Recent NSW public library data has shown a decrease in library visitation and participation in library programs, indicating that the general public is not taking advantage of library services or using the free public spaces.
Snowy Valleys Council Librarian Kristin Twomey said that too many people are taking libraries for granted and not accessing services available to them.
“People still hold the archaic view of libraries as twentieth-century book depositories, rather than the twenty-first century conduits of culture, learning and social connection that they have become,” Ms Twomey said.
“Public libraries play an important role in their respective communities, and are fundamentally important informational, educational, cultural, and social institutions.”
In Wollongong, overall library visitation is on the rise, after a steady decline since 2018. However, statistics show that most of the current visitors are accessing the library online, rather than in person.
Ms Twomey said that the failure of libraries to emerge as key players for the public falls to local government executives and councillors not recognising the role libraries play, including the implementation of government strategies.
“Despite the best efforts of numerous librarians and industry groups to promote the role of libraries in their communities, libraries still remain a misunderstood service,” she said.
Figures from the State Library show a distinct shift to online access in 2020, likely due to the physical accessibility of libraries during COVID-19 lockdowns.
The same year also marks a slight rise in overall visitation, an anomaly in the overarching trend of declining visitation. This is also likely due to the pandemic which impacted the public’s access to school, work and outside entertainment.
In the resulting climate of financial stress and lack of entertainment, people turned to free online library resources.
However, in the following years, physical visitation rates did not return, and are on a steady decline.
Wollongong resident Camryn Ashton, an avid reader and library frequenter, has held a library card since she was eight years-old.
“Libraries are important to me because they mean that a hobby of mine becomes accessible to more people,” Ms Ashton said.
“Libraries are also third places and run many different types of free projects and groups that bring different people from the community together.”
In a 2008 survey, 62.2 per cent of participants found that libraries were providing and/or supporting outreach programs, and 85.1 per cent said that libraries were providing information about community events.
Whilst libraries continue to run programs for the community, overall attendance is decreasing.
NSW libraries only had data points for online program views for the years 2020-2022. This makes it difficult to see how online program views have changed over time, but offers a small insight into how people are accessing library programs. 
Ms Aston said that she doesn’t have a preference for visiting the library in person or online, but that her visitation does depend on the availability of borrowing items physically or digitally.
“Online library access allows for greater accessibility of library resources,” she said.
“Libraries, while mainly focusing on books, also have archives of other media such as movies, cds and tv shows, both physically and digitally.
“The ability to access different resources that the library employs in an instant, from any location means that more people are able to enjoy and learn from an array of media in many different forms.”
Library program attendance has been rising from 2021, which indicates that the public are seeking out community programs.
Image: Daniel Boud, NSW State Library
Additional reporting: Paige Jenkins
