Jacqui’s Friday Five - Issue #8
Hello and welcome back to Jacqui’s Friday Five. I’ve been MIA for a few weeks as we’ve been working hard on a library review and I haven’t had a great deal of time to collate the ideas that are swirling around in the world. So today I’m giving you a Super Saturday issue with more fabulous links and connections to the wonders of Library Land.
With the publishing of this issue I would like to wish everyone a safe festive season. I will be back in the new year with more fabulous examples of Libraries Changing Lives across the world.
Today’s cover image is from a Facebook post on the ‘Everything Libraries’ page. I think it is so easy to get caught up in the idea that libraries are only about books … but a modern library is so much more. Sometimes it can be the safe haven that people need to help them take another step forward.
So on to Super Saturday … a special edition of Jacqui’s Friday Five. With a number of weeks’ worth of saved material I will need to be very careful to collate and curate this edition!
8.1. School libraries use data: It was with great joy that I came across a post on the Staughton College Facebook page that celebrated their successes for the 2025 school year. The post was simple – a list of stats related to borrowing – but in an era where reading is on the decline we need to highlight success to our broader community. [Just quietly, it also gives Ian great joy to see school libraries using data productively.] So the question is … how are you celebrating your success and are you sharing it with your community? Click here for the post
8.2. Healthy Towns: At a time when smaller country towns are struggling to provide services to their communities this is a fantastic post from Castlemaine Libraries. Local student nurses are providing health checks at the library as part of their training – a wonderful use of the library as a community space. The partnership facilitated by the Healthy Towns Initiative is a wonderful opportunity to provide enhanced services in towns struggling to access health services and a huge shout-out to the library for supporting the clinics in a safe and welcoming environment. Click here for the post and a link to the initiative
8.3. A vibrant, active space: Warrnambool Library posted a video that’s a glimpse into the many things that are happening in their library space. The relatively new library opened in 2022 (and sadly we haven’t managed to get down to see it yet) and the video highlighted author talks, children’s programs, STEM activities, and live performances in just 36 seconds. What a great visual way of showing the local community the many offerings of the library. So many opportunities for young and old to engage, be entertained, be informed and learn. Click here to watch the video
8.4. Libraries are one of Councils best recycling avenues: Councils and communities are always looking at ways to be more sustainable. And libraries are one of the most effective ways of doing this as resources are borrowed over and over again; newspapers and magazine are read by many people, not just one household; a public space is kept cool in summer and warm in winter providing a place for the community to gather; and many libraries act as a collection point for eWaste. Greater Dandenong Libraries shared a video that shows what they are doing with deleted items from their collection … from donating free books to local schools and childcare centres, to community festivals and repurposing damaged books into book art. It begs the question … what ways does your library reduce, reuse and recycle? Click here to watch the video
8.5. Can I borrow a ball?: This one isn’t library related but the core principle remains the same. Glenelg Shire in south-west Victoria have installed smart lockers that contain basketballs, netballs, footballs and soccer balls at local parks. All you need is an app and this will give you the chance to play! Click here for more
8.6 Beyond books: How libraries build and support communities in Australia: I recently came across an episode of the SBS podcast Australia Explained from April 2025. Boy I wish I had seen it earlier! It highlights the wonderful things that libraries are doing to support the community – validation for the hard-working library staff across Australia. From multicultural access to social workers in libraries, to language and conversation classes, to children’s story time. It is worth a listen … and may be something you would like to share on your library’s social media pages. Click here to access
8.7 Reading at home: An article in “The 74” (a nonprofit news organisation in the US) reports the findings of a recent study conducted in the US that found that less than half of children are read to daily. Research tells us that being read to at home builds strong bonds, boosts brain development, and enhances language, literacy, and social-emotional skills, acting as the single most important activity for academic readiness by improving vocabulary, concentration, imagination, and understanding of the world, ultimately fostering a lifelong love of reading and learning. And yet, the statistics are telling us that fewer parents are reading to their children at home. We, as a society, need to do more to promote this vital activity … through parenting classes, playgroups, libraries and bookstores. Click here to access
8.8 It doesn’t take much to spread kindness: Joondalup Libraries (located north of Perth) recently shared a project that they have been working on where their library users were given the opportunity to share some words of cheer on postcards that are to be distributed to people in aged care facilities, patients at Joondalup Hospital and other community members. To date, more than 600 cards have been received. What a beautiful way to connect library users to those experiencing hardship or loneliness at this festive time. Click her for more
8.9 The future of Aussie libraries: Another podcast episode … this time ABC’s Life Matters where Cathie Warburton (CEO of ALIA) and Dr. Heather Robinson discuss the evolution of public libraries as a place for programs and resources. A great conversation which takes in the challenges that these demands place on the libraries. It is worth a listen … and if you stay on for the second half you get to delve into the world of AI and how people are turning to it for spiritual support. With AI looming in the world, libraries can play a role in ensuring critical thinking and fact checking. Click here to listen
8.10 Tongue in cheek: Finally, if you haven’t already gotten onboard with the super star that is Denise at City of Marion Libraries in South Australia (courtesy of the social media team) I urge you to join their Facebook page. This video is the best (IMHO) but the comments are outstanding! Click here to watch and once you’ve watched that video come back for this one!