By Ruza Zivkusic
KEILOR Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association president Susan Jennison is calling on Keilor residents to borrow more books from the Keilor Library to ensure the branch does not face closure.
With the recent opening of the new Sydenham Library, which has more than 50 operating hours per week compared to Keilor Library’s 24 operating hours, residents could risk seeing the Keilor Library being closed down if the numbers of borrowing items dropped, Ms Jennison said.
She has sent letters to more than 250 members of the Life Activities Club in Keilor, and two schools in the area, calling on residents to borrow more books.
“What we’re asking is to appeal to people to utilise the library because we do not want it under threat,” Ms Jennison said.
About 200 people took out membership to the Sydenham Library on its opening day last week, when more than 2000 people visited the facility.
The total cost of promotions for the opening of the library was $6650, including the advertising of the opening in local newspapers and on a FM station.
Ms Jennison criticised the council’s spending on advertising, saying the money would “go a long way to pay someone’s extra time for salary” at the Keilor Library, which had two part-time librarians.
“It’s terrific that Sydenham has got the library, but it really is glaring that they can get a Sunday afternoon opening and we can’t even get a Friday opening,” she said.
A Brimbank City Council spokeswoman told Star recently a strategic review of the entire library service in Brimbank would take place in May.
