The Wagga Wagga Free Library opened May 24 1946. Local and state luminaries such as the Mayor (Alderman Doyle) , John Metcalfe (member of the Library Board of NSW) , E K Graham, the Minister for Agriculture and Mrs H K Wessel, librarian from the United States Information Library attended the opening ceremony and a Mayoral dinner.Unfortunately we don't know what was on the menu (apart from a great deal of toasting) but the occasion did spark some lively conversation about what sort of books people should be reading.
One of the guests was foresighted enough to recommend that the library specialise in collecting Aboriginal lore.
The honored guests were also taken on a tour of Wagga and were "greatly impressed with the view " from the top of Willans Hill.
On opening day the library registered approximately 134 new members and that figure grew to 200 within a couple of days.
If you have any memories you would like to share about Wagga's first free library please contact me at wagga.local.studies@gmail.com.
2 comments:
That really is very cool!
What a serious and quiet place. Shhh... I love the QUIET sign and the serious reading in the foreground; the submarine? display; and, then the librarian crouched down behind the shelves finding a good read for her young customer! Many things have changed but in the National Year of Reading 2012 it is good to see that people still enjoy reading the paper or a good book. Now we just have more ways to do it - with WiFi, smart phones and
e-readers!
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