Public Libraries Funding Program
The following statement is in response to questions for The Courier regarding State Government funding from the Public Libraries Funding Program, including what the funding will be used for and the difference it will make.
Statement attributable to Director Community Wellbeing, Matthew Wilson
The City of Ballarat welcomes this recurrent funding from the State Government as part of the Public Libraries Funding Program. This funding contributes approximately 20 per cent towards the City of Ballarat Libraries operational costs. The City of Ballarat Council contributes the remaining 80 per cent.
The money will go towards expanding the physical and digital collections across all three branches of Ballarat Libraries.
It will also mean we are able to continue to offer programs, such as the Let's Read Baby Book Program, and will also assist with staffing, and maintaining our RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system that assists in managing the City of Ballarat Libraries collection.
We’ll be able to use this funding to ensure our communities have access to the latest items and systems available for libraries and assist the roughly 35 people who work across the three branches to better deliver services to the people of Ballarat.
There are no changes being made to the RFID system, this funding helps us to maintain it as it is a system that needs annual upkeep.
This funding, as per the agreement for the Public Libraries Funding Program, must be used specifically to undertake a range of activities to support and meet the information needs of their communities. Therefore, it is not applicable to the upcoming Ballarat Library branch redevelopment works.