Textbook activism by library’s friends

A PUSH to save the Palm Beach library has started a new chapter, with locals launching a novel solution to prevent the council from closing the book on the 40-yearold institution.

This week, signs in support of the library have started to appear in front of homes in the busy suburb, following a council proposal to replace the library in Eleventh Ave with a book vending machine and instead use the space for community group meetings.

A group calling itself Friends of Palm Beach Library has distributed brochures at its own cost to raise awareness in the suburb of the Gold Coast City Council plan. Group member Megan Buckley, who has lived in Palm Beach for four years, said the library was one of the drawcards that brought her to the area.

“It is the village feel of Palm Beach that makes it so special. The library is a central part of that,’’ she said.

“Whether people are cardcarrying library members or not, it is seen as a community hub.”

The council previously said if the proposal went through, the rooms would be retained for groups to hire and managed through a tender.

The council proposal was put forward following a decrease in library use, with the city saying the library had only 128 active members. A council spokesman said the library space would instead be used for broader community service-based offerings such as training for the elderly, informal social interaction like card groups, craft groups, book clubs, and outreach services.

“We were told at the meeting there would be a tender to manage the community space, but how does that work in this (COVID economic) climate? We are worried it will just become a dark space never to be used,” Ms Buckley said.

“We have so many people moving to Palm Beach, it just doesn’t make sense to be removing community services in this way.”

Friends of Palm Beach Library want to work with the council to improve usage and increase outreach to ensure the service stays.

Area councillor Daphne McDonald has called for feedback on the proposal, to be sent by October 22.

Picture: Jerad Williams Megan Buckley and Trish Pilarksi, with other locals standing out the front of the Palm Beach Community Lounge and Library. The group wants the library to stay open.