06 Mar 2018 The Free Press, Kilmore, VIC (General News) SEYMOUR Library held an emotional opening ceremony lor their new outdoor sensory area on Thursday as they continue taking strides towards connecting with their community. The innovative space will be used by people from all walks ol life and is slated to have a large impact on the region. The librarys Customer and Library Services coordinator Paula llutchinson said it was an emotional time for the staff who has worked hard in establishing the new area. I am ecstatic, it has been a vision of thedepartment lor a long time and to see it here is fantastic. she said. Our idea is to connect with everyone in our community and with this space we can offer new programs from now o n / Both Mitchell Shire Council Mayor Rhonda Sanderson and Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes spoke at the opening ceremony. Both parties spoke of their desire to deliver similar projects. Ms Sanderson said there would be a dedicated wet area lor painting and craft activities, garden area and access to the librarys Wi-Fi had turned a once drab and disused outdoor area into avibrant learning hub. This new space is bright, fun and will provide greater opportunities lor people to collectively explore and develop interests, get creative, share experiences and learn new stalls, Cr Sanderson said. It will also promote childhood development and social connectedness. The library is a sale and inclusive space that welcomes all memhers ol our diverse community and the outdoor space will hopefully bring even more people in to visit and explore the fantastic rangeof services on offer/ Ms Symes said she was proud to see this project help Seymour move forward. This project is Stage 2 of the Recreating Community Learning in Seymour Project and has transformed a disused outdoor area into a visual and sensory outdoor extension of the library, she said. Libraries today are about so much more than just books, they provide access to technology like computers and the internet; they are magical places lor childrens story time, meeting points for book clubs, and offer a wide rangeof community and childrens literary events. The upgrade was funded by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning*s Living Libraries Infrastructure Program ($100,000) and Mitchell Shire Council [$33,334). Caption Text: Now open: Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symesand Mitchell Shire Mayor Rhonda Sanderson cutting the ribbon.Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.