On weekday afternoons in Echuca, if you walk past the windows of the local library, you’ll see a typical scene: teens hunched over laptops, pairs of friends revising side by side in the small alcove spaces groups whispering over shared notes in the quiet study area and the banquet booths.
Up to 40 young people filter into Echuca Library after school most afternoons, particularly around exam time. For Library Services Manager Jenny Mustey, who has worked in libraries and schools for nearly four decades, the increasing role of libraries in young people’s lives is a striking and exciting development.
“I’ve definitely seen an increase in young people coming through, which is great,” Jenny says. “A lot of them bring in their laptops and other devices to access the WiFi. It’s easy to connect these days.”
Libraries as digital hubs and social spaces
Across Campaspe Shire’s libraries – Echuca, Kyabram, Rochester, Rushworth and Tongala – libraries are quietly reinventing themselves as digital hubs and social spaces for young people. They’re places to log on, learn, hang out and get help, sometimes when home or school can’t provide the same mix of connectivity and calm.
The old stereotype of a lone student studying in silence doesn’t really fit anymore.
“I use my library for a variety of reasons, from meetings, study places and even just to relax with friends. If I’m bored in town the library is always one of the number one spots on my to-go-list. Additionally being able to use the computers, wifi and (most importantly) the book search.” – Alex
“It seems to be more of a collaborative study sort of approach,” Jenny explains. “You see lots of groups of young people together working together… they use their time wisely.”
With doors closing at 5:30pm most days, teens know they have a short window. They arrive with a clear purpose: finish homework, revise together, or work through assignments online before heading home.
Flexible spaces for study and connection
While the library has open tables for collaborative working, it also offers pods where users can do exams, hold zoom meetings, conduct telehealth appointments, or even participate in an online job interview.
Echuca’s young people generally have decent internet at home, Jenny says, but the library offers flexibility, reliability and extra services – a place they know they’ll get a solid connection, plus access to printers and public PCs if they need them.
“The wifi has gotten me out of alot of pickles, I can’t tell you the amount of roblox hours I have on the computers and the book search allows me to see all the books from all the connected libraries even from miles away that could be borrowed.” – Alex
Families and young readers are increasingly borrowing ebooks and eaudiobooks, and for teens juggling school, work, sport and social life, digital borrowing often fits more easily around their schedule.
And for over a decade, Campaspe libraries have subscribed to Studiosity, an Australian online tutoring service. Student library members from Year 4 through to university can log in from the library or from home and connect to a real tutor, and get feedback on schoolwork, essays and even job resumes.
Intentional programming: making libraries a place to be
Part of the uplift in student use comes from intentional programming that treats the library as a place to be, not just a place to borrow.
At the Kyabram Library, a coding club and a Teen Takeover program are drawing teens in regularly. “The teens just come in and play Nintendo Switch, play board games, just hang out in the library,” Jenny says. “It works really well.” Young people move fluidly between the social and digital. It’s a model of connection that blends offline friendships with online tools, rather than treating them as separate worlds.
Bridging gaps in regional communities
For young people in regional communities, especially, that combination matters. Not everyone has a quiet room at home, a stable connection, a printer or an adult who can sit with them while they untangle a tricky online form or assignment.
“The reason I go to the library is for a quiet and relaxing place that I can’t find anywhere else.” – Kate
“There aren’t any disruptions and you can easily focus. This helps with school stress and studying for longer periods of time.” – Keisha
Libraries can’t solve every gap, but they are increasingly the place where those gaps are narrowed, and where social connection, study and digital life meet.
