A Library Planet post by Fiona Kells

The Werribee Library (formerly known as the CBD Library) opened in its current location on Watton Street in the centre of Werribee in 2001. It had previously occupied a smaller site on Burnes Place. In 2010 the Library underwent a major renovation. ‘Boutique’-style shelving areas were installed to promote browsing and highlight general interest material, and to improve stock management and use.

The Werribee Library is a community library. It is compact in size, but light and bright and well designed. There is ample seating, a dedicated reading and study space, a central computer station, and a children’s area with fun plastic dog-shaped stools and a colourful mermaid mural. The staff are welcoming and helpful.

Along with a selection of adult, teen and children’s fiction and non-fiction books, DVDs and CDs, patrons can access a range of e-materials including eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, movies, TV shows and eLearning resources (like Linkedin Learning). There is free WiFi. Onsite facilities include twelve public-access internet computers, and printing, scanning and photocopying amenities. IT help is also available, as is IT training. The Library offers a ‘Print from Anywhere’ service, where you can send printing in from your own or another outside computer or device and collect it on-site.

The Werribee Library hosts a variety of regular programs and activities for adults, teens and children such as Rhyme Time, Baby Time, the Imagination Creation Young Writers’ Group, English Conversation Café, Smarts & Craft, and Game On (Nintendo Switch, PS4 or PS5). There is also a Construction Club (using Lego and a mixture of other building materials), and Kids Club (arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, story writing, book discussions etc.). Special programs, author talks and presentations are offered regularly and during school holidays.

The Library is in the Wyndham Cultural Centre, which also houses Tattersall’s Theatre, the Wyndham Art Gallery, a café and bar, the Wyndham Visitor Information Kiosk, and MADE on Watton (a retail space showcasing local artists, makers and designers). The exterior of the Centre is eye-catching and playful, featuring bright colours, neon lighting, a spacious timber deck, lots of seating, and shade structures made from repurposed shipping containers.

It was an unusually quiet Friday afternoon when I visited, but Library staff assured me that things were normally much more lively. It was a warm and beautiful Melbourne day and people were taking advantage of it. Who could blame them?

You can find the Werribee Library and Wyndham Cultural Centre in the ‘West End’ cultural precinct of Werribee’s CBD, at 177 Watton St, Werribee, VIC 3030 Australia. Part of the Wyndham City Library network, Werribee Library is open Monday to Wednesday and Friday 10:00am-6:00pm; Thursday: 10:00am-8:00pm; and Saturday: 10:00am-4:00pm. It is closed on Sundays.