Your questions answered: What’s happening with the Ipswich Central Library

There’s plenty of changes coming to Ipswich Central Library over the coming months, so it’s natural to have a lot of questions.

Here, we’ve answered some of your burning questions about Ipswich Central Library.

What exactly is happening and when?

On Monday, 9 November the current Ipswich Central Library at South Street will close for two weeks.

During the two-week closure, there will be no library open in Ipswich Central, although arrangements have been made to ensure that the community can still access essential services such as public computers.

On Monday, 23 November the ground floor of the space at South Street will reopen as the Interim Children’s Library. The Interim Children’s Library will operate at this location until mid-2021.

On Monday, 7 December the new Ipswich Central Library at the Nicholas Street Precinct will open. This single storey, open plan space will be geared towards adults, while the Interim Children’s Library will continue to cater to children and parents.

In mid-2021, the new Children’s Library on the ground floor of Ipswich City Council’s new Administration Building in the Nicholas Street Precinct will open. When this happens, the Interim Children’s Library at South Street will close. A specific date for the opening of the new Children’s Library is yet to be confirmed.

What are my options in the lead up to the two week closure?

To help the community prepare for the closure of the current Ipswich Central Library at South Street, council is offering an increased limit of 50 items per person.

You may also reserve and collect items from any of the other Ipswich Libraries branches including: Rosewood, Redbank Plains, Redbank Plaza, Springfield Central and the Karalee Library Pod.

During the two-week closure, public computers will be available in the Barry Jones Auditorium at South Street. You will also be able to visit any of the other Ipswich Libraries branches, and use the virtual branch at ipswichlibraries.com.au

What services will be available at the Interim Children’s Library?

The Interim Children’s Library will host an extensive children’s collection with more than 20,000 items, as well as a dedicated STEAM Lab and Kids’ Corner.

The STEAM Lab will feature a range of creative technology including:

• a colour changing LED light panel for exploring lines, textures, shapes and colours
• Makeblock Laser Block provides an easy, safe and fun experience in transforming hand drawn creations into physical objects
• augmented and mixed reality technology offering immersive and interactive experiences incorporating virtual backgrounds and digital props
• a music mixing station
• Ozobot mini arena for a screen free robotics experience.

The Kids’ Corner will feature:

• construction centre with giant foam building blocks
• discovery pathway of leaf floor tiles, footprints, traffic signs and a rainbow tunnel
• sensory space with squishy gel-filled floor tiles, wavy tactile paths, wooden lock boxes and interactive wall panels
• cubby house, puppet theatre and props for role play and storytelling
• magnetic wall for numbers, letters, puzzles and pattern matching.

Council is also making sure parents who visit the Interim Children’s Library with their children have access to the adult collection, through the marketplace showcasing some of the libraries’ most popular items.

People may also choose to collect their reserved items from any Ipswich Libraries branch the Interim Children’s Library.

Why did we need a new Ipswich Central Library and Children’s Library?  

Through the new Ipswich Central Library and Children’s Library, council is creating better libraries for everyone in the Ipswich community, with purpose built spaces and specifically trained teams, the latest and greatest digital experiences and a feel that is uniquely Ipswich.

The library’s adult customers are using the libraries to read, connect, study and focus, whereas children are using libraries to learn and play. Council was intentional with its design of the two new libraries and tailored each to the specific needs of their different customers.

At the new Ipswich Central Library, there’s more meeting rooms, booths, study areas and quiet spaces for people to enjoy.  New technology will also allow access to library facilities easier for the community, including introducing smart lockers so that customers can pick up their reserved items after hours.

The new Children’s Library will be specifically designed for children aged zero to 12 to explore, learn and play. It will feature age-appropriate technology and digital experiences, an interactive dinosaur, extensive children’s collection, specialised employees and dedicated children’s programs and events.

Image: The new Ipswich Central Library at the Nicholas Street Precinct will open in December. 

How will the separate Ipswich Central and Children’s libraries work in practice?

For your convenience, if you need to visit both the Ipswich Central Library and the Interim Children’s Library, you are welcome to reserve items from both the adult and children’s collections at either the Ipswich Central Library or the Interim Children’s Library.

It will become easier to attend both libraries once the new Children’s Library opens across for the new Ipswich Central Library in the Nicholas Street Precinct in mid-2021.

While the resources and services at the new Ipswich Central Library at the Nicholas Street Precinct will be geared towards the library’s adult customers, children will always be welcome.

What will happen to the South Street space when the new libraries open?

The ground floor of the space at South Street will operate as an Interim Children’s Library from 23 November 2020 until mid-2021 when the new Children’s Library opens in the Nicholas Street Precinct.

Once the new Children’s Library opens, the Interim Children’s Library at South Street will close and the building will then be occupied by West Moreton Health.

Can I use my current library membership card at the new Ipswich Central and Children’s libraries?

You will be able to use your current library card at the new Ipswich Central Library when it opens, as well as any of our other Ipswich Libraries branches including Redbank Plaza, Redbank Plains, Rosewood and Springfield Central, as well as full use of the library pod at Karalee Shopping Centre.

Not an Ipswich Libraries member yet? Membership is free to residents of Ipswich and Queensland. You can join online via the Ipswich Libraries website, or at any branch by presenting proof of your name and current address.

 Where can I park at the new Ipswich Central Library when it opens?

People visiting the new library in the Nicholas Street Precinct will be able to use the car park under Tulmur Place. Parking will be free after 5pm work days and free all day Saturday and Sunday; during the week the first three hours will be free with an hourly fee after that period up to a maximum value for the whole day. There is also an early bird option for week day customers. There will be about 1,000 spaces under Tulmur Place.

There is also other off and on street parking within a short walking distance of Tulmur Place.  View the City of Ipswich’s parking map here.