For more than 30 years the Footscray Library has been a community hub for book lovers young and old.
This month Maribyrnong council is celebrating three decades of service to the community, offering up a quiet space for a range of activities.
Community member Simone Krauss first joined the library in 2010 when she moved to the area, quickly becoming a frequent user.
However her visits to the library have been more frequent in recent years, following the births of her three boys.
“My boys all love books so much I don’t think we’d be able to physically fit in our house the number of books that they like to read,” she said.
“Being able to borrow them and then take them back, is my favourite part of the library.”
Now aged five, nine and 11, Ms Krauss is able to easily feed her kids’ appetite for reading, something she found difficult to manage at younger ages while being in lockdown.
“The library was a lifesaver in COVID because the branches were closed, however they still delivered books to us which we reserved,” she said.
“We would reserve a pile of books for the kids which was the highlight of the week, because they had new books and even better they sat in peace and quiet and read them.”
In addition to the books, Ms Krauss highlights the other aspects which make community libraries so special to the community.
“Different people get different things out of it. When we visit there are always people using the computers or using it as a space to study,” she said.
The library currently offers programs such as Tai Chi, book groups, school holiday programs and bilingual story times.
To celebrate, Footscray Library hosted a party on Saturday, March 23 with a local DJ, craft activities and cake.
