Date

Monday, 9 December 2019

Release

A purpose-built community space created by Shellharbour City Council

 

Excitement is building for the official opening of the new Warilla Library this Wednesday 11 December.

Just over a year after construction began, staff are busy putting the finishing touches on the much-anticipated library before welcoming patrons this week.

The official opening by Shellharbour City Mayor Marianne Saliba will start at 10am followed by a Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country.

Everyone is welcome to join in the celebrations, which will include guided tours, cake-cutting, live music, story time, technology demonstrations and craft activities.

The new Warilla Library is located at the corner of Woolworths Avenue and Commerce Drive (behind Warilla Grove Shopping Centre).

Shellharbour City Council has invested $6M in the library’s construction. It was also supported by a State Library Infrastructure Grant of $200,000.

The library has over 900m2 of indoor and outdoor space, comfortable seating, a technology hub including free Wi-Fi and computer access, meeting and study rooms and good accessibility.

The building’s scale and roofline combined with large amounts of glazing provides a sense of openness and transparency. The building wraps around a stunning courtyard which can be viewed from throughout the library and provides a perfect outdoor space to relax with a good book!

Council engaged with the community to gain an understanding of what the community wants from its libraries. The need for a new Warilla Library was identified in the Libraries and Museum Strategy 2024, adopted in 2014.

Shellharbour Mayor Marianne Saliba said the new library promises to be a flexible and inclusive space where everyone is welcome. As requested by our community, it’s a “community lounge room” with a coastal vibe – a safe place for people to come together to learn or just relax.

“The new Warilla Library is a truly beautiful building. I am so proud of the work that Councillors and Council staff have done to bring this vision to life. This is a significant investment in library services for our community,” Cr Saliba said.

“Libraries have come a long way over the past few decades. I remember when I was young, Warilla Library operated out of a garage,” she said.

“If the success of our City Library at the Shellharbour Civic Centre is anything to go by, I expect that this latest addition to our library services will be extremely popular with people of all ages,” Cr Saliba said.

“The same warm, helpful, friendly staff who work in all of Council’s existing libraries will be ready to serve the community at this new facility,” she said.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/604384270385475/ 
Media queries: Kelli Wells 0448 361 008.

Last updated : Mon 9 Dec 2019