Mt Barker Library wins State award for Reading for Generations project showcasing community culture

Mt Barker Public Library’s Reading for Generations project has earned an award from the Library Board of WA for a series of collaborative storybooks aimed at fostering cultural inclusivity in the community.

The award for the project was presented at the 2025 Library Board of WA awards night on July 31, the showpiece of Library and Information Week at the WA State Library in Perth.

The annual awards night aims to showcase the work of WA’s communities and libraries to the wider community, and is an opportunity for regional library projects to be recognised on a Statewide stage.

The four children’s books are presented in dual languages to help Noongar and Hazara children read in both English and their traditional languages and are based on traditional stories and historical figures from both cultures.

The project, a three-year labour of love for a dedicated team in the Great Southern community, won the Innovation and Collaboration award, which is aimed at small, regional libraries.

The judges praised the project as “a strong community initiative that was genuinely consultative, collaborative and inclusive, with a focus on engaging new and diverse library clients”.

Shire of Plantagenet manager community and recreation services Nicole Selesnew said she was thrilled the stories would be an accessible and inclusive resource for generations to come.

“This project was a true community partnership involving Indigenous elders and leaders from the Plantagenet Hazara and Menang Noongar communities generously sharing and recording stories that have been passed from generation to generation,” she said.

“Reading for Generations was initiated in 2022 to support children’s early literacy development through encouraging Hazara families to read with their children, and to build community pride and support for Noongar language development.”

Launched at Mt Barker Community College in April, the series of children’s books were written by local authors and illustrated by MBCC students.

They also feature an online audio aspect, downloadable so the stories can be listened to in both Menang Noongar and Hazaragi.

Ms Selesnew thanked a range of contributors and helpers, including the Mt Barker Community College primary school students who illustrated the books.

The storybooks can be purchased in hard copy or digital here: https://tinyurl.com/3mf4d4a6