A report presented to the Temora Shire Council has revealed a surge in community participation during the Temora Shire Library’s recent campaign activities. Proving itself a thriving hub of local creativity and connection, the library recently took part in the State Library of NSW’s Open Doors, Open Books, Open Minds campaign, as part of celebrations marking 200 years of public libraries in NSW. It also joined the Riverina Regional Library (RRL) membership campaign held from July to the end of August 2026. The membership drive campaign encouraged people who were not currently members to join their local Riverina Regional Library branch throughout August, with new members automatically entered into a prize draw. Existing library members were also encouraged to participate by referring a friend to join the library, representing an increase of about 127 per cent. Throughout the two-month RRL membership campaign period, the library recorded 3,043 visits. Of the 22 branches and services reported across the RRL network, only Gundagai recruited more new members than Temora during the campaign. A total of 1,282 new members registered across RRL between 6 July and 31 August 2026. In comparison, 2,687 new members were registered across the entire 2025/26 financial year. Compared with the corresponding two-month period in 2025, when 471 new members joined, this year’s campaign attracted about 2.7 times as many new members. A report to the council detailed the outcomes of these initiatives, highlighting strong membership growth and high levels of community engagement achieved. Instead of limiting its participation to a single Open Day in the Open Doors, Open Books, Open Minds campaign, Temora Shire Library extended the initiative across a full Open Week, conducting various activities aimed at engaging children, families, schools and the local community. The campaigns highlighted the range of services, programs and opportunities available at the library, focusing on public libraries as places for learning, creativity, connection, digital access, community participation and lifelong learning. The impact of Open Week revealed there was a significant increase in visitation. The library recorded 762 visits during Open Week, compared with 336 visits during the previous week. The library welcomed more than 275 students from local schools during Open Week, enabling them to participate in activities and become more familiar with the services, resources and programs available through their local library. Creativity was on full display throughout the week, including: Interactive Window Display: Visitors used paint markers to draw and write directly on the library’s front windows, creating a highly visible and engaging display. White Room: Visitors used stickers to transform a blank white room into a colourful, collaborative community artwork, contributing their own creativity throughout the week. Reading Relay: Community members contributed their reading time towards a shared tally, collectively recording 131 hours of reading during the week.
