Kiama Council is prioritising grassroots programs within its library and cultural hubs as part of its plan to provide “lifelong learning experiences”.

The extensive Kiama Library Strategic 2025-2029 plan highlights the strength of services and facilities in Kiama.

Council’s manager of library and cultural hubs Michelle Hudson said: “the vision is providing lifelong learning experiences for people and building community resilience.”

Kiama Library provides extensive early literacy programs, which fosters development during crucial learning stages of children.

“We provide all the newborn babies in Kiama with a library bag and board book, and information about all the community programs and portraying the importance of reading to young children,” Hudson said.

Kiama Library has implemented three stages of learning with baby story time, toddler tales and preschool story time.

“It’s about preparing children for that classroom environment,” Hudson said.

There are also school holiday programs for children and their families to engage in their own time, from building Lego to even working with robots.

For many, keeping up with the constant evolution of technology can be difficult, but Kiama Council is offering education to help those in need.

“We are providing classes so that people can improve their digital literacy, but also provide a point of contact for those having problems with their phones, even showing people how to print from their phones and download documents,” Hudson said.

Kiama’s libraries are also a great place for those enjoying a break on the South Coast to use the services available.

“We get a lot of tourists in Kiama and our facilities cater to their needs,” Hudson added.

“We are only a smaller library, but it is about making the most of our staff and working collaboratively with different partnerships so that we can provide a range of different programs for the community to engage with.”

With the cultural development in Kiama, she said it is “about communication and connection by procuring various creative partnerships and making people feel part of the community”..

“We also pay homage to where we live, understanding the environment that we live in, and also appreciating our local history.”

Hudson was optimistic about the Library Strategic Plan 2025-2029 saying “we have had some really positive feedback from the community, reinforcing what Council is doing and I am looking forward to the plans being carried out”.

Submissions closed for the Library Strategic Plan 2025–2029 at the end of March.