Port Macquarie-Hastings Mayor Peta Pinson and Member for Port Macquarie Leslie Williams officially opened the new innovative Portal this morning, as well as a new outdoor reading area and 8 new study rooms that have been constructed as part of a $195,915 expansion to Port Macquarie’s Library.

Mayor Peta Pinson said that our libraries are not just about books these days, they are also a great place to access cutting edge technology.

“Libraries need to adapt to cater for the changing demands of society, particularly as more of our everyday lives involve interaction with new technologies and the digital world,” said Mayor Pinson.

“It’s great to now have a dedicated space at Port Macquarie library where residents and library users can access, try out new technology and have new experiences".

“With the growth in local education, our region will be home to even more students in the coming years, and the upgrades will provide even more opportunities and places for people to meet and study.”

Member for Port Macquarie, Leslie Williams said these new works only enhance the library experience in Port Macquarie.

“I am very pleased the NSW Government continues to support our library with the highest level of funding for any library on the Mid North Coast".

“In fact the new expanded works that we are opening today have been fully funded by the NSW Government,” Mrs Williams said.

“Council are committed to working in partnership with the NSW Government to deliver the best possible library service to local residents, and I encourage everyone to check out the new facilities, especially the Virtual Reality Portal this summer,” added Mayor Pinson.

The Port Macquarie Library expansion works were funded by the NSW Government under the Public Library Infrastructure Grant.

The upgrades add to other improvements made to Port Macquarie’s library over the last 5 years that include the Imaginarium, a multi-media studio used for recording music, podcasts and editing video, and the Tech Room which providers library users access to new technology such as a 3D-printer.

To learn more about the services on offer at a library near you, visit mnclibrary.org.au/