Gunnedah Shire Library recognised with two awards

11 December, 2024

The Gunnedah Shire Library has been recognised with two statewide awards.

This month, Librarian Christiane Birkett was announced as the winner of the inaugural NSW Library & Information Excellence Award by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA).

The award acknowledges dedication, innovation, and excellence in the library and information sector, and celebrates the achievements of those who have made a significant impact.

Judges noted the task was made more difficult by the “exceptional quality of entries and the passion expressed by the respective nominators”.

“The nominations showed dedication and creativity, and reflected the talent across our field,” ALIA said.

Mrs Birkett was nominated for her role in making the Gunnedah Shire Library an integral part of the Gunnedah Shire community.

“Since starting work at the Gunnedah Shire Library, Chris Birkett has revitalised the library service; it's not just a book place, but a people space, a community hub for information and recreational reading, and also for social contact,” the nomination notes.

“She is unstinting in her help to other libraries, librarians, departments, groups, and organisations.

“Many of her innovative programs have spread throughout NSW and Australia. The 1,000 Books before School, Brain training @ the Library, and Senior Engagement Talks are easy to implement, can be utilised/adapted by any library, and are inexpensive to run. They also emphasise language, literacy, and social connection, the mainstay of any library service.”

Gunnedah Shire Library has also recently won the Innovations in Outreach Services with the Seniors Engagement Talks at the NSW Public Libraries Association Switch Conference.

The Innovation in Outreach Services Awards provide recognition for the high-quality outreach programs and services provided by public libraries across New South Wales.

Mrs Birkett said it was wonderful recognition for the Library to win the two awards.

“The mark of any good library is its connection with its community, and we are delighted that we have been able to fulfill that aim with some success,” she said.

“I’m thrilled to have won the inaugural NSW Library & Information Excellence Award. I love to come up with ideas that could be valuable to our community, but our Library has an excellent team who put those ideas and many others into practice.

“We believe there are opportunities to enrich the lives of all Gunnedah’s community, whether it is young children or seniors.”

Caption: Gunnedah Shire Librarian Christiane Birkett accepts her NSW Library & Information Excellence Award last week. She is pictured with NSW ALIA Convenor Vicki Edmunds and NSW State Librarian Dr Caroline Butler-Bowden.

ENDS

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