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Port Macquarie’s treasured local library has just turned 75 years old.
On July 25th, the library celebrated its milestone birthday with a public morning tea, story time and historical displays that showed how much the library has changed in an era that is now barely recognisable to the one when the library first opened its doors.
The Port Macquarie Library has grown dramatically from a single municipal reading room in 1951, to the large, naturally lit space on Grant Street that spans beyond bookshelves, with podcast and music recording studios, games rooms, a virtual reality portal and a seed library.
Mayor, Adam Roberts said the library has timeless benefits as a “treasured place in our community”.
“It’s National Library Week and what a perfect time to celebrate our wonderful library here in Port Macquarie that has been serving our growing community for 75 years,” Mayor Roberts said.
“Our libraries these days are so much more than books on a shelf.
“The Port Macquarie Library includes no cost to use internet, study areas, meeting rooms, access to local family history records, spaces for podcast or music recording and are a great place to contact to others via a book club or chat directly with an author on special occasions.
“I’d like to thank our dedicated library staff who have continued to adapt as technology has improved and who have served our community through this particular Library for the past 75 years.
“I encourage our broader community members to drop in to their local library to take a look at the brilliant space they have evolved into.”
Lucilla Marshall, Group Manager of PMHC’s Liveable Communities, said throughout its history the Port Macquarie library had evolved with changing community needs and growth.
“The story of the library is also the story of the region itself,” Mrs Marshall said. “What began as a lending book service gradually expanded to include family history and local studies resources, home library services, children’s programs and the ability for locals to access new technology.
“Now we have an Imaginarium where people can hire a space to play and record music or podcasts, the Portal, a video game room, seed library and a mobile library that is very popular, especially with residents and schools in more remote areas, as well as book kiosks at Sovereign Hills and Lake Cathie.
“Then there are our amazing staff and volunteers. All of whom are so passionate about learning, reading, literacy, bookclubs, author talks and providing wonderful programs for children such as our story time sessions.
“Our Port Macquarie Library is a vital asset for our region that, most importantly, fosters community connection.”
Timeline of Port Macquarie Library
1939: The NSW Library Act is introduced to encourage ‘self-improvement’ in society and over the next the following decade there iss a wave of new public library services across the state
1951: The Municipal Library opens its doors in Port Macquarie on 25 July. The original building stood near where the Glasshouse is today. Within days, hundreds of adults and children had registered as borrowers which demonstrated the community’s interest for free access to books, information and learning.
1956: Membership is recorded as 2,795 people, and book stock 5,915.
1969: The library, now requiring more space, moves into the renovated Council chambers
1972: As the region grows rapidly in the 1950s-60s, a new library is built to cater for the increase in population.
1977: Membership is 6,938, book stock 28,533, record/cassettes 280.
1980: A major milestone occurs with the formation of the Mid North Coast Co-operative Library Service and the amalgamation of Port Macquarie and Hastings library services. This strengthens library services for communities including Wauchope and Laurieton.
1981: As circulation reached 300,000 there are calls for a computer and digitisation. Membership was 9,929, book stock 42,280.
1996: Council agrees to include funding for a new library in its 1996-97 budget and the search for a site sparks community debate with nine potential locations. Grant and Gordon street site is chosen.
1998: At the Council meeting in June 1998, a design prepared by Sydney based architects Brewster Hjorth is accepted.
2000: The new $3.2 million library is constructed by local Kempsey firm Lahey Constructions at the corner of Gordon and Grant Streets and is opened in 2000 by NSW Premier Bob Carr.
2024-25: 300,000 library visits, 730,000 items loaned.
You can learn more about our library and upcoming events here Mid North Coast Library Service.
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