The fancy new IVECO Daily Van features internal shelving, wood-look vinyl flooring, a bench with cupboards and a disability rear hoist inside.
The new mobile library was launched at the Murchison Heritage Centre on April 23.
GV Libraries chief executive Sallyanne Boyle said the van was expected to provide a more flexible, efficient and cost-effective solution, ensuring the continued provision of library services to rural communities, including schools, across the Goulburn Valley.
“The new outreach van will offer a safe, modern and economical vehicle for mobile library operations,” she said.
“It has been customised and fitted out with shelving and equipment to accommodate a wide range of library resources, ensuring they meet the diverse needs of the community they serve.”
The project cost $187,184 and was funded by the 2023 Living Libraries Infrastructure Program, which supports Victorian councils and regional library corporations to provide library infrastructure to meet their communities’ changing needs.
The van will service the local government areas of Greater Shepparton, and Strathbogie and Moira shires.
As well as visiting schools and small, rural communities, the mobile library will be able to visit neighbourhood houses and aged-care facilities, and community events, such as agricultural shows, to promote the library service.
While the van does not provide computer access, there is a regular schedule of tech assistance from library staff, who run programs from the mobile library as an additional service.
“We also program events, such as author talks in our rural communities that coincide with the scheduled visits,” Ms Boyle said.
“The mobile library co-ordinator also delivers bulk loans of books to kindergartens and the van provides for adding schools back into the schedule.
“He will be able to visit and read stories to kindergarten children.”
GV Libraries has run a mobile library service since 1958, originally stocking between 2000 and 3000 items on board.
By the 1970s, the ‘Book Mobile’ had a five-day-a-week roster, and visited 84 service centres and 83 schools.
The most recently retired DAF truck had been purchased and fitted out with funding from government grants before hitting the road in 2011.
“There were constraints with scheduling due to the size and manoeuvrability of the truck, as well as the need to be connected to a power source,” Ms Boyle said.
“The truck served us well, but was beginning to experience mechanical issues, and a review of the service post-COVID, when it was off the road for extended periods, provided us with information to acquire a different vehicle.
“The van will provide much more flexibility.“
For more details on GV Libraries, visit the website.
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