Public notices Friday 4 March

Library Strategy adopted 

Ballarat City Council has adopted the City of Ballarat Libraries and Learning Strategy 2022-2027 and the City of Ballarat Libraries and Learning Strategy 2022-2027 Action and Implementation Plan. 

The Libraries and Learning Strategy 2022-2027 was developed in consultation with the community and provides a vision for a community focused library service that will plan for Ballarat’s future growth while providing relevant and responsive services.  

Five key strategy priorities that will help Ballarat libraries ‘Reach Out, Branch Out and Stand Out’ include: 

1. Engage with the Ballarat community to increase library use and service impact.  

2. Target library services to priority community groups with a focus on literacy, lifelong learning, digital inclusion and wellbeing.  

3. Increase the size, quality and accessibility of the branch library network.  

4. Explore use of alternative models that increase community access to library services.  

5. Model a strategic approach to delivering purposeful and mutually beneficial service partnerships.  

Actions include: 

• Creating a new website for City of Ballarat Libraries 

• Investigating becoming a UNESCO Learning City 

• Doing concept designs and feasibility studies for a new Delacombe Town Centre Library and Community Hub, and the same at Wendouree 

• Looking at expanding Eureka Centre library services 

• Investigating changing some library opening hours 

• Working collaboratively with the Central Highlands Libraries  

Outreach library services will expand to the whole of Ballarat through more flexible service delivery models and the Ballarat library will also be transformed. 

It will be expanded by a further 700sqm and the addition of many more accessible spaces, such as a maker space, bookable meeting rooms, community kitchens and a children’s section that encourages play and participation, will be valuable additions to this flagship building. 

Carbon Neutrality and 100% Renewables Action Plan update 

The City of Ballarat is on its way to reaching an organisational net zero emissions target by 2025.  

A progress report on the implementation of the City of Ballarat’s Carbon Neutrality and 100% Renewables Action Plan shows emissions avoided as a result of implemented initiatives is about 15,000 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2-eq) annually by 2025.  

These reductions are mainly the result of a decrease in electricity used by the City of Ballarat’s facilities and implementation of LED streetlighting and methane recovery at the landfill.    

In 2018, the City of Ballarat’s greenhouse gas emissions were 39,000 tCO2-eq. This reduced to 34,917 tCO2-eq in 2021.  

Compared to the 2018 level, reductions were achieved in all categories except for the organisation’s fleet. The plan is now focused on reducing emissions from landfill, fleet and gas categories.  

The plan, adopted by Council in 2019, contains 61 actions – three of these actions have been completed and 44 actions are now underway with 14 yet to commence.