We were delighted to be invited to introduce our project (The Role of Public Library Services for a Changing Rural Australia) at the Public Libraries South Australia (PLSA) 2025 Conference. The conference was held on 8 and 9 May 2025 at the Adelaide Convention Centre, and Simon Wakeling represented the project in a joint session on the Friday with Professor Helen Partridge, Co-Investigator on another public library related ARC Discovery project that started this year.
It was great to be able to talk about the project to such a large and enthusiastic audience. Simon’s presentation gave an overview of the project, which will be attempting to understand the value and impact of Australian rural public libraries, and the ethnographic case study approach it will take. Both Helen and Simon noted the significance of the Australian Research Council funding two large research projects focused on public libraries; recognition, they suggested, of the vital role libraries play in Australian society.
Simon was able to chat to many of the public librarians in attendance before and after the presentation, and it was interesting to hear their ideas about the project and the impact it might have. There were also some very useful suggestions about how the findings could be effectively disseminated.
This was the first of what will be many presentations and publications from the project, so thank you to PLSA for the invitation, and watch this space!
