Portland Library & Telecentre

Adele Kenneally

Chief Executive Officer

Where is it?

• Glenelg Shire Council• Far south west Victoria• 4 hours from Melbourne• Population of 10,000

However…….• Declining Population

• Aging - 20% over 60 by 2011

• Unemployment

• Young people not completing year 12

• Substance abuse

• Depleting fish stocks

• Pressure to re-skill and upgrade capacities to become globally competitive

Portland Library

• Glenelg Regional Library Corporation

• Stock - 20,000• 5 Internet work stations• Open 33 hours per week• 2.11 EFT staff• In 2000 - under performing -

decline in loans and usage

Reasons for decline:

• Hours of opening - not enough

• Location, signage and identification issues

• Unattractive library facade

• Not enough $$$ for resources

• Lack of staff IT skills and experience

• Poor quality speed and performance (IT)

• Lack of community space

Televillage Project

“A televillage is a virtual community of people, firms, government, schools, libraries, health-care providers and others connected through a common vision and linked through telecommunications information resources and shared services”

(Kentucky Science and Technology Council Inc.)

Portland Telecentre

•Outcome of community consultation•Community hub consisting of;

-Training rooms

-Meeting facilities

-Public gallery space

-Public access to ICT equipment

-Business Incubation space

Portland Library & Telecentre

• Living Libraries funding

• Library redevelopment to incorporate the Telecentre concept

‘A state of the art facility providing a range of learning, teaching and recreating experiences around the themes of information technology and multi-media’

• Building works completed in February 2004

New Facility• Library• New facade / entrance• Public access area (10-12

workstations)• Community Room• Business Incubator offices• Learning Laboratory

(training room - 12 PCs)• Public gallery space

Operational Issues

• Early days

• Telecentre not opening until end April 2004

• Seamless delivery of services

• SA between Glenelg Council and GRLC

• $$$ for GRLC to open longer hours and manage the public access area

Challenges• Name for facility• Roles and responsibilities• Policies - need to be co-ordinated• Incomes - who keeps them?• IT maintenance - whose responsibility?• Marketing and promotion• ‘Them and us’ - culture to be avoided• The big question - sustainability…..