Public Libraries Victoria has outlined its priorities for public library sector funding in a new submission, Public Library Sector Investment Priorities.
The document makes a case for increased funding for libraries based on significant increases in operational expenses and construction, as well as population pressures.
PLV’s two key asks are:
- An urgent uplift to arrest the slide in library funding. This can be achieved by indexing the Public Library Funding Program to population forecasts, plus an annual indexation linked to CPI
- Retention and expansion of the Living Libraries Infrastructure Program, with a commitment of at least $28 million over four years to build and renovate libraries to meet community need.
While data from the 2022 library users survey and census vividly demonstrates how much Victorians value public libraries, an October 2022 survey of library managers indicated the pressure that libraries are under, with 35 per cent of libraries buying fewer books, 55 per cent cutting programs, and 1 in 3 had cutting staffing levels. And this was prior to the explosion in courier costs for inter-library loans.
As the PLV submission points out, libraries are being asked to welcome more people through their doors, open for longer, expand online services, deliver more lessons, and make more resources available for loan, all with less money. Calling for additional funding to support libraries across the state, PLV argues that we need funding for libraries in growth corridors to meet the needs of larger populations; and in regional and rural communities, to lift digital services and preserve equity of access through inter-library loans and mobile services.
The submission highlights libraries’ role in the development of pre-Kindergarten early years literacy, support for children’s literacy skills through campaigns like the Big Summer Read, and supply of free, accessible reading material through inter-library loans as examples of what is possible when the sector is funded effectively. Case studies from Swan Hill and Wyndham demonstrate both the successes and stresses of public libraries.
The submission states:
- Every Victorian family should have access to early literacy support programs like Story Time and Baby Rhyme Time
- No child should be disadvantaged by having to share early literacy programs with as many as 100 other people
- No child’s reading proficiency should suffer because their family can’t afford to buy books
- Victorians should have free access to the books they want to read across the public library network, not just the books held in their local library
Download the submission here and feel free to share with your networks and colleagues.