City of Playford Library Service
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The City of Playford Library Service is the public library service of the City of Playford which is located in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia.
The City of Playford Library Service consists of the Elizabeth and Smithfield locations, the Mobile Library Service and Home Library Service and operates a total of 95 hours over 7 days.
As of February 2007 the Library has over 50,000 registered borrowers and a collection of over 125,000 items.[1]
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[edit] Aims of the service
The Library aims to provide a comprehensive library and information service dedicated to high quality customer service, innovation and the development of services in response to community needs.
It further strives to be a leading resource for information, education and recreation; responding to the special needs of the local community. The Library aspires to preserve and make accessible the local history and culture of the City of Playford.
The City of Playford Library Service is committed to providing quality customer service, equity of access and support for life-long learning. The Library actively seeks to encourage children to develop reading skills, to become information literate and to develop in youth the love and habit of reading.
[edit] History
The Elizabeth South Public Library was opened on 4 December 1957 by Sir Thomas Playford, making it the first free municipal public Library to open in Adelaide.
Sir Thomas was the first to join and become Member No 1A in Library No. A1! [2]
Subsequent branches were constructed over the intervening years:
- Elizabeth North opened 4 July 1960
- Elizabeth Town Centre opened 15 September 1969
The first Munno Para Library was opened on 5 February 1966.
In 2005 the Elizabeth and Smithfield branches opened in their present premises.
[edit] Youth focus Library
The Smithfield Library, located in the Munno Para Shopping Centre, was planned and constructed with a dedicated focus on youth and innovation.
The design is not one that is found in a 'traditional' Library and features the use of vibrant colours, banks of music listening stations, X Box game consoles, flat screen televisions displaying music and news channels and a see through staff work area, all of which helps to provide a casual atmosphere.
It was awarded the South Australian Chapter Design Institute of Australia 2004 Award of Merit and short listed in the Public/Institutional Interior Design Category of the 2005 Interior Design Awards.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ City of Playford Library website
- ^ Galbreath, Margaret "Elizabeth, the Garden City", page 55 - 58, 1982
- ^ A library of the future: the Playford Library, South Australia by Kym Gravener, Harvey Publicity, inCite : August 2005, http://alia.org.au/publishing/incite/2005/08/playford.library.html
