Sydney’s new Darling Square Library is now open with more than 30,000 items available to borrowers and located over two floors of the Exchange. Wrapped in over 20 kilometres of timber ribbons, this unique spiral-like building is a focal point of the new neighbourhood next to Haymarket and Darling Harbour.
As well as housing the library, the Exchange is home to a child-care centre, a rooftop restaurant and bar and, on the ground floor, an upmarket food court, the now-opened Maker’s Dozen – which includes dessert and pastry creators to craft beer aficionados and fusion food specialists.
Darling Square is the last stage of the NSW government’s $3.4 billion revitalisation of Darling Harbour, rising from the space once occupied by the Sydney Entertainment Centre.
The new library officially opened on November 9 and is four times the size of the Haymarket Library it replaced. It is open seven days a week and houses a large Asian literature collection. It also offers spaces to read, work and study, which include meeting rooms available for hire, public computers and free wifi. A dedicated children’s area hosts regular bilingual rhymetime and storytime sessions.
The Ideas Lab on level 1 is a dedicated makerspace and multipurpose room to create, invent or tinker. The program of hands-on workshops features 3D design and printing, robotics and electronics to help startups and curious makers upskill, share knowledge and network.
Membership is free for NSW residents and members can enjoy borrowing up to 30 items for three weeks.
On the day I visit, the library is buzzy with children, parents and grandparents, staff helping borrowers and chatting while shelving, and teens tinkering with their creations in the makerspace room. In quieter areas people are checking emails, charging their phones and reading Chinese newspapers. I’m tempted to borrow So Here I Am: Speeches to Empower and Inspire by Anna Russell, a Ben Harper CD and an illustrated book about the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. My companion borrows a Bill Bryson audio book, and is happy we’ve explored this urban oasis.
The Council of the City of Sydney says there are eight reasons to love Darling Square Library.
They are: the architecture; membership and borrowing are free; space to study, work, collaborate or just relax; a dedicated space and an exciting program to help startups and curious makers to upskill, share knowledge and network; classic video game consoles to borrow; and free wifi, free events and workshops for all ages.
Why not visit the library at 1 Little Pier Street, Haymarket, and see for yourself?
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For more information see https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/explore/libraries/locations/darling-square
