Library receives award recognition

Wagga Wagga City Council Manager Library Services Claire Campbell has received state-wide recognition for her tireless efforts to improve the community’s access to multicultural services, including the city’s Language Café.

Earlier this week Ms Campbell was acknowledged for her role in raising the profile of services provided to the city’s culturally and linguistically diverse community (CALD) at the New South Wales Public Libraries Association’s Switch Conference in Sydney.

Ms Campbell was the individual winner of the Multicultural Excellence Award, handed out by the Working Group on Multicultural Library Service (WGMLS).

“It is fantastic to see Claire receive this recognition for her leadership in the provision of library services to the multicultural community of Wagga Wagga,” Director Community Janice Summerhayes said.

“Claire has been working closely for many years with the CALD community and collaborating with organisations including the Multicultural Council of Wagga Wagga and Multicultural New South Wales.

“During that time, Claire has developed close working relationships with our community, constantly improving on what our library service can offer and ensuring that our programs are inclusive for all residents in our city.”

Around the world, programs like the city’s Language Café, are recognised as being on the forefront of library services, an integral part of ensuring our Library services are responsive to the needs of a community.

As well as creating Wagga’s Language café, Ms Campbell has been instrumental in establishing other vital programs including Multicultural Story time, French Story Time, an Arabic Language class for children, an Italian language class and Mandarin and Dari Tech Savvy Senior Classes.

“Claire has also been instrumental in branching out, and moving into, the provision of languages other than English,” Team Leader Information, Literacy and Learning Michael Scutti said.

“Thanks, in large, to Claire’s efforts to create a broad community languages collection, we now have a dozen languages available in the library through books and audio books, as well plenty of English language learning services.”

During the Switch Conference, Wagga Wagga City Council City Library was also recognised for its efforts in implementing a valuable outreach services project known as the National Indigenous Science Education Program at Tolland Community Centre.

This was part of the National Science Week Festival being delivered in multiple venues.

The City Library received a highly commended award in the Innovation in Outreach Services category for populations between 30,000 to 100,000.

“Again, Library staff have been commended for their inclusive practice which involved partnerships with other sectors and the outreach connection to an important community facility located in the heart of the Tolland neighbourhood,” said Ms Summerhayes.

“This is so important in making sure that children living in this neighbourhood enjoy the same opportunities to participate in the sciences and further develop their interests in such, no matter where they live.

“It was enormously successful.”