Looking forward Opportunities present from disruption and there has been much to celebrate during the year. Innovative new services, the expansion of our network and new libraries on the way provides much to look forward to.
On 1 July 2021, libraries in the Colac Otway Shire will officially transition to the Geelong Regional Library Corporation (GRLC), expanding our network to 19 branches and three mobile libraries. The integration of our fifth Member Council sees our network ‘footprint’ aligned with that of the G21, and will generate a number of benefits for the people in Colac Otway Shire. Faster internet in libraries, improved RFID technology, new public PCs and a much larger collection are some of the improvements they will enjoy. The integration of Colac Otway Shire also benefits our existing library members, as the GRLC collection will grow by 40,000 items. Throughout the year we have worked on the development of our new Library Plan 2021-25, due to be adopted by the Board in September 2021. The plan provides an exciting opportunity for us to reflect on our success during the last four-year strategy period and set a new roadmap which will focus on the four pillars of Community, Places and Spaces, Our People and Regional Leadership. This year, community engagement was undertaken to gain feedback from our communities about their vision for the library service. Impressively, we received almost 4,000 responses to our community survey – testament to the importance local people place on public libraries. Our Member Councils continue to see the value of investing in public libraries, and a number of capital projects are currently underway across the region. The new Queenscliffe Hub is now under construction (in the Borough of Queenscliffe); the City of Greater Geelong has unveiled plans for a new library in Drysdale and is in the planning stages for new libraries in Armstrong Creek and Lara. The Surf Coast Shire is undertaking planning for the development of the new Torquay Library. These new libraries are set to take shape during the lifetime of our Library Plan 2021-25 and will become valued and muchloved community assets.
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GEELONG REGIONAL LIBRARY CORPORATION
The Library Plan 2021-25 will respond to this growth in our network and communities. Our Reader Engagement Advocacy and Development and Youth Engagement Strategies are ready to be delivered as part of the new Library Plan 2021-25. In 2021, our Digital Strategy will be developed and planning will be completed for the introduction of a new Library Management System in 2022. Key digital transformation projects already underway include the migration of the intranet and file stores to Sharepoint, the rollout of Microsoft Teams and Yammer for greater organisational communication and collaboration, and cloud hosting of the Geelong Heritage Centre archives. COVID-19 has forced organisations around the world to flex and adapt, and libraries are no exception. This year we introduced new services to ensure our customers have continuous access to library collections and services during closures. Our communities have embraced new ways of using libraries and of accessing programming and collections, and we have embedded many of these changes into our ongoing operations. For example, online event programming has expanded our reach to include interstate and overseas audiences and has also allowed us to attract presenters from overseas. We are poised to step into a new chapter for our organisation, and we are excited about playing a key role in our communities as we work together to recover, adapt and move forward.
