T hat Australians have turned to local libraries in record numbers comes as no surprise. I’ve just returned from a speaking tour of regional and outer suburban libraries which reinforced in me the unquantifiable community value of these institutions.

I’ve rarely felt more connected to readers than during these two weeks. Perhaps this shouldn’t be a surprise given the remarkable bond between libraries and the readers they serve highlighted in the latest Australian public libraries statistical report .

From 2023 to 2024 there were 88m in-person visits (up 10%) to libraries, while people borrowed 119m physical and 55m digital items. Libraries delivered 409,000 programs nationally for more than 7 million participants.

So, take one beige sedan, two ageing blokes (the crime novelist Mich

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