Detailed Opening Hours Proposal 

No changes are proposed for the Bannockburn Library at this time, however please note that opening hours are scheduled for review as a part of future stages of the Bannockburn Heart project.

Barwon Heads Library opening hours are recommended to increase by two hours per week. This proposal is supported by recent increases in visits, loans, program attendance and was requested by Friends of Barwon Heads Library Inc. A 6pm closing time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays would enable working people to access the library outside business hours, and aligns with a standardised approach to evening closing times across the library network. A 9am opening time on Friday would allow for post-school drop off visits and Saturday would be appropriate for its proximity to a retail precinct.

Earlier closing times on four weekdays is proposed, as Belmont Library is relatively quiet after 6pm. In addition, Belmont Library is close to Waurn Ponds Library (3.3km) and the Geelong Library & Heritage Centre (3.6km), both of which provide library access between 6-8pm. We must also consider equity across our library network - most branches are only open between zero and two late evenings per week.

Visitation rates for Belmont Library have been understandably impacted by the opening of Waurn Ponds Library and Geelong Library & Heritage Centre in recent years.

Chilwell Library is currently closed on Wednesdays but we propose a rearrangement of current hours to allow for the library to open on Wednesday mornings, providing access six days a week. This proposed change is informed by significant community feedback.
Extra opening hours for Chilwell Library support a recent increase in community use of the library, following the early 2018 refurbishment. 9am opening and 6pm closing times are responsive to community feedback and consistent with standard operating hours across the network.

Corio Library is the only library in a large catchment area (over 25,000 people), and is also in a community experiencing high levels of disadvantage. The proposed changes for Corio Library will help meet equity and access principles and expand opportunities for library use within the community and for local organisations. The changes would also help standardise opening and closing times across the network.
The proposed hours for Corio Library include introducing opening on an additional evening (Thursdays) and opening on Sundays,as there is currently no library service on Sunday afternoons in the northern part of the region.

Proposed changes for Drysdale Library include standardising opening and closing hours along with other libraries in our network (in response to community feedback), closing later on four weekdays (which will allow for access outside business hours). Earlier evening closing times on Thursdays (due to a low amount of visits after 6pm). Saturday afternoons are proposed to be removed as the library is very quiet on Saturday afternoons. 

There will be an opportunity to review Drysdale Library opening hours as part of the future development of a new Drysdale Library.

The Geelong Library & Heritage Centre, as the central library for the Geelong region, has the most weekly opening hours of all libraries in the Geelong Regional Library Corporation network. The Geelong Library & Heritage Centre averages 123 visits per hour but our data shows it is very quiet between 8am and 9am, with the majority estimated to be Geelong Regional Library Corporation staff. With this in mind, we propose moving weekday opening times forward to 9am, which is in line with standardised opening times across the library network.

We propose moving Geelong West Library’s weekday opening time forward to 9am, which is appropriate for its retail precinct location, would allow people to visit after school drop-off and and align with standardisation of opening and closing hours across the library network. Due to the close proximity of the Geelong Library & Heritage Centre (1.3km), we do not propose any late evening openings, particularly due to low visitation in current late evening opening times (6-8pm). We also propose a reduction in opening hours on Saturdays as there is a significant decline in community library usage on Saturday afternoons compared to Saturday mornings.

The proposed changes for Highton Library reflect the way the community is currently using the library. The proposed opening hours are appropriate for the Highton Village retail precinct, and will meet a standardisation of opening and closing hours across the library network, with an earlier start (9am) start on two weekdays and later finish (6pm) on three weekdays.

The opening hours for Lara Library are proposed to increase overall by one hour. The proposal is  responsive to community feedback; especially with the earlier start (9am) start on all weekdays. We do not propose any late evening openings for Lara Library as our data show very low visitation rates during current late evening opening times (6-8pm).

We recommend a further review of opening hours as part of the development of the new permanent Lara Library.

As Leopold Library opened relatively recently, it already has the opening hours we are looking to standardise across the network (9am opening and 6pm closing), so the only proposed change is the introduction of opening on Saturday afternoons to make sure people in the eastern part of our region, including the Bellarine Peninsula, have access to a library service at this time.

No changes are proposed for the Bellarine & Surf Coast Mobile Library or Golden Plains Mobile Library at this time.

We propose a significant increase of five and a half additional opening hours for Newcomb Library, which would improve access to library resources in an area experiencing high levels of disadvantage. This proposal includes an earlier start (9am) on six days and later finish (6pm) on four weekdays, which is appropriate for the location in a retail precinct, would allow people to visit after school drop off, and would align with standardised opening and closing times across the network.

The proposed earlier evening closing on Wednesday is due to very low amount of visits by community members between 6 and 8pm.

The proposed changes for Ocean Grove Library reflect the way the community is currently using the library. We propose moving its opening time forward to 9am, which is appropriate for its retail, health and community precinct location, allows for visits after school drop-off and align with standardised opening and closing times across the library network.
We propose two earlier closing times (6pm on Tuesdays and midday on Saturday afternoons) due to very low amount of visits by community members at these times.

While no changes are proposed for the Queenscliff Library at this time, please note that opening hours are scheduled for review as a part of of the Queenscliffe Hub project.

No changes to opening hours are proposed for the Torquay Library at this time. Opening hours will be considered throughout 2020 as Council conducts a study into a future Cultural Facility including a new library.

No changes are proposed for Western Heights Library at this time.

The proposed changes for Waurn Ponds Library include a small reduction in overall hours due to earlier closing on two evenings; the amount of visits declines significantly between 6-8pm. Two later finishes (Mondays and Fridays) are appropriate for its retail and recreation precinct location, and would align with standardised opening and closing hours across the library network.