With the smallest footprint in the Maribyrnong Library Service, Yarraville Library boasts a membership of just over 3,000 (3,390) - 10 percent of the total members across the five branches.

With the local population forecast to increase by 34% to 21,688 by 2051, this creates a challenge for how the library can continue to meet the needs of a growing community with current size constraints.

We know from our community conversation in late 2023 that respondents like the easy access to collections and programs and the intimate space. But respondents also wanted more books and collections to borrow, more space to support quiet study and collaborative work, an outdoor area, and more rooms that can be used by the community.

Council needs to now consider how to meet growing needs from the Yarraville community while also servicing the nearby suburbs of Seddon and Kingsville.

• One option is to demolish the existing library and rebuild on the current site - adding a second storey.
• Another option is to deliver a new purpose-built library as part of the Bradmill redevelopment on Francis Street.

Our aim is to ensure that our local library service is best suited to meeting the community’s needs into the future, with a view to delivering additional capacity to increased the service offered.

You can compare both options and find out more information on the tabls below and then let us know your thoughts on the questionnaire by midnight Sunday 11 August 2024.

Located in the shopping strip at 32 Wembley Avenue, Yarraville Library is the smallest in the Maribyrnong Libraries stable.

The current service operates out of a converted shopfront with 160m2 floor space.

The facility is not compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act, is not fit for purpose and is limited in what a contemporary library can offer.

It currently operates Monday to Friday (10am to 6pm) and Saturday (10am to 2pm).

Facilities include computer access, free Wi-Fi, printing, photocopying, and scanning facilities. The outdoor courtyard has Wi-Fi, tables, chairs, and picnic mats for the community to access.

Currently, all programs are delivered in the adult reading area on the upper tier, the children's reading area, or in the outdoor courtyard. Books are available to browse and borrow and around 400 program sessions are offered annually

There are, however, no rooms or facilities to hire at the current site, and not all library spaces are currently accessible.

The library has two toilets but does not have an accessible toilet, parents' room, or other amenities to support all members of our community.

This would involve demolishing the existing building and rebuilding on the current site and exploring the potential to add a second storey.

This would:

• increase the current footprint by up to three times
• provide opportunity to house 77% more in collections - up to 18,000 items
• provide seating and study space for about 45 people including desks, lounge, and group space
• children's space, digital media and gaming space
• an accessible toilet.

Among other things, this would support:

• strong family and children’s offering
• group and individual spaces for study and work.

There is no ability to include meeting rooms and this option would reduce the existing outdoor area.

The cost of delivering this project, estimated to be around $5-6 million, would be borne by the community through future Council fund allocations and would be dependent on budget being allocated.

There would also be around a two-year disruption to services during demolition and construction, with a potential opening date after 2034, subject to prioritisation in Council’s ten-year Asset Plan and budget process.

As part of the Bradmill redevelopment, there is an opportunity to locate a new library there, which would be about 600 metres from the current location.

Because the cost of the new purpose-built building would be part of a developer contribution at the Bradmill site, this would significantly reduce the costs to the community.

A purpose-built library would:

• be five times the footprint of the current library
• house 77% more in collections - up to 18,000 items, including a library of things
• provide seating and study space for about 110 people including desks, lounge, and group spaces
• include two meeting rooms for up to 20 people and one technology-enabled meeting room
• pavilion style outdoor seating and covered foyer space
• children's space, digital media and gaming space, and teen space
• parents room and family and accessible car parks.

This would support:

• strong family and children’s offering
• ability to host signature events with well-known authors
• enhanced STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) collection and digital lab.

As with the option to rebuild on the current site, there would be a smaller outdoor area.

As part of the Bradmill development, the developers would build a community facility to Council specifications. This would mean if this option proceeded, only the fitout of the library would need to be funded by the community.

There would be no disruption to service delivery during construction and a potential opening in 2028.

At the end of 2023, we asked residents and library users to tell us what was important to them for future service delivery from their local library.

The first phase of engagement was designed to understand:

• what the community loves about their local library
• the things the community would like to see that are not currently provided
• whether Yarraville Library can continue to meet the community’s needs.

Feedback was collected in conversation with staff at the library, at in-person engagement events, and in an online questionnaire on the Your City Your Voice platform.

195 responses were received on the questionnaire, 63 residents spoke with staff at the Yarraville Farmers Market on 18 November, and about 70 families engaged at the Kingsville Christmas Carols on 7 December.

Find out what more about what we heard in the Engagement Summary Report.