Libray visits on the way up

Former Warragul resident Jean Munro celebrated her 100th birthday last month.

Jean now lives in an aged care facility in Sydney.

Jean was born in Warragul but grew up in eastern Victoria and Melbourne, where her parents ran small businesses like dairy farming and milk bars. Leaving school in her teens, in the Great Depression years, she worked as a dressmaker.

During World War II she took on skilled sheet metal factory work. A few years later, with her father not able to find suitable work, she and her parents left the city to live in Warragul.

Jean became the team leader in the children’s wear section of a department store and later worked at Warragul hospital. She also provided care and support for her parents. With hard work and thrift, she was able to buy the house in which they lived together.

Jean became very involved in the life of the community. Through her work as a popular Sunday School teacher and regular worship she gained status in the Presbyterian Church and became an elder. Her sport was badminton

Jean travelled extensively, particularly after her parents died.

In Warragul she was involved the church and of Probus.

She moved to Sydney in 2005 to be with her sist Alice who has since died.

Jean whilst turning 100 remains active and, with her Aroona friends, her niece and nephew and their friends and large family based in the Shire, she is often out and about.

Participation in West Gippsland Libraries is increasing at most of the library sites, according to Baw Baw Shire Council.

David Lyons used community participation time at a recent council meeting to ask how libraries across the shire were performing in regards to program participation, membership and loans for the first quarter of this financial year.

Shire chief executive officer Alison Leighton said figures from July 1 to October 31 indicated there were 36 more active members compared to the same time last year, which was 8977 active members.

She said total members year to date were 14,430, which was 88 more than last year.

Ms Leighton said visits to Drouin library were up five per cent, the northern mobile library was up six per cent, Warragul was on a par with last year and Neerim South was slightly down.

Juniors and adults participating in library programs has increased 47 per cent to 6768 attendees.

Ms Leighton said loans in Baw Baw are down overall by two per cent to 97,832 and this is offset by an increase in e-resource loans of 50 per cent (9959) to 29,989 loans for the year to date.

Mr Lyons asked how the figures compared to other similar communities and state averages.

Ms Leighton said the number of times a resource was borrowed in Baw Baw was 6.51 compared to similar councils rate of 4.28 and the all council rate of 4.65.

The proportion of library resources that are less than five years old for the shire is 79.26 per cent compared to similar councils rate of 64.56 per cent and all councils rate of 64.73 per cent.

Ms Leighton said during the year 7504 library members borrowed a library collection item. The percentage of the shire population who are active library members remains consistent with previous years at 14.9 percent.

She said this was slightly lower than the average for other municipalities at 16.12 per cent for similar councils and 15.82 per cent for all councils.

“It is highlighted that Baw Baw libraries also have significant usage of public computer use and free Wi-Fi for members who do not loan books and these are not included in the above figures. This would bring usage over the 17 per cent figure,” she said.