Fairfield City Open Libraries celebrate 70 years

Published on 07 October 2020

Fairfield City Mayor Frank Carbone cuts the library cake with Councillors Sera Yilmaz and Dai Le

Fairfield City Open Libraries today celebrated its 70th anniversary and is inviting the community to get a blast of the City’s past at a special commemorative photographic exhibition.

 Residents are also encouraged to share a fond memory or photo of their library days. Mark your place in history by sharing your memories easily online at www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/library or bring the items to your nearest library branch.

 Fairfield City Mayor Carbone said the exhibition is a visual journey through the last seven decades of the Fairfield City Library Service.

 “I’m proud of our libraries and their continual innovation and what they offer our community. I invite the community to get involved in our shared history,” Mayor Carbone said.

 “Since that first day the Cabramatta library opened 70 years ago, Fairfield City Open Libraries have been special community hubs for our residents, bringing people and families together to learn, explore, create and have fun.”

 The changes in Fairfield City and its people in that time has meant that the library service has seen many changes in collections, services, facilities and technologies throughout the decades.

“The complete collection on the first day in 1950 was 2912 books and by November 1950 we had 850 library members. Today the library has almost 90,000 print books and 130,000 members,” Mayor Carbone said.

 “But our modern libraries are about much more than books these days. Residents can also borrow videos, magazines, tablets, use a specialised recording studio, virtual reality equipment, attend hundreds of different workshops, or use the library’s entrepreneurial small business space, the Workary.

 “In the next year, we will have a new Fairfield branch in Harris Street, double the size of the existing one in Kenyon Street. The Kenyon Street site will house an exciting new state-of-the-art purpose built business hub.

 “Now is the perfect time to become a member. There is something for all ages in our libraries and membership is free.”  

 Residents can view The 70th Anniversary of Fairfield City Library Services exhibition at Whitlam Library – Cabramatta until the end of the year.

 Residents can join the library at www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/library.

 

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