Council shuts Bundaberg Library until further notice for safety reasons

Book lovers face double disruption as Bundaberg’s main library shuts over safety concerns and digital services go offline for scheduled upgrades.

Book lovers face an indefinite wait to access Bundaberg’s library after a truck collision sparked serious safety concerns, leaving the community without their beloved reading hub. Image: Hitz939 Bundaberg

Book lovers in Bundaberg have voiced their concerns after a shock closure of the regional library “until further notice”.

The latest development comes after the Bundaberg Regional Council announced a scheduled system upgrade and library closure for Thursday this week.

A number of posts on the Bundaberg Regional Library Facebook page on Tuesday morning explained the sudden closure.

“The Bundaberg Library will be closed from Tuesday 9 December until further notice,” the post said.

“The closure is being made in the interests of public safety and Council is working to reopen the facility as soon as it can safely do so.”

Bundaberg Library has been closed over safety concerns, after a truck hit the building’s front awning.

A second post said the temporary closure related to structural inspections of the building after a truck plowed into the front awning.

“In the interest of public safety, Council has closed the facility to carry out an inspection,” the post said.

The posts were shared to community forums and have since garnered hundreds of likes and comments.

“What is the risk to the public and staff?” one commenter said.

Another had concerns for the staff amid the news.

“Goodness me, I hope all is OK in our wonderful library,” they said.

“Wishing the staff all the very best. Hope you are all ok.”

Library members are advised the return chute will be out of action during the inspections.

The Bundaberg Regional Library.Photo: Mike Knott/NewsMail

Urgent returns can be dropped into the front counter at the Bundaberg administration building at 190 Bourbong St, during business hours, the post said.

The latest development coincides with a scheduled upgrade to the Library Management System (LMS).

On Tuesday, the Bundaberg Regional Council also said the library would remain closed on Thursday, December 11 due to the upgrades.

The scheduled update of the LMS will result in a “temporary lack of access to digital services”, the council statement said.

“Online services like catalogue, renewals, new reservations and e-resources [are] unavailable to the public and library staff.”

A safety-related closure has shut Bundaberg Library indefinitely, coinciding with a system-wide digital overhaul promising better user experience.

Bundaberg Regional Council’s Arts and Heritage spokesperson, Councillor John Learmonth, said the upgrades were important to maintain the library’s digital management system.

“We are upgrading our Civica Spydus LMS from a Spydus 10 to a Spydus 11 system, which is mostly focused on improving the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC),” Mr Learmonth said.

“OPAC is the interface the public uses when searching the catalogue for items and so, while we apologise for any inconvenience caused, the result will be a much better design and user experience.”