General News
5 June, 2025
Libraries more than books
CAIRNS Libraries have emerged as a top performer in several key areas of the latest public library benchmarking report.
Key services were benchmarked against similar libraries in Queensland, including Ipswich, Redland, Toowoomba and Townsville. A council report said in terms of physical visitation rate, Cairns leads with 4.10 visits per capita, with Ipswich ranked second at 3.50 visits per capita, ahead of Redlands at 2.80, Toowoomba at 2.00, and Townsville at 1.80.
“Cairns ranked second in program attendance per capita (0.32), behind Ipswich (0.37) with a near-even balance of onsite and offsite participation,” it said. “In the field of digital infrastructure, Cairns Libraries offer 1.51 internet access devices per 2500 people – well above the benchmark average of 0.94.
“The city also recorded the highest internet usage, with over 170,000 hours logged, underscoring its role in supporting digital access for everyone.
“Providing up-to-date resources remains a priority, with 77 per cent of Cairns’ physical collection acquired within the past five years, only Redland scored higher with 86 per cent.
“Cairns Libraries ranked second in acquisition of physical items with 0.17 items per capita, although collection usage (6.65 loans per capita) and physical items per capita (1.01) were in the lower half compared with other benchmarked councils.”
The report said, although recording the lowest membership percentage (16.9 per cent), it was noted that Cairns’ data reflects only active users, offering a more accurate picture of engaged residents.
Cr Cathy Zeiger (Div. 3) said it was clear “we love our libraries”.
She told the May 14 council meeting that the community embraced the region’s libraries and it was not just books.
Cr Rob Pyne (Div. 5) said library membership was beneficial and informative.
He said the service levels were “fantastic” and libraries played an important role for those of lower socio-economic backgrounds.
The council report said that Cairns Libraries “have strong community engagement with a well-utilised network and a high level of community reliance on technology access”.
