cardinia, Casey, Melton, Wyndham and Whittlesea had the smallest number of libraries per 100,000 people.
By contrast, smaller municipalities with older people, often closer to the CBD, had some of the best rates of library access.
Cardinia Shire is currently serviced by two libraries – Pakenham and Emerald, as well as a mobile library service which travels to townships throughout the municipality six days per week.
But, the shire has a rate of 1.68 libraries per 100,000 people – markedly lower than the Melbourne average of 3.2 libraries.
Neighbouring councils also appear to be lagging behind, with Casey recording a library access rate of 1.62 per 100,000, while Dandenong logged just 1.25 libraries per 100,000 residents.
By contrast, the City of Yarra, which is about 30 per cent smaller than Cardinia and has about half the percentage of young people, has a rate of 5.46 libraries per 100,000 people.
This is indicative of a pattern of older, smaller populations in Melbourne which have strong access to libraries.
Other government areas like Maribyrnong (6.94 per 100,000) and Stonnington (5.64 per 100,000) have the highest number of libraries per capita, despite having smaller populations.
Despite the worrying statistics, council data shows the trend of library usage is up in Cardinia, with over 62,000 more books borrowed across the shire in 2022/23, compared with the year before.
Taking over Cardinia’s library services in December 2022, Myli also increased the investment in Cardinia’s library collection resources by more than 50 per cent compared to two years ago.
Myli chief executive Leanne Williams said its primary focus is adapting to the needs of Cardinia’s growing community and ensuring everyone has access to library services.
“The access to public library services is crucial for fostering a sense of belonging and promoting lifelong learning,” Ms Williams said.
“We’ve seen good results already from investing in library collection and resources for Cardinia Shire, and we’re always looking at how we can do more.”
Furthermore, the council is undertaking planning and feasibility work in 2023/24 for the provision of an additional library service in the shire, Cardinia Shire Council’s future communities manager Michael Casey said.
“To support our growing population, council continues to plan for the future provision of library services and is investigating the feasibility of an additional library service for the community,” he said.
It also applied for an received external funding from the Victorian Government’s Living Libraries Infrastructure Program for the upgrade of Emerald Library, which was completed last year, along with funding for the purchase of a mobile library.
Council budgeted $2.41 million on library services in the 2023/34 Budget.
