Extension on the cards for library

By Rebecca Fraser
CASEY Council will apply for funds to extend the Endeavour Hills Library. At Tuesday night’s council meeting Araluen Ward councillor Rob Wilson moved that an application be made to the department of Victorian communities, Living Libraries Program, for an approximate 240 square metre extension to the library.
Council also moved that the Casey Cardinia Library Corporation and the Cardinia Shire be requested to supply letters of support for the application.
Cr Wilson said the library, which attracts 147,688 visits per year, had become overcrowded and plans to extend the library were now well overdue.
“The library has been short on space for some years and I hope this application will bring more life to the library and better serve the community,” he said.
Cr Wilson said council officers had also investigated the option of relocating the library to the Endeavour Hills Shopping Centre but recent discussions with shopping centre management revealed there was no longer space for the library.
“I would have liked the library to have been included into the shopping centre and I think this option would have been preferable.
“It would have provided much better access and would have kept everything close together,” he said.
The project would see the number of public internet terminals increase to eight, shelf capacity increase to 35,000 items from 30,903 as well as improvements to the library’s Chinese language collection, an increase in study space and new furniture, seating and fittings. Council estimates that the works will cost about $800,000 to complete and council would need to consider matching the $400,000 from the Living Libraries Program in the 200607 capital works program if the application was approved.
Four Oaks Ward councillor Roland Abraham said the proposed works were well needed and would greatly benefit people from nonEnglishspeaking backgrounds who would be able to utilise the library more.
At Tuesday’s meeting council had intended on applying for a funding application to either extend or redevelop the library but upon business advice decided to place the extension as their first priority.
“We would have liked to have kept all options open to either move or extend,” Cr Wilson said. “But upon professional advice we found that we needed to apply for either an extension or a redevelopment and we have decided that an extension is the most important.”