Mona Vale Library: Two homes, three councils and 50 years of service to the community
It’s had two homes, belonged to three councils and on Saturday, September 3, Mona Vale Library will mark 50 years of serving its community.
Manly
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It’s had two homes, belonged to three councils and on Saturday, September 3, Mona Vale Library will mark 50 years of serving its community.
To mark the occasion, the celebrations will include a talk on the history of Mona Vale by Mona Vale Library’s local studies librarian Sharelle Ravenscroft, a performance by the Mona Vale Public Choir, a photographic exhibition on the history of the library covering the period from 1971 to the present day and afternoon tea hosted by Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan.
Proceedings will begin at 1.15pm.
Of course Mona Vale Library wasn’t the first council library on the northern beaches – that honour belongs to Manly Library.
Nor was it the first purpose-built library in the area – that honour belongs to Dee Why Library.
But it’s the only major library that has belonged to three councils – Warringah Council, Pittwater Council and Northern Beaches Library.
Public libraries in NSW grew out of local libraries began in schools of art, mechanics’ institutes and literary institutes, such as the School of Arts Library that began in 1886.
In Warringah, it began with the Harbord Literary Institute, which was founded in 1915.
There were other small suburban libraries, including at Terrey Hills and Elanora Heights, and children’s libraries, including at Balgowlah, Forestville, Narraweena, Narrabeen, Brookvale and Newport, which were loosely organised under the Combined Children’s Libraries of Manly-Warringah.
Even the Book Lovers’ Club at Narrabeen had a library.
And most of the libraries received subsidies from Manly and Warringah councils.
Public libraries received a huge fillip in 1939 when the NSW Library Act was passed in 1939.
Under the Act, councils could apply for subsidies from the state government as an incentive to establish public libraries.
Although the Act was passed in 1939, it was not until May 1964 that Warringah Council adopted it but after that it was quick out of the blocks and by November 1966 Dee Why Library had been opened.
The architectural firm that designed Dee Why Library, Edwards Madigan Torzillo and Partners, won the Sulman Award for architecture for their design.
Almost immediately there were calls for a council library at the northern end of the peninsula in what was then A Riding.
In fact there had been calls for a library in A Riding as early as 1944, when the Avalon Beach Progress Association asked Warringah Council to consider the establishment of a library in the area.
In 1956 the Bayview-Church Point Progress Association indicated its desire for a public library at Mona Vale, only to be told that the council could not give consideration to the idea because it had not yet adopted the NSW Library Act.
In April 1966, while Dee Why Library was still under construction, the Avalon and Careel Bay Progress Association told Warringah Council that it should also build a library at Avalon.
In January 1969, Warringah Council’s Finance Committee was asked by the councillors to report on the possibility of establishing a library in A Riding and the following month it was suggested that a temporary library in A Riding could be established in rented premises in the Barefoot Boulevarde at Avalon Beach, pending the ultimate erection of a library building in Mona Vale, as had been recommended by the Shire Librarian.
In February 1970, the Mona Vale Progress Association asked the council if a “Friends of A Riding Library” could be formed and, if so, if the council would call a public meeting in the Memorial Hall at Mona Vale for that purpose.
No doubt one of the members of the progress association was its secretary, Olive Beaton, a Mona Vale resident who reportedly attended every council meeting for five years to ensure a library for A Riding was never far from the minds of the councillors.
The result was the formation of the Mona Vale branch of the Friends of Warringah Shire Library and in August 1970, a committee was formed comprising the A Riding councillors and the committee of the Mona Vale branch of the Friends of Warringah Shire Library to make recommendations to the council’s Finance Committee.
It was also determined that $110,000 for a library at Mona Vale would be included the 1971/72 loan program and that the architects would be the same architects that had designed Dee Why Library – Edwards, Madigan, Torzillo and Partners.
In July 1971, the Government Insurance Office of NSW indicated that it would lend the council $100,000 over a term of 15 years, repayable at 7.14% per annum, to build Mona Vale Library. The final cost of the library was closer to $150,000.
In recognition of her efforts, Olive Beaton was given the honour of turning the first sod for construction of the library on July 10, 1971.
The library was opened on September 3, 1972, by which time there were 35,000 books on the shelves.
During its first two weeks of operation, 2000 residents joined the library, including more than 1000 children, and nearly 9000 books were loaned.
On September 3, 1982, Mrs Beaton was guest of honour at celebrations to mark the library’s 10th birthday and, with Shire President Paul Couvret, planted a tree in the library’s garden.
After Pittwater seceded from Warringah in 1992, Mona Vale Library came under the control of the new Pittwater Council and by the turn of the century held 72,000 books.
The local studies unit at Pittwater Library was formed by the merger of two existing collections, that of the Local History Resource Unit founded by Nan Bosler in 1984 and the collection begun in 1992 at Mona Vale Library after the secession of Pittwater from Warringah.
The Local History Resource Unit was initially housed at the Narrabeen Community Learning Centre and later at the Nelson Heather Senior Citizens’ Centre, but in 1998 the two collections were brought together in the newly-formed Local Studies room at Mona Vale Library.
In the early 2000s, Pittwater Council voted to build a new library at Mona Vale and to convert the old library to council offices as part of a redevelopment of Village Park.
The architect was Andrew Hjorth, of Brewster Hjorth Architects, who also designed the Avalon Recreation Centre.
Construction of the new library, which was adjacent to the old library, began in early 2003.
The $6.6 million redevelopment of Village Park funded by the sale of council-owned land at Winnererremy Bay, section 94 developer contributions for the Warriewood Valley land releases and a loan.
The first sod was turned by Pittwater Mayor Patricia Giles and Mrs Beaton on June 6, 2003.
Although the new library began operations on August 10, 2004, it was officially opened on September 15, 2004, when Mrs Beaton was again a special guest.
The book stock on opening was 65,000 books, CDs and videos.
After Manly, Warringah and Pittwater councils amalgamated in 2016, Mona Vale Library became part of the Northern Beaches Library Service, which also includes Manly Library, Dee Why Library, Forestville Library, Glen St Library and Warringah Mall Library.
Like all other facets of library services, the local studies units of the libraries have been combined and in recent times their holdings have become more available to residents through the online platform History Hub.
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