Discover, Learn and Connect Wollongong City Libraries Strategy 2024-2028

We have finalised our Library Strategy 2024-2028 and want to hear your thoughts!

Wollongong City Libraries has drafted the new Library Strategy for the next 5 years. Our new strategy focuses on emerging community needs. It continues Wollongong City Libraries' commitment to services and programs for existing groups within the community such as children and young people, and older people, while creating actions and strategies to ensure our service is inclusive of the whole community.

How we made this strategy:

In the middle of this year, we asked for your ideas and feedback to help us shape our new 5 year Library Strategy for 2024 - 2028. We released the bones of the strategy and wanted the community to help fill the gaps. We received around 200 responses to the community survey, hosted internal staff sessions, worked with library youth groups and spoke to many community members in our libraries.

You can view our full draft strategy here - Discover, Learn and Connect Wollongong City Libraries Strategy 2024-2028.

Some things we heard:

• Support for our drafted vision, purpose and goals in our previous engagement was overwhelming positive, with people using words like 'bold', 'aspirational' and 'inspiring'.
• People liked that our library strategy reflected a commitment to continue listening to what the community wants and needs.
• People found it difficult to understand the progress of our libraries as there were no statistics or commitments featured in the draft to compare new actions to.
• Actions seemed specific to Wollongong Library branch.
• There was a lack of actions on themes relating to inclusion and accessibility.

Some things we changed:

We added a snapshot to our draft of what we have achieved in the last few years.

Some of them are above, and more can be found on page 5. We did this to make it easier to compare our previous statistics to what we are committing to in this 5 year strategy.

We added some new actions and measures under Goal 2:

• Share and celebrate people in the LGBTQIA+ community.
• Empower, champion, and celebrate people with disability

And we tweaked some of our language so when we are talking about all 7 of our libraries, we make sure to say 'our libraries'.

 To share your thoughts on the draft Strategy you can:

• Complete our quick online survey
• Email engagement@wollongong.nsw.gov.au
• Write to us at: Locked Bag 8821 WOLLONGONG DC
• Call 4227 7111

Feedback closes on 12 December 2023.

All feedback will be considered by the project team and be used to help refine the draft Strategy. Please read Council's Privacy Policy before submitting your feedback.

Accessibility or language assistance

If you’re d/Deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech or language difficulty, you can contact us through the National Relay Service. If you need an interpreter, you can contact us through the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450. You’ll need to provide our phone number 02 4227 7111 for either service.