Nicky Raleigh has been Library Coordinator at the Corowa Library since 2020, and says while technology has brought huge advancements to the library industry, such as e-books, some people find that there’s just nothing quite like a good old-fashioned book.
Photo by
Ian Johnson
Nicky Raleigh has been a librarian at Corowa Library since 2015 and has seen many changes in the way libraries operate since she first started frequenting libraries as a young girl.
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But she says it’s the rapid changes in more recent years that have been the most daunting.
“I've always been a big library user, being a bookworm all my life,” Nicky said.
“In high school I thought about being a librarian, but I thought, ‘I won't get any work done, I'll just be stuck down the back reading the books’.”
“I thought I’d better do something else.
“As time went on though, I thought I'd still like to work in the library, so I eventually got there.”
A lot has changed in libraries over the years, from the way books are borrowed, to the way records are kept and libraries managed.
Nicky said while most of it had taken time, the last 10 years had accelerated the rate of change, with the challenge now to keep up with technology.
“When I was a little kid, you had your little library cards that would be on the big desk at the front,” she said.
“They'd take them out and put them in the little pouch in the front of the books, and you'd get a stamp in the front of the book, and that was a big thing.
“When microfiche arrived, the whole catalogue was put onto microfilm and there was a big line up at school to search the catalogue on the microfiche.
“Recently, everything has become more computerized; there’s more online today, and everything's on your phone in an app.
“That's how life is now.”
Nicky said one of the best technological advancements to come to libraries is the growing availability of audio books, making ‘reading’ a possibility for the visually impaired.
Photo by
Ian Johnson
The biggest change Nicky has seen in the industry is the move to have everything accessible on people’s phones.
Where computers and online programs once streamlined the management of a library, phone apps have taken things to the next level.
“We've gone from having a computer at the front door where you could look up the catalogue, to having an app on your phone,” she said.
“You don't have to be in the library anymore; you can be at home, look it up and go, ‘Oh, they've got that book I'm looking for’, reserve it and pick it up the next day.
“It’s more intuitive as far as technology goes, it's easier to find your way through, and everything keeps getting updated.”
Despite the advances in technology, libraries remain an important part of the community, and while books are a big part of what they provide, they are becoming more of a social hub, something that AI and technology can’t replicate.
“We have new mums come in for story time,” Nicky said.
“It's a good point of social interaction for them.
“We have older people, sometimes newly retired, looking for things to fill their day, and we get a lot of people come in to get help with technology, which is becoming more of a thing.
“In those really hot or cold spells, people might not have the best heating or cooling at home, so they'll come in here and spend their time in the library, because it's comfortable for them.”
Nicky said they’re wondering how AI will feed into things in the future, with the technology likely to come to the bigger libraries in the city before regional libraries.
“We might not be on the leading edge of introducing that technology, but it does eventually get here,” she said.
Your nearest library
Corowa Library is at the Civic Centre at 100 Edward St and open Tuesday to Saturday.
Howlong Library is 59 Hawkins St, open Tuesday to Saturday.
The mobile library, with a brand-new library trailer travels 60,000kms a year and visits remote communities including Urana, Oaklands and Rand. It contains books, DVDs, magazines, and audiobooks for all ages, as well as public access computers and free Wi-Fi.
For more information on each library, go to Riverina Regional Library online.
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