Marketing award for Bland Shire library

The Bland Shire Library has won a major marketing award with the NSW Public Libraries Association (NSWPLA).

In front of a packed and captivated crowd of colleagues from across the state at the NSWPLA annual conference in Penrith, Bland Shire Council was named as the winner of the  Marketing Award for Public Libraries (MAPLs) for communities with a population under 10,000 for the library’s Our Community, Our People project.

Developed in direct response to Council’s community consultation and subsequent Community Strategic Plan goals and objectives, the Our Community, Our People project included a variety of activities including –

•       Knit and Knatter

•       Tech Savvy Seniors

•       Intergenerational activities

•       Pals of the Pen, and

•       Needles and Thread

Each of the programs has been embraced by library staff with the community responding in large numbers.

“Our Community, Our People has empowered the older members of the community and fostered and developed a love of lifelong learning. It has provided an opportunity for these members of our community to gather and develop, or to build upon, existing friendships while sharing skills and knowledge,” Bland Shire Council Director of Corporate, Community, Development and Regulatory Services said.

“The library is a community hub within West Wyalong. This, married with the aging population became a perfect mix for the library staff to develop a range of value added activities based around the more senior members of our community.

“Our Community, Our People is a series of activities and programs that were developed to engage, attract and embrace the older members of the community. The activities are ongoing, developing over time and becoming self sustaining.”