When Wendy Crebbin moved to Anglesea a few years ago, there was one stop she made that connected her with her new community.

As she drove past the town’s shopping precinct, Ms Crebbin noticed the Bellarine and Surf Coast Mobile Library.

“I had always been a member of a library,” she said. “I was new in the area and I wasn’t sure what resources were available.

“As I was driving past the village, I saw the mobile library so I joined.”

The Bellarine and Surf Coast Mobile Library provides access to library services for remote and regional communities. In the Surf Coast it stops in Anglesea, Aireys Inlet, Deans Marsh, Lorne and Winchelsea.

“I go there most weeks,” Ms Crebbin said.

“I’ll mainly borrow non-fiction books, about half-a-dozen each time. Sometimes when I’m in Geelong, I’ll also stop at The Dome.”

Joining the mobile library is easy, free and gives people access to all of the libraries in the Geelong Regional Library Corporation’s (GRLC) network of 16 libraries. This month GRLC was rated the state's top public library service for the fourth consecutive year.

Ms Crebbin will occasionally order items, which she is able to collect at the mobile library when it arrives in Anglesea on Thursdays and Saturdays.

“The people who work there are nice and know you by name,” she said. 

“For a mobile library, the resources they have are quite remarkable for such a small space.”

A valued citizen, Ms Crebbin is also a member of ANGAIR (Anglesea, Aireys Inlet Society for the Protection of Flora and Fauna) and the local community garden. She is pleased she spotted the mobile library, which has helped her settle into her new town.

“Regardless of whether you want books or videos or other resources, join up because they offer a very good service,” she said.

The mobile library also visits Aireys Inlet and Lorne on Tuesdays, and Deans Marsh and Winchelsea on Fridays. To view the Surf Coast timetable, visit www.surfcoast.vic.gov.au/mobilelibrary. To find out more about Geelong Regional Libraries and to view the library catalogue, visit www.grlc.vic.gov.au.

Geelong Regional Libraries Chair and Anglesea Ward Councillor Margot Smith encouraged people to make the most of the free service.

“Whether you’re a book lover who wants to order a best-seller or ebook, or a local resident looking to use free internet and iPads – the mobile library has a variety of services,” Cr Smith said.

“It only takes a few minutes to sign-up as a member, giving you access to a collection of more than 400,000 items.”