Joint Regional Library Service Scheme

From 1965 and then 1978, Parramatta Library was administrator to a joint regional library service scheme with first Baulkham Hills Shire Council and later Holroyd Municipality Council. This joint service ceased in the late 1980s. At its peak, Parramatta Library was responsible for 12 branch libraries and a mobile service[2]:

1. Parramatta City Library - 1 Civic Place, Parramatta opened 29 November 1958 to 9 August 2015 when it was demolished and temporarily relocated to Fitzwilliam Street awaiting the new library to be built in Parramatta Square.
2. Granville Branch Library opened on 7 June 1975 at 8 Carlton Street, Granville until 2020 when it relocated to the new Granville Centre at 1 Memorial Drive, Granville
3. Dundas Valley Branch Library opened 6 April 1963 at 21 Stuart Street, Telopea
4. Ermington Branch Library opened 19 October 1963 on the corner of River Road and Lister Avenue, Ermington
5. Guildford Branch Library officially opened on 16 May 1964 at Railway Terrace Guildford. A second pilot library run by Holroyd Council was located in the School of Arts Building, Miller Road, Guildford NSW.
6. Baulkham Hills Branch Library opened in 1967 at 1 Railway St, Baulkham Hills
7. Carlingford Branch Library opened on 26 July 1969 at 17 Lloyd Avenue, Carlingford
8. Castle Hill Branch Library opened in 1971 at 265 Old Northern Road, Castle Hill. In 2004, relocated to the Castle Hill Library and Community Centre on the corner of Castle and Pennant Streets, Castle Hill.
9. Dural Round Corner Branch Library opened 10 February 1979 at Pellitt Lane, Dural Round Corner
10. Greystanes Branch Library in the Greystanes Community Centre, Merrylands Road, Greystanes NSW opened in 1973
11. Pendle Hill Branch Library opened on 9 May 1967 in Stapleton Street, Pendle Hill
12. Merrylands Branch Library opened 21 August 1973 in the in the old Prospect County Council building in Miller Street, Merrylands
13. Wentworthville Branch Library opened on 9 August 1979 on Lane Street, Wentworthville NSW

In 1960, under provisions of the Library Act 1939-45, a Joint Regional Library Service Scheme was proposed for Parramatta and 4 other adjoining councils - Auburn, Holroyd (both now Cumberland Council), Blacktown and Baulkham Hills (now Hills Shire Council).

 

This scheme however did not eventuate as seen in the article below.

After the Guildford branch library was opened Railway Terrace Guildford on Saturday 16 May 1964 and local residents who lived in the Holroyd Municipality side were denied access to the new Library, the NSW Library Board supported Parramatta’s then Chief Librarian Miss Margaret Miller’s proposal for a special joint library agreement between the well established Parramatta Library service and Holroyd Council who were required to adopt the Library Act 1939 and apply for a subsidy as seen below.

On 1 January 1965, a joint Library service was formed and began operating between Parramatta City Council and Baulkham Hills Shire Council. This service saw Parramatta Council administrating the books and staff, while the Shire Council began an extensive building programme establishing library branches at Baulkham Hills in 1967, Carlingford in 1969, Castle Hill in 1971 and Dural Round Corner branch library in 1982.[6]

In the same year (1965), Miss Margaret Miller, Parramatta’s first City Librarian resigned and Mr. John Taylor was appointed as her replacement as the new Chief Librarian.[8]

In the meantime, Holroyd Council established a pilot library at Guildford [9] and through an offer of $3,200 for books from the Pendle Hill War Memorial Swimming Pool Fund, established the Pendle Hill Library at Stapleton Street which was officially opened on 9 May 1967 by Mayor Ald. J. Bennett.[9] Next it established Merrylands public library at Miller Street, Merrylands. This was another pilot library with a stock of 2,000 books and was officially opened by Mayoress E. Devlin on Tuesday 5 November 1968.[10]

On 12 June 1978, Holroyd Council and Parramatta City Library signed a joint regional library agreement. Holroyd Mayor Ald. Robert William Doyle Delvin in his local newspaper feature 'From the Mayor's desk' made the announcement as well as the future plans for library buildings to be built first in Wentworthville in 1979, followed by Merrylands in 1980 and Greystanes in 1981.

In 1985, tensions began to mount due to disagreements over the service being delivered by Parramatta Council. Holroyd and Baulkham Hills Shire Council were reported as feeling "short-changed" by the number of bookstocks being received per branch per user based on annual library reports and felt unfairly treated given the annual fee the subsidy council paid.

In addition, they were also unsatisfied over the book selections made by Parramatta Library for the other municipal areas. Local newspapers reported the banning of books by Biggles and Enid Blyton.

This eventually led to the split and dissolution of the joint library agreement first with Baulkham Hills Shire Council in 1988 and later Holroyd Council. 

The Hills Shire Library Service story continues and a timeline is available here. [16]

 

Anne Tsang, Research Assistant, Parramatta Heritage Centre, City of Parramatta, 2021

References

1. City of Parramatta Council, Parramatta Heritage Centre archives. Council crest design c1950, object number A2015/18. In Anna Namuren & Anne Tsang (2017) Origins of the City of Parramatta Crest, Parramatta History and Heritage. Retrieved from https://historyandheritage.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/blog/2017/12/04/origins-of-the-city-of-parramatta-crest ; Logopedia (2021). The Hills Shire 1906-2008 [image]. Retrieved from https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/The_Hills_Shire ; Ruhen, Carl. (1972). Holroyd centenary 1872-1972. Cammeray, N.S.W. : Horwitz for Holroyd Municipal Council.
2. Allan: library book stock a ‘disgrace’. (1989, November 29). Parramatta Mercury, p. 3 ; Mobile library turns over a new leaf. (1987, May 5). Hill News, p. 1. In City of Parramatta Council Local Studies Research Library vertical file collection, VF0829 - Parramatta Libraries - 1980s.
3. Regional library (1960, November 30). The Cumberland Argus, p. 3. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131617490
4. Regional library set-back (1960, December 7). The Cumberland Argus, p. 1. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131617202
5. Residents denied use of library (1964, May 20). The Biz, p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article189523172
6. McClymont, John.  (2003).  Pictorial history : Baulkham Hills Shire.  Alexandria, NSW :  Kingsclear Books, p. 32. Available online via Google Books preview
7. [Baulkham Hills Library, undated, c. late 1960s. Baulkham Hills Shire Council opened a new branch library at Baulkham Hills in 1967-1968]. In State Library of New South Wales. Collection of photographs of public libraries throughout New South Wales, photo no. 32. Available online at https://collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/74VKKqy48xVA/04pld7rmEBGbQ ; [Carlingford Library, undated]. In State Library of New South Wales. Collection of photographs of public libraries throughout New South Wales, photo no. 33. Available online at https://collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/74VKKqy48xVA/2px5jj6r2wqyN ; Carr, Harry. & Hills District Historical Society. (1999).  Settlement of Baulkham Hills and Castle Hill townships 1791 - 1997.  Castle Hill, N.S.W. :  Hills District Historical Society ; Berry, Vanessa (2011, June 3). Dural Library, or Ancient Egypt, Biblioburbia: The Library Files. Retrieved from https://biblioburbia.wordpress.com/tag/dural-library/
8. Tsang, Anne. (2020). Margaret Miller - First Parramatta Chief Librarian. In Parramatta History and Heritage. Retrieved from https://historyandheritage.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/blog/2020/05/08/margaret-miller-parramatta-librarian
9. Council’s unique scheme 'pilot' plan for library (1965, April 27). The Broadcaster, p. 1. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article163737855 ; Further step in council scheme : Mayor opens library. (1968, November 12). The Broadcaster, p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article163745974 ; Council firm on library (1975, August 19). The Broadcaster, p. 1. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224508450
10. New Pendle Hill library (1966, September 13). The Broadcaster, p. 3. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article164914417
11. Guildford library turns away borrowers (1971, August 3). The Broadcaster , p. 3. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224495063
12. Devlin, R. W. (1978, April 11). Rewards for seniors : From the Mayor’s desk, The Broadcaster, p. 3. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224514000
13. Library not good enough : Council hits out at book allocation. (1986, March 12). Parramatta Advertiser, p. 13.
14. Kingston, Sandra. (1985, October 22). Books ban ‘a disgrace’. Select ‘best’ books aim of library. Shore hits at Noddy ‘nonsense’, The Hills Shire Times, p. 1 and 11
15. Loftus, Wendy. (1988, December 20). Library split, Parramatta Mercury, p. 9. Retrieved from City of Parramatta, Local Studies Research Library Vertical Files 
16. Hornsby Shire Council (2021). Hornsby Shire Timeline. Retrieved from https://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/library/catalogues-and-resources/local-history/history-of-hornsby-shire