Library precinct to open a new chapter for Yarrawonga

Libraries are no longer just about books.

That’s a sentiment shared by many in Yarrawonga where library membership is very high.

"Libraries have changed a lot over the years,” said Yarrawonga's Jan Parker.

Jan, Yarrawonga’s 2016 Citizen of the Year, knows a thing or two about libraries.

As a member of the Yarrawonga Library Reference Group, she has contributed to community input on designs for the Yarrawonga Library, Events and Performance Precinct.

One of the most exciting projects to ever take place in the town, the new precinct will wrap around Yarrawonga’s historic town hall to create a knowledge, culture and arts hub for the community.

The precinct will house a new library, customer service centre, gallery and event space.

It will also provide a commercial kitchen, reception area, storage facilities, parking and outdoor public spaces.

"This space will be great, because it will be able to keep up with modern expectations of libraries," said Jan.

"A library now needs to be an arts and communications space, and a centre for the community," she added.

The project is timely

Yarrawonga’s population is expected to grow 20 per cent by 2026.

The new precinct will ensure the town keeps up with the growing needs of the community.

“Yarrawonga has traditionally been a retirement town. But there are also a lot of younger families moving to this area,” said Jan.

"The new library will provide enough space for everyone, from students to special programs like Mums and Bubs," she added.

Jan is also confident that the precinct will create new ideas about how the community can connect.

“There will be multiple uses for the facility, which will be great for the town,” she said.

"There will be room for exhibitions of art, which have never been available before. We've also looked at how to incorporate events that were once held in the old hall," she added.

"To have everything offered in one precinct will be fantastic. I think this project is a major rethink of what we can do as a town."

The Yarrawonga Library, Events and Performance Precinct is being supported by the Victorian Government with $1 million from the Living Libraries Infrastructure Program and a $3.7 million loan from the Community Infrastructure Loans Scheme.

The Precinct is being delivered in partnership with Moira Shire Council.

We acknowledge and recognise the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Yarrawonga Library, Events and Performance Precinct sits, the Yorta Yorta Peoples.