Guildford Branch Library at Railway Terrace Guildford was officially opened on Saturday 16 May 1964 at 3pm by the Deputy Mayor Alfred Robert Cayley Thomas. Discussions regarding the construction of a new library in Guildford were already underway by February 1963 with the Parramatta City Councillors recommending that: “the tenders for the Guildford Branch Library be advertised on receipt of the plans and specifications” and that “the building be sited on the northern side of the entrance to Guildford Car Park from Railway Terrace”. The costs associated with the construction of the library were largely taken from the sale of the Parramatta School of Arts which raised £75,000.
It was initially resolved by the Parramatta City Councillors that Guildford Library would open on the Saturday 30 May but this was later amended to the 16 May 1964. The Opening of Guildford Library Official Guest List included: “The Mayor and Aldermen of the Council and Ladies; Mayors of Adjoining Councils and Ladies; Members of the Library Board of NSW; Ex-Aldermen of the Granville area; Professional representatives; Representatives of the Parramatta School of Arts; The Department of Education representatives; Parramatta City Band; Church representatives and Principals and their wives of neighbouring schools.”
In October 1967 it was decided that the award winning painting “Bombo Quarry” by Colin Williams which had won the City of Parramatta Art Award was to be presented to the Guildford Librarian for hanging in a suitable location within the library.
New extensions to Guildford Branch Library, with the appropriate amount of funding required, were proposed by the Parramatta Council General Manager to Parramatta Council in January 1993. Plans were also made to construct external toilets in conjunction with the extensions. In May 1994 Parramatta Council also gave approval for a mural art piece to be undertaken by young people and youth art workers and for it to be mounted on the wall of the Guildford Branch Library extension.
Plan of the renovations, additions and alterations for Guildford Branch Library. Source: Vertical File Collection
In September 1995 Parramatta Library’s official newspaper Download reported that: “Guildford has finally re-opened. The official opening was on Saturday 26 August and the library re-opened on Monday 28 August. The library is unrecognisable – all who have seen it are full of praise for the new look. Shelves have been rearranged and repositioned around a central leisure area. Furniture has been upgraded. The stock looks terrific thanks to the efforts of Vanessa and Meagan who purchased, processed, covered, bugged, barcoded everything they could get their hands on (thanks to Support Services staff for their help too.) The mammoth task of returning stock to the library was executed with great good will…The publicity committee organised another great Gala day on the 28 August to publicise the reopening of Guildford. To celebrate the event the local community joined in fun and activities that were planned for the day. The library opened the doors at 10:30, with displays and giveaways greeting the people as they entered the branch. There was a special pre-school story time with free face painting in the morning. In the afternoon there was after school activities which included crafts and story time. Throughout the day ‘pre-loved’ books were on sale at bargain prices, and once again this was a success.”
Throughout the 1990s Guildford Branch Library underwent many other changes including adopting learning languages multi-media kits, computerisation of their network, adopting a video collection and a book security system. Guildford Branch Library has had an extensive range of programs for children and adults over the years. Some of these have included: The Paint Parra REaD campaign which encourages parents to start reading, singing and writing with their children from birth; Author talks; See the stars at Guildford Light from a Distant Star as part of National Science Week; Evening story time for ages 0-5 with Mum and Dad in your pyjamas - after singing and stories, enjoy hot chocolate and cookies; beginner and intermediate computer courses; Positive parenting where you learn simple and practical strategies to confidently manage your children’s behaviour and prevent problems developing and volunteer tax help. Guildford Branch Library has also participated in NAIDOC Week events with traditional music, language and storytelling; National Recycling Week and Seniors Week activities; manga drawing workshops; Taronga Mobile Zoo and Law Week Talks in Arabic to cater to the needs of Guildford’s culturally diverse population.
In 2016 as a result of the NSW Local Government Amalgamations ownership of the Guildford Branch Library was transferred from the City of Parramatta Council to Cumberland City Council.
Neera Sahni, Research Services Leader, City of Parramatta, 2021
References:
City of Parramatta Council. (1862-2019). Minute Books, Parramatta Municipal Council. PRS021.
Parramatta City Council – Library branches – Guildford Library. (VF 824). Heritage Centre Research Library Vertical File Collection.
Parramatta City Library Branches. (VF 832). Heritage Centre Research Library Vertical File Collection.
Parramatta City Library 1990-1999. (VF 830). Heritage Centre Research Library Vertical File Collection.
Argus News Round-Up. (1962, July 25). The Cumberland Argus, p. 3. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131330307