The Allan Labor Government is delivering greater library access for Glen Eira residents who are set to benefit from extended library hours at both Bentleigh and Elsternwick libraries.
Minister for Local Government Nick Staikos today visited Bentleigh Library and Youth Hub to announce the $55,605 funding boost that will facilitate the extensions, delivered through the $4 million 2025-26 Living Libraries Infrastruc-ture Program.
Glen Eira City Council will also contribute $55,605 towards the project, which was driven by community demand for extended hours.
To complement the extended hours and ensure safe library access, the increased investment will also cover the installation of cameras, lighting and movement sensors, as well as facilitate IT and access requirements.
Glen Eira residents will be able to utilise library facilities at times that better suit their schedule, including access to the collections, borrowing and returns, WiFi, PCs, printing, scanning and copying services, as well as a quiet place to study and work.
Glen Eira City Council received $1 million in funding through the 2020-21 Living Libraries Infrastructure Program, as well as $5 million through a Community Infrastructure Loan Scheme in 2019-20. These investments went towards the upgrade of the Bentleigh Library and Youth Hub, which was officially opened in October 2022.
The Living Libraries Infrastructure Program is designed to support projects that deliver and demonstrate benefits for the community and aim to improve engagement and access to learning opportunities.
In total, the State Government has invested $57.6 million dollars over the last eleven years into 176 library infra-structure projects with a total project cost of $522.4 million.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Local Government Nick Staikos
“The Allan Labor Government is investing $4 million this financial year in libraries through the Living Libraries Infra-structure Program, including more than $55,000 for Glen Eira libraries to extend opening hours.”
“Libraries are about so much more than books – they contribute to the connections that enrich Victorian communi-ties and support a culture that values reading, lifelong learning and social interaction
