Rosewood History

LIBRARIES

School of Arts

In 1909, when the Rosewood School of Arts was established, a small library was available for borrowing by adult residents. A decision was made in August 1910 to reduce the borrowing time to a fortnight to enable more people to use the service. When a dedicated building for the School of Arts was opened in 1912 in the corner of the school grounds, opposite the Rising Sun Hotel, it included a spacious reading room. The number of books quickly increased. Some were donated from individuals and other organisations and as funds became available, new books were purchased, including 10 volumes of Chambers Encyclopaedia from Angus and Robertson in Sydney. Books were also exchanged between other School of Arts.

The library operated on Tuesday and Friday nights and Saturday mornings. 1,650 books were borrowed in the 1912 year. In 1922 the School of Arts had 1,257 books in the reading room. The School of Arts closed about 1959.

There were also libraries in the schools and Sunday schools for students.

Country Extension Service

From 1950’s, onwards, borrowing a library book in a country town in Queensland was often done through the local public library (e.g. Ipswich) or the Country Extension Service (CES). It was a pioneering program of the State Library of Queensland established in 1947. The service had a double function, to send books and information to individual borrowers who did not have access to other libraries, and it also assisted libraries by supplementing their book stock. This particular service was to help country people and give them the realisation of the wide facilities available to them.

The children’s section was one of the most important services to the country. It accustomed children to the use of the free lending service and enabled them to realise the benefits of this free service and continue it in their adult life.

Building books were in great demand, as were interior decoration and cooking books. There was a wide collection of books for mothers to read to younger children, and the arts were not neglected. The lives of great musicians, painters, sculptors, inventors were all told in story form.

Borrowers were allowed three books at a time and could change them as often as they wished. Freight was free to the reader and there was a special railway freight concession on their return.

The service transitioned into the Rural Libraries Queensland (RLQ).

Mobile Library

The first Ipswich City Council mobile library service arrived at Lobley Park, Churchill on 6th November 1975. It carried 2500 books etc and went to nine sites across the city, expanding to twelve, and travelled 700km every fortnight.

Moreton Shire (in which Rosewood was situated) purchased a Mobile Library in 1992 to service the shire.
Arrival of the Moreton Shire Mobile Library, 1st April 1992 (Picture Ipswich)

When Moreton Shire amalgamated with Ipswich in 1995 and become the City of Ipswich, the mobile libraries of both combined to servicie the area. By 2003 a mobile library was visiting Rosewood weekly. As the population expanded, so did the number of towns the library truck stopped at, and visits changed to fortnightly.

A new mobile library truck hit the streets on 26th July 2016, visiting Rosewood for the first time in August. Its stop was in John Street near Cabanda Care.

The mobile library wound up its service on Friday 22nd November 2019, after which an interim library (static) opened on Monday 6th January 2020 in the carpark at Anzac park. It was open Monday to Friday.

The Rosewood Library

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Before and After Views – 15 Railway Street, Rosewood. (Corner of John Street and Railway Street)

Construction started on a two-storey library for Rosewood on 31st May 2019, when local government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe turned the first sod on the $7.5 million project with a golden shovel.

The Rosewood Library was opened by Minister Hinchliffe and Ipswich City Mayor Teresa Harding on Saturday, 25th July 2020. A select few members of the community and dignitaries were given a special preview before the library opened to public on Monday, 27th July 2020. The Rosewood residents were offered the chance to attend one of three preview walk-throughs and were selected by a random ticket draw.

The Engineering Consultants: Bligh Tanner Architects: Architetus

Drone video at Rosewood, South East Queensland 16th July 2019 – Capturing the proposed Rosewood library site before construction commenced.

The Australian Cultural Library Inc.

66 John St, Rosewood
President & Director: Steve Towson
Director: Vanessa Glenn

The Australian Cultural Library was originally established on 18th May 2012 in Toowoomba. The project began with Steve’s large collection of Australian folk music and expanded with Vanessa’s idea of adding a library in 2013. After moving from Toowoomba to Townsville for a short while, Steve Towson eventually bought a property in Rosewood in 2019. It was formerly the Rosewood Bakery. Steve and Venessa spent the few next years renovating the house, creating a functional office, establishing the grounds, fitting out a large shed at the back for the purpose of a library, processing donations and housing the collection.

The library operates with volunteers and a sea of donations and will accept almost anything “arts/humanities”, made by someone who was born in Australia or migrated here. i.e. music, poetry, books, film, VHS tapes, sheet music, visual art etc. They aim is to collect, preserve and house cultural works which otherwise would be discarded, connecting the new with the old, and showcasing the history of Australian Arts.

The official opening of the Australian Cultural Library took place at 10am on Saturday, 24th February 2024.