SE Qld Regional Rep Teresa Kohne has been catching up on the latest activities from across the south-east region.
GOLD COAST
What a standout year! From tackling the unexpected (we see you, Cyclone Alfred) to celebrating carefully planned wins, Gold Coast Libraries has every reason to look back on 2025 with pride.
We welcomed an incredible 152,000 people to our programs – everything from informative digital literacy workshops to vibrant Family Engagement sessions to our jam-packed April, July and September School Holiday events. We even filled the auditorium to capacity for our blockbuster Kids Author Talk with Andy Griffiths and Bryan Brown, drawing an audience of almost 500 eager readers. Our passion for stories, learning and community continues to shine through every experience we deliver.
Our mighty Collections Team pulled off a huge achievement by generifying both Elanora and Southport Libraries, all while celebrating an impressive milestone: 1 million Libby loans by November – wahoo! We also launched three temporary libraries inside local shopping centres (The Pines Elanora, Runaway Bay and Helensvale Westfield) during refurbishments, bringing library magic to new spaces and new audiences.
This year marked 10 years of First 5 Forever, so we celebrated in style with Teddy Bear’s Picnics across all branches – an adorable and heartfelt tribute to this wonderful SLQ initiative. And of course, we partied our way through Children’s Book Week, with fabulous characters, bookish adventures, amazing authors and plenty of dress-ups to delight our young (and young-at-heart!) readers.
Supporting our community remained a top priority, with 18 new Little Libraries installed in parks and public places – bringing our total to 37 free book-swap hubs across the city.
We kicked off the year with our city-wide “Anywhere. Anytime.” campaign, spotlighting our eLibrary, Library App and easy joining steps. The result? A massive reach and fantastic engagement – contributing to the increase in digital downloads and loans.
To better our customer experience we have begun to integrate some of our City Services and Customer Contact Centres into several of our library branches. How awesome that residents can pay their rates, make an inquiry about the local dog park, print a document and borrow a new read all under the one roof.
And despite the disruption of Cyclone Alfred, we worked swiftly to reopen branches where possible—providing safe, welcoming spaces for locals to recharge devices, enjoy a warm refreshment and find comfort indoors. Seeing the community come together in our libraries was a powerful reminder that, in challenging times, we are a trusted place for connection, calm and reliable information.
Here’s to an unforgettable 2025—and to the stories still to come.
Gympie
Gympie Library Pop-Up at the Pavilion
From Tuesday, 30 September at 5pm, the Gympie Library closed for essential reroofing and air conditioning works can be carried out.
The good news was that a pop-up library opened on Level One at the Pavilion located at the Gympie Showgrounds at 77 Exhibition Road, Southside, from Thursday 9 October at 9am.
The pop-up library operates normal library opening hours and has a great collection of resources, programs and computer access, with a range of books, magazines and DVDs available for borrowing.
Kilkivan Library
Kilkivan Library was closed from the Monday 17 March to Friday 28 March for planned refurbishment works. The library received new carpet, internal painting and a new service desk and furniture. The small community of Kilkivan is thrilled with the updates of their local library.
Community Hubs Project
Gympie & District Women’s Health Centre has provided Council with funding through the CCQ Country to Coast-phn to enhance existing community spaces to enable community health providers (such as counsellors, allied health and mental health support workers) to provide services at regional hubs. This funding was used to refurbish: Community Meeting rooms and office spaces located at Goomeri, Imbil and Tin Can Bay Libraries.
Sustainable Saturdays and Seed Library
Libraries play a vital role in fostering informed and resilient communities, and running sustainability workshops is a natural extension of this mission. These workshops help bridge knowledge gaps, support local sustainability initiatives and position libraries as hubs for community engagement and action. 344 people have attended a diverse range of sustainability workshops from creating a native garden to making your own cheese and jam.
The Gympie Regional Libraries Seed Library was launched in February 2025 as part of the Library Lover Weekend festivities. The Seed Library is free and open to anyone with a library membership.
Similar to your usual library borrowing experience, the seed library allows our community to “borrow” seeds from the library to grow and enjoy at home. They can take one seed packet for every five books they borrow. Seed packets can be found at all Gympie Regional Libraries branches during opening hours.
Over 500 seed packets are collected every month by members of the community to take home and begin their growing journey.
Rhymes, Rhythm & Tales Meets Kinder Play: A Winning Collaboration!
From February through June, our library partnered with Gympie Gymnastics to deliver a truly unique experience for local families: Rhymes, Rhythm & Tales meets Kinder Play. These monthly outdoor sessions brought together the joy of storytelling and rhymes with the energy and fun of gymnastics, creating an engaging program for children aged 2–5.
Each session began with stories and songs designed to spark imagination and build early literacy skills. Then, the adventure continued as little ones explored movement through age-appropriate gymnastics activities, guided by the talented Gympie Gymnastics team. This combination of literacy and physical play encouraged confidence, coordination, and creativity in a safe, supportive environment.
Parents and caregivers loved the opportunity to connect with their children in a playful setting, while kids discovered that learning can be active, social, and fun. The success of these sessions highlights the power of community partnerships and the benefits of blending physical activity with early learning.
We’re thrilled with the positive feedback and look forward to creating more programs that inspire young minds and bodies.
Noosa
Noosa Libraries host Jane Harper
Noosa Libraries were delighted to welcome internationally bestselling author Jane Harper for an unforgettable evening celebrating the release of her latest novel, Last One Out. The sold-out event with nearly 400 literary fans, featured a captivating in-conversation hosted by ABC’s Annie Gaffney, with local favourite Annie’s Books on Peregian joining us to make the night extra special. It was a fantastic celebration of storytelling and community connection!
Redland
Planning Underway for a New Community Facility in Capalaba on the Redlands Coast
Opening in 2028, the new Capalaba Library, Customer Service Centre and community spaces plus outdoor public spaces will redefine community connection, creativity and learning. This vibrant new destination is being designed to bring people together through shared experiences in learning, creativity and community life.
The facility will reflect Capalaba’s identity — open, welcoming and dynamic — while supporting the future growth of the Redlands Coast.
Inside the building, a range of accessible and flexible spaces will support the diverse needs of our community, including:
∙ Library spaces: Modern, adaptable areas for reading, learning and collaboration, supported by the latest technology.
∙ Customer Service Centre: A contemporary and accessible service point providing personalised support.
∙ Meeting rooms and community hall: Multi-purpose spaces for workshops, events and community activities.
∙ Studios and gallery space: Creative areas designed to showcase and support local artists, makers and performers.
The previous library building has now been demolished, and the Library and Customer Service Centre continue to operate from the temporary location in the former Coles supermarket at Capalaba Central Shopping Centre. Having recently celebrated our first year in this temporary facility, planning is now underway for the layout and operational model of the new building.
As part of this process, Redland City Council staff are visiting civic facilities across Queensland to explore innovative ways of working. Recently, we met with our colleagues at Southport Library on the Gold Coast to learn more about their roving model and use of iPads. Last week, we also visited the new Library+ in Caloundra to gain insights from their contemporary approaches and state-of-the-art spaces.
Thank you to everyone for your ongoing support as we progress this exciting project for the Capalaba community.
SUNSHINE COAST
Discover Library+ Caloundra
Sunshine Coast Libraries celebrated the long-awaited opening of Library+ Caloundra in September. Over 1,000 people streamed through the doors in the first hour of opening, and we have now welcomed nearly 80,000 people into the space.
The integrated facility is a modern, purpose-built community space designed to meet the diverse needs of library users. Spanning the ground floor and level one, the library offers a spacious and welcoming environment where books and collections remain at the heart of the experience. Visitors can explore all the usual favourites, from children’s books and bestselling fiction to local history archives and rich digital resources.
The library incorporates spaces for everyone – from cosy reading nooks and flexible seating to bookable meeting rooms, AV booths, a covered outdoor area, along with a natural flow out the front doors to Bill Venardos Park. The kids’ space is a standout: designed with play at its core, it features an activity wall, cosy reading cubbies and a vibrant play zone.
There is more to discover in Library+ Caloundra – after hours reservation collection, a quiet lounge, two acoustically treated Digital Studios, creative and makerspaces, an exhibition space, a community jigsaw puzzle table, a coffee shop, and ten library meeting rooms and multiple venues for the community to book and enjoy.
Find out more about Library+ Caloundra. We have welcomed professional visitors from the State Library of Queensland and public libraries from the south-east and beyond. If you are keen to visit the facility, get in touch with the team.
