City of Ballarat residents will now have extended access to library services as part of a Council effort to address cost-of-living pressures.
The Ballarat, Wendouree and Sebastopol Libraries, which are operated by the City of Ballarat, will commence new opening hours from Monday 2 February. Additional weekend and evening hours will provide greater flexibility and access for residents.
The extended hours were first announced in the 2025/26 City of Ballarat budget as one of several Council initiatives to support the community with cost-of-living challenges.
City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Tracey Hargreaves welcomed the change in opening hours as a benefit to the community.
"We know that locals get a lot of value out of our libraries whether it's a young family enjoying storytime, a student using the public study spaces, or someone printing documents," she said.
"Ballarat City Council has committed to ease financial pressure on our community where we can. The extended hours at each of our three libraries are a way we're making it easier for residents of all ages to access free resources and programs."
A Ballarat Libraries card is free and provides access to a wide range of free services and resources, including:
- Free WiFi and public PCs
- Maker Space
- Free loans of books, DVDs, magazines and more
- Book chats
- Workshops
- Storytimes
- Digital Library Access
The announcement of the new opening hours comes two months after Council decided on Wendouree's Weeramar Park as the location for the proposed new Wendouree Library.
