City of Newcastle has turned the page on two decades of stories, learning and community connection at Wallsend Library, celebrating 20 years at the heart of the western suburbs in 2026.
Since 2006, the library has welcomed close to four million visitors, who have borrowed an incredible 7.9 million books from its shelves.
Cr Elizabeth Adamczyk, Cr Callum Pull and City of Newcastle Director of Museum Archives, Library and Learning Julie Baird celebrate 20 years of Wallsend Library, which has seen almost eight million books and other items borrowed by the community.
Wallsend Library has cemented its role as one of the region’s most used and loved community assets, notching up the title of Newcastle’s most visited library for 19 of its 20 years, beaten only by the Newcastle City branch last year.
Councillor Callum Pull said the role that the library had played in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people cannot be understated.
“In a fast but furious 20 years, Wallsend Library has shown a remarkable ability to be all things to all people,” Cr Pull said.
“Think of the youngsters who learn their ABCs here, the parents who rely on baby book club for connection, the students who study hard, and the thousands of Novocastrians who borrow books, surf the web, grab seeds for their gardens, and enjoy all the things a library offers.
“Newcastle should be proud of its libraries, and I encourage everyone to visit your local branch and take advantage of what these incredible community spaces have to offer, especially if it’s been a little while since your last visit.”
Architecturally stunning and award-winning upon its opening in 2006, Wallsend Library provides a unique oasis for millions of people with luscious indoor trees, high curved roofs, skylights and UV filtered windows.
Built to service the needs of the fast-growing western corridor, the current Wallsend Library replaced the 1948-built Wallsend Branch Library on Cowper Street.
City of Newcastle Director of Museum Archives, Library and Learning, Julie Baird said the branch plays a vital role in connecting people with one another.
“We are in the heart of the Wallsend retail precinct, you can catch a bus to our front door, and we were purpose-built for the growth we’re continuing to see in this part of the city,” Ms Baird said.
“To celebrate 20 years the community have created a kaleidoscope of butterflies for the windows, representing the transformative power of reading and storytelling, as well as the shared growth and transformation of the library and its community.
“We are proud that Wallsend Library can offer such a wide range of programs to support literacy, education, digital inclusion, and social connection across our western suburbs, and of the role that this branch and our people play to respond to the changing needs of our communities.”
Local resident Ashraf Abdelbkay said Wallsend Library has played a significant role in the lives of his family over the years.
“The library means a lot to me and to my family and to the community I belong to. I’m trying to connect my kids with a library here, to read books from a young age, to be familiar with the environment here in the library,” Mr Abdelbkay said.
“For my community, it’s a place where they come to the different programs here, [such as] Multicultural Book Club where people come and meet other people and exchange cultures. And I’m happy to see a lot of books here in the library in different languages.”
Visit the Newcastle Libraries website to learn more about the programs, exhibitions, events, catalogues, Newcastle history, venue hire, study spaces, online archives, and dozens of other services on offer.
