Big plans are underway for the newly-opened Springfield Central Library. Following its opening last month, the newest and the first public library in the region will deliver a more enriching learning experience for the community. One of their initiatives is the nextLEVEL festival, which will open on the weekend of 6-7 October and will last throughout early 2019.
The event is a micro festival of gaming and game development, organised through the State Library of Queensland’s Public Library Strategic Priorities Grant program.
With $24,355 in funding, the Ipswich City Council will be able to deliver an innovative and fresh opportunity to the community that will let improve their skills whilst they unleash their creativity.
A total grant of $450,000 this financial year is available, which can be tapped by all councils to enable them to deliver strategic initiatives through public libraries and Indigenous Knowledge Centres (IKCs) across the state.
This year, the council received 35 applications. But only a number of councils were chosen such as:
- Barcaldine
- Brisbane
- Burdekin
- Cassowary Coast
- Charters Towers
- Cook
- Douglas
- Gold Coast
- Ipswich
- Logan
- Maranoa
- McKinlay
- Palm Island
- Rockhampton
- Tablelands
- Toowoomba
- Whitsunday
The projects that these libraries must implement should revolve around the themes in The Next Horizon: Vision 2017 for Public Libraries or programs that support the OPAL Program objectives. They could also be about such diverse fields as micro-festival of gaming, business development and entrepreneurial skills for young adults and STEM events featuring virtual reality.