Kids who visit any Blue Mountains Library branch between Thursday 30 July and Sunday 2 August will leave with more than a book. They will leave with free chocolate.
Four days of free activities will mark the statewide Open Doors, Open Books, Open Minds Library Open Day, with Blue Mountains City Council stretching the 30 July celebration across an entire long weekend. The program is designed to pull families, retirees, and new residents through library doors during the July school holidays and show them what a modern public library actually does.
A scavenger hunt across the collection is the headline draw. Participants receive a chocolate and a badge upon completion. Alongside it, the “Library That Made Me” postcard competition invites residents to share what their local branch has meant to them, while anyone who signs up for a library card during the four days gets a special themed gift.
Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said the event is about resetting expectations. “Public libraries are unique community spaces where everyone is welcome,” he said. “Our libraries offer so much more than books. They are welcoming places that bring people together, support lifelong learning and open doors to new interests and opportunities.”
Deputy Mayor Romola Hollywood, who is also President of the NSW Public Libraries Association, said the open day is a statewide invitation for people to rediscover their local library and everything it has to offer. “Public libraries open doors to opportunity, open books to knowledge and open minds to new ideas, skills and experiences,” she said. “We encourage everyone to visit their local library, meet the people who bring it to life and explore the extraordinary range of free services available.”
Libraries across NSW will run parallel events on 30 July, from chair yoga at Sutherland Shire to board games and film screenings at Henty. The Blue Mountains branch has built its own reputation for adapting services for its communities. After the 2019-20 bushfires, remote lockers and RFID technology were rolled out to ensure fire-affected townships stayed connected to the collection. The 2023 Springwood Library grand opening, school holiday science fairs, and local history talks with the historical society cemented the branches as hubs that go well beyond quiet reading rooms.
If you are heading up for the open days, aim to arrive early in the four-day window. The scavenger hunt is likely to be the most popular activity, and the chocolate-and-badge reward is available only while supplies hold. Residents who join the library during the celebration receive that themed gift, a detail council is hoping will convert casual visitors into regular borrowers long after the freebies run out.
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Blue Mountains City Council
Local government authority responsible for the Blue Mountains region west of Sydney, managing libraries, community services and events.
All branches are accessible by train on the Blue Mountains Line, with Katoomba and Springwood stations the most direct gateways to library sites. Local buses run from both stations. Check the library’s website for specific branch addresses and parking details. The celebration pairs easily with a school-holiday day trip: the Three Sisters lookout is a short detour from Katoomba, and both Katoomba and Springwood streets have cafes that will be buzzing during the holidays. The Blue Mountains Theatre and Community Hub may also have extra programming across the same weekend.
The “Library That Made Me” postcard competition runs throughout the four days. It is, in effect, a quiet invitation to tell a story that the council cannot script: the reason someone first walked through a library door, and what they found there.