Project overview

Libraries are at the heart of our community. They are places for everyone, providing access to resources, programs, and spaces that inspire learning, creativity, and connection.

Council is preparing a new 10-year plan for our library service. This will ensure that our services continues to evolve to the needs of our growing and diverse community.

Between March and May 2025, we asked for community feedback on your current experience of our libraries, and ideas for the future.

About our library service

Today, the Sunshine Coast libraries network comprises eight library branches, a mobile library, an express library and a heritage library, as well as the eLibrary catalogue.

Our library service is well used by residents, workers and visitors to the Sunshine Coast. People use the library for a variety of reasons – to borrow physical or online resources, access free WiFi, attend an event or program, or to work and study. Our libraries are much loved places in our community. In 2023/2024, the library network had:

• 931,000 in-person branch visits
• Over 126,000 library members
• 30,733 attendees to our library programs, and
• 854,000 interactions with our eLibrary.

Council currently has two plans guiding the Sunshine Coast Library service.

1. The Sunshine Coast Libraries Plan 2014-2024 is focused on operations and service delivery. This document has reached the end of its life and is being reviewed as part of this project.
2. The second plan is the Libraries Network Plan 2019-2041, that is focused on the provision of library branches across the region.

Community engagement

Between Monday, 31 March and Monday, 5 May 2025, we asked for feedback on what you currently love doing at the library and what you’d like to do there in the future, from services, to programs and events.

There were several ways to get involved and have your say, including via online survey, sharing your views at a local pop-up, or by visiting a library branch.

Your input will help ensure that our libraries service continues to evolve with the growth and change of our community, and the world around us.

The survey was aimed at current users, as well as people who may have never visited Sunshine Coast Libraries or accessed its collection and services online.

Next steps

Now that the engagement period has closed, Council will:

• Review all community feedback to identify key themes and priorities.
• Develop the Sunshine Coast Library Services Plan 2025-2035, as informed by the community’s input.

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Your views and ideas will help us to shape the future of Council’s library service.

Contact us

Sunshine Coast Libraries Services Team

Phone customer service: 5475 8989

Email: libraries@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au