Libraries for children in Sydney, Australia

Marrickville Public Library courtyard 

When I visit a new city one of the first things I do is visit the local or major city library.  Over the last few months my friends and I [all Teacher-Librarians] have been visiting Public libraries around our city. Some have amazing architecture but it is important to look beyond this. Here is a list of the things we value:

• An up-to-date and appealing children's book collection - picture books, non fiction, board books, junior and easy series, graphic novels, and magazines. 
• Easy to access shelves and easy to access children's area
• Lots of front facing book covers
• Comfy seating and plenty of light
• Easy to read signage
• An inviting space

Things we saw that were disappointing or that might reduce access for children

• Limited or no front facing shelves especially for the picture books
• Board books for babies on high shelves
• Very small book collections especially small collections of picture books
• An inaccessible spaces - thinking about parents with prams and strollers
• We were not convinced about the value of gimmicks such as the slide/slippery dip we saw in one award winning library

We visited these libraries:

1. Green Square Library, Zetland 

2. Woollahra Library, Double Bay

3. Marrickville Library

4. Rockdale Library

5. Kings Cross Library, Sydney

6. Darling Square Library

And the winner is - Rockdale Public Library. We loved the collection and the children's books are on the ground floor right where you walk in. The space was filled with light, comfy chairs and interesting but not distracting decorations added to each of the light fittings. The picture book collection is fabulous but on the down side the forest shaped shelves used for the junior fiction collection did not really work - it is difficult to fit books onto curved shelves. That issue to one side, we loved the Rockdale library from the moment we entered. 

Stephen Michael King visited Rockdale library - here is a piece of his art and a sculpture but I am not sure if he made this too?

Here are some lists of the best libraries in Sydney:

Montessori The Best Libraries in Sydney for children and more children's libraries

School holidays Australia Most Beautiful Libraries in Sydney

Ellaslist Sydney❜s Most Kid-Friendly Libraries

Here is the shelving for some of the picture books at Green Square - not very easy to access:

Darling Square Library