Library stars: access, entrepreneurs, meeting places - Nhulunbuy

One of the showcased library stars was Shirley Shepherd of the Nhulunbuy Community Library talking about the Yirrkala storytime.
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Nhulunbuy (a mining town) is on the east coast of Arnhem land, 600 km from Darwin, and a 12 hour drive for 4 wheel drive (the road is closed during the wet season). Nhulunbuy is a joint use school and public library. The largest and closest Indigenous community is at Yirrkala which is a restricted access traditional community. The traditional languages are strong. Many preschool aged children have little or no English. Shirley started a weekly storytime outside the Women’s Centre in Yirrkala. The stories are told in English and translated into Yolngu, there are activities and times for the children to look at non-fiction books. There is a challenge to select stories appropriate for instant translation. Shirley and other staff are learning Yolngu

What’s next?
Shirley plans to work on outreach to the community so that the storytimes outside the library continue as vital part of the library service.

This was an exciting service to hear about as it was responsive to the community, and worked with local partners.