Council Engagement Van

Published on 14 June 2024

Yarriambiack Shire Council Announces New Library Hours, Self-Service Library, and Mobile Council Engagement Service Trial

Yarriambiack Shire Council is pleased to announce an exciting new initiative to better serve our rural communities. Starting Monday 15^th July 2024, the Warracknabeal library will adopt new operating hours with increased self-service hours, allowing for resources to be redirected towards an enhanced mobile Council Engagement service, bringing council services directly to residents in outlying areas. This initiative will run as a six-month trial to evaluate its effectiveness and gather community feedback.

Adjusted Warracknabeal Library Hours with Extended Self-Service Options

Building on community feedback received by existing Self-Service patrons and to optimise our resources, the Warracknabeal Library will alter staffed hours from Monday 15^th July 2024. To ensure that residents continue to have ample access to library resources, we are extending our self-service library system and will move from being available to the community for 42 hours a week, to 48 hours.

This new operating model will allow patrons to:

• Borrow and Return Books: Self-service kiosk will enable patrons to check out items/ collect their holds independently.
• Access to Library Spaces: Self-service hours will allow patrons to access the Warracknabeal library and make use of the resources, free Wi-Fi and kids play spaces.
• Library Assistance: Staffed hours remain available 3.5 days a week and will focus on peak times to provide direct support when most needed.

See the Yarriambiack Shire Council website for the full timetable of proposed staffed and self-service hours.

Introducing the Council Engagement Van

To further enhance accessibility, Yarriambiack Shire Council is launching a mobile Council Engagement service. Expanding on our current Words on Wheels model, this new initiative will bring a range of council functions directly to various locations throughout our rural area, including:

• Words on Wheels: Our normal service will remain in place and available throughout the entire visit.
• Council Services: The Council Engagement van will offer essential council services such as
• • Logging CRMs,
  • Access to community feedback Have Your Say documents and forms,
  • General inquiries,
  • Information brochures,
  • Assistance with community strengthening activities (such as registering for our online directories, ongoing initiative, etc)
• Digital Services: The van will provide internet access and assistance with digital services, including e-books and digital literacy learning opportunities.

Schedule and Locations

The mobile Council Engagement van will operate on a rotating schedule, visiting different communities each week. A detailed timetable and list of locations will be available on the Yarriambiack Shire Council website and at each of the Yarriambiack Libraries locations. We encourage all residents to take advantage of this valuable new service and provide feedback VIA the website form.

Community Engagement

Feedback is open to the community from Friday 14^th June – Friday 12^th July. Please take a moment to view the full timetable available on our website and submit feedback through our form, or by reaching out to the library team.

For further information, please contact Jo White, Customer Support and Libraries Coordinator, or Sarah Collins, Manager Community Strengthening & Engagement on (03) 5398 0100.

We believe that these changes will significantly enhance the quality of Council’s service to our residents. We invite community members to share their thoughts and feedback to help us continually improve our services.

END OF RELEASE

CEO Tammy Smith