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Baw Baw Shire councillor Keith Cook was elected chairperson of the West Gippsland Libraries board at its recent ordinary meeting.
Cr Cook will bring his experience as a board member from the past two years and a passion for the community to the role.
West Gippsland Libraries thanked outgoing chairperson and Bass Coast councillor Geoff Ellis for his time and dedication on the board over the past three years, two as chairperson.
“Cr Ellis provided steady leadership during a period of change for West Gippsland Libraries and the board was very appreciative of his knowledge, insights and hard work,” Cr Cook said.
West Gippsland Libraries also welcomed Cr Clare Le Serve to the board as the new representative from Bass Coast Shire Council. Cr Le Serve was elected to the role of deputy chair.
At the meeting, the board also noted the success of the new Welshpool Community Library after a six-month performance review.
The report highlighted a 60 per cent increase in loans at the community library compared to the same time last year when the service was provided by the mobile library.
It also noted that 94 per cent of loans were being borrowed through the self-loan kiosk.
It has created excellent patron feedback with a librarian continuing to visit Welshpool on Wednesdays.
A similar service at the Grantville Transaction Centre will be implemented as the Waterline Community Library follows a resolution from Bass Coast Shire Council endorsing the service.
The West Gippsland Libraries Board voted to allocate a budget of $90,000 to complete internal building improvements and purchase new furniture and equipment. The new Waterline Community Library will be opening early in 2020.