Newcastle Region Library - November 2008

Ten Minutes a Day program

Newcastle Region Library has been operating since 1947.  The Newcastle library is the number one lending library in NSW with loans exceeding 2 million per annum.  Library membership in the Newcastle LGA is 84,500, which represents just over 70% of the Newcastle population.

Newcastle Region Library’s “Ten Minutes a Day” is an educational program aiming to improve literacy rates within the community particularly with children aged 1-4 years old.  This program was established in 2002 as a joint initiative between the Society and Newcastle Region Library.  The brochure that was developed around this program received national recognition for its attempts to encourage parents to read to their children on a daily basis.  In mid 2006 the Foundation provided a further $15,000 to fund the expansion of this program in Newcastle.

Funds were sought to introduce this program in four new communities, namely Lismore, Ballina, Tamworth and Armidale and to further expand the program in Newcastle.