Sandi McNeilly loves watching Waurn Ponds Library members transition through life's stages from her vantage point behind the front desk.
"They start out at the baby time sessions, progress to toddler time and pre-school story time, then you see them at the school holiday activities," she says.
"It's wonderful watching them grow and change with the library remaining that constant place for them to always come back to."
The library coordinator, who previously ran the children's program, reflects on her best memories of the place.
"My favourite story was when a young girl came in and said to me 'I'm the best reader in my class because I've been coming to the library since I was a baby,'" she says.
"It was such a lovely thing to hear – and coming from a sevenyear-old too!
"And she was right. She'd been there since she was a baby. I'd seen her every week. Her parents took her to everything, from story time right up to the school holiday sessions."
Sandi says the girl was one of many local families who made the Waurn Ponds Library their base.
"A guy used to come in all the time, I think he ran his business from the library. He was here every day and would bring his lunch in and heat it up in the microwave. Then, years later, his partner brought their baby in and he'd join them for story time then go back to his work.
"I love seeing that crossover. Here he was using the library for business, but in the meantime he has had a baby and the whole family is using the place."
Libraries have transitioned beyond simply being a home of books and now serve a wide range of purposes in communities. Perhaps connecting people is now their greatest achievement.
"I've seen beautiful friendships formed here, from the mothers who hang around and chat with one another after baby time, to two homeless people who used to sit out the front when the library was closed and chat while they used our outdoor power point to charge their phones," Sandi says.
"For a lot of people, it's just a space for them to be, and I think it gives them comfort to know we're here.
"It's a great place to meet other people, and the activities are all free. There's not a lot you can do for free these days."
In reminiscing, Sandi repeatedly refers to "pre-COVID" times, as it's been a distinguishing point in time for the library.
"There's been a huge shift," she says. "For a while there grandparents stopped coming in with the kids and we didn't see many of our regulars, but it feels like things are slowly getting back."
The library has been a saviour for people from all walks of life and it served an important purpose during lockdowns.
"We had a click and collect service running and every now and then we'd find lovely handwritten notes slipped into the books," Sandi says.
"One that springs to mind said: 'One of the highlights of the lockdowns was being able to get more books. Don't know how we would have survived without the library.'"
Sandi says it's hard to sum up the typical profile of a library regular as it varies from families, students studying, people working or running their own businesses, people with special needs that come in with their carers, to the occasional author who is keen to get out of the house.
She says Jobs Victoria staff also come in every Monday afternoon and offer to help people who are looking for work.
The library runs regular book chats, craft classes, technology lessons designed for older people and sessions for helping you save on your energy and gas bills. It is an incredible free resource for everyone, no matter what stage of life you are at.
Find out all that your local library offers at grlc.vic.gov.au.
