In 2017, the Ipswich City Council made a decision to lease a space at the Orion Springfield Central to make way for the region’s first library. Over the years, residents have made use of the mobile library. In August 2018, the hi-tech Springfield Central Library finally opened to the public.
Acting Mayor Wayne Wendt, along with seven of his councilors, officially opened the facility. Well-known personalities also took part in the opening of the library, such as author Matthew Reilly, TV personalities Ben and Holly, and cricket legend Glenn McGrath.
Located on the corner of Main St and Sirius Drive, the two-level library aims to deliver hands-on experience that will aid in delivering information, education, and building digital literacy for the communities in the region. All of these goals are also in conjunction with the Smart City initiative of the council.
The Smart City initiative provides new ways of learning and living to help make the region the most liveable and prosperous Smart City in the country. One of the projects involved in this initiative this year is the demo launch of the EZ10 Driverless Shuttle.
Today, the library holds over 50,000 books along with state-of-the-art facilities. It includes a main collection area, a marketplace section, children’s space, parents’ room, event spaces, public access computers. public meeting rooms, training room, smart lockers, makerspace and modern library resources.
One of the highlights of the library is the kids’ area. Soundproof chairs, individual pods, seats in window alcoves, and play areas provide full amenities to this all-important area.
“It will provide Ipswich Libraries’ members a new space to enjoy and a destination where they can relax, learn and grow,” Libraries and Tourism Committee Chairperson Cr David Pahlke said.
