NEW details have been released regarding the Penola Community Library redevelopment following public concerns access to the facility would be limited.
Penola High School has announced a number of classroom alterations to bring the education facility in line with South Australia’s altered teaching structure transitioning Year 7 students to high school.
The redevelopment includes renovating three classrooms on the ground floor of the school to pave way for better library access.
According to the three plans – which are yet to be made public – the new library will allow easier communication between staff and patrons.
It is expected to have similar access to the current building, but will reduce the need for community members entering the school and will include a separate disability toilet.
Acting principal Lesley Okholm said Penola High School had received funding to help complete the improvements.
“At this stage we are unsure which (plan) will go ahead but the main idea was to ensure the library remained equal to what it was or in fact was improved and the new classrooms were in a space which worked best for middle school methods,” Ms Okholm said.
The new design restricts members of the public needing to enter the school grounds to access the library while internal student access will remain.
Ms Okholm said the original proposal released to the public had caused confusion.
“The library itself will not be much different except it will be bigger, brighter and have a stand-alone toilet,” she said.
“There will be windows along the front, it will be freshly painted and set up specifically for the townspeople.”
Penola resident Ulrich Grey-Smith said the development was an opportunity for the library to remove itself from the high school into the central business district.
“To have a space like that which allows the older people to go out and be safe is important,” Mr Grey-Smith said.
“These days there are other things to do there outside of borrowing books and DVDs as there are computers and internet for those who may not have access at home.
“If we were able to move the library into an area such as back to the Visitor Information Centre there could also be potential for the library to reopen on a Saturday morning again.”
Mr Grey-Smith said he and his family used the library each weekend before opening hours were restricted last year.
“When they closed on a Saturday we were quite upset over it,” he said.
“However it will be good to have extra facilities such as the public toilet access as we have been fighting for that for almost a decade and it is a big highlight of the redevelopment.”
Mr Grey-Smith said he held initial concerns the library would disappear into the pillars of the high school, but with new details released he was pleased the community had been considered.
“The new library will provide a better public space for both the elderly and the young but I still think it would be good to have a discussion about where the library could go if we were given the option,” he said.
“There are very few community libraries left within high schools and it is a bit of an older style idea which is changing everywhere, so maybe Penola should move with the times and have a stand alone library.”
