Uranquinty community's engaging week with mobile library service

The Uranquinty community has had an engaging week by signing up for the new mobile library service and getting information on weed management.

Wagga Wagga City Council’s vegetation management team, along with the new Agile Library Service, visited the residents of Uranquinty to connect with the community.

The Agile Library Service invited the residents to the regular stop between the Uranqunity Neighbourhood Centre and the Men’s Shed on Connorton Street.

The mobile library service helped the residents sign up for their new Wagga Wagga City Library membership and assisted them with their access collection.

The children at Uranquinty Preschool had a storytime session with the Agile Library officers.

Agile Library officer Murray McBryde said the rollout of the mobile library was coming along smoothly.

“Being able to get out and provide the library service to residents living in more remote areas of our local government area and to see the smiles on people’s faces has been particularly rewarding,” Mr McBryde said.

“People are starting to recognise the Agile Library vans while we are on the road, which is great to see.

“While the service is about facilitating access to books and other library services, it’s not just about reading.”

The officer said the service created opportunities for more social connections in both suburban and rural communities.

While the Agile Library Service was occupied on one side, the council’s vegetation management team were busy handing out free native plants to community members as part of the ‘One Tree for Me’ program.

The vegetation team also shared its knowledge of weed control techniques.

Wagga City Council’s vegetation management officer Chris Holman said his team’s core business was managing weeds on council land and roadsides and facilitating inspections of farms, nurseries and landscaping suppliers.

“An important aspect of our role is educating the community on weeds of concern,” Mr Holman said.

“Weeds are highly invasive in nature and are getting into our primary agricultural land, which impacts on harvest, cropping yields and even livestock. Farmers are losing valuable products, and this negatively affects the overall economy.

“The planting of natives can be a great solution as they are low maintenance, low water usage, improve our overall urban environment and provide competition for weed species.”

Mr Holman said his team had a great opportunity to engage with the community while working with the mobile library service.

He said the combined efforts also allowed the council teams to share knowledge and open the channels for conversation with Uranquinty landholders.

To find out more about the importance of managing weeds and the services the council provides, click here.

For information on the Agile Library schedule, click here.