Libraries as hubs for change post pandemic

Embracing new technologies and responding to the needs of their communities, our public libraries have been evolving with the changes of the pandemic.

Yes you visit the library to bury head deep in a sci-fi novel, use free internet (sometimes for the air-con) or just for a moment of serenity, but in the 21st century, libraries can be so much more. From family story time and makerspaces to a community gathering hub, many visitors have eagerly returned to libraries as a place of inclusivity and connectivity.

Sue McKerracher, Executive Director of Libraries Tasmania and previous CEO of Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), told ArtsHub: ‘I think the thing that’s been missed hugely by communities is being in a public space with a purpose and a sense of connection to other people.’

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Celina Lei is an arts writer and editor at ArtsHub. She acquired her M.A in Art, Law and Business in New York with a B.A. in Art History and Philosophy from the University of Melbourne. She has previously worked across global art hubs in Beijing, Hong Kong and New York in both the commercial art sector and art criticism. She took part in drafting NAVA’s revised Code of Practice - Art Fairs and was the project manager of ArtsHub’s diverse writers initiative, Amplify Collective. Celina is based in Naarm/Melbourne.