A new chapter for Canberra's libraries, written with the community

Libraries ACT · Strategy Design · Arts and Culture, Social and Public Welfare

We co-designed Libraries ACT's Imagine 2030 strategy, A New Chapter, turning 7,000+ community voices into a clear five-pillar plan for the future of Canberra's libraries.

The challenge

Libraries ACT needed a strategy to carry its service to 2030 and beyond. A parliamentary inquiry had handed down fourteen recommendations, the community expected a real say, and the strategy had to reconcile competing needs: physical and digital access, a growing and ageing population, new branches on the horizon, and the truth that libraries are now far more than books. The task was to turn the evidence, the recommendations and thousands of community voices into one clear, inspiring plan that staff, stakeholders and Canberrans could rally behind.

What we did

We designed the Imagine 2030 strategy through a genuine co-design process. We listened at scale, drawing on more than 7,000 qualitative data points and feedback from 114 library staff, 93 community members, 75 library stakeholders and 16 non-library users. We ran the work as three structured sprints anchored by a co-design workshop that confirmed the pillars and outcomes with the people who use and run the libraries. From there we built the full strategy architecture: a clear purpose and five pillars (Customer Experience, Thriving Workforce, Inclusive Spaces, Connected Services and Smart Systems), each with its own goals, key actions and measurable success targets, plus a phased roadmap (Prepare, Toward, Beyond). Throughout, we kept the human thread front and centre, opening on community voices and leading with an Acknowledgement of Country and First Nations artwork.

The impact

Libraries ACT now has a clear, community-backed strategy, A New Chapter: Libraries ACT 2030 and Beyond. Thousands of voices became one coherent direction, the inquiry's recommendations are answered inside a structured plan, and every pillar carries concrete success measures so progress can be tracked rather than assumed.

Deliverables

Analysis of more than 7,000 community data points

Staff, stakeholder and community engagement

Three structured design sprints

Community co-design workshop

Purpose and five strategic pillars

Goals, key actions and success measures for every pillar

Phased roadmap: Prepare, Toward, Beyond

Launch-ready strategy document

Case studies

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