Entertainment
12 February, 2022
Visit Cairns Libraries from the comfort of home
STEP inside and explore what Cairns Libraries have to offer without leaving home.
Council has launched 360° Virtual Tours of all eight Cairns library branches, allowing people to view collection highlights or use the floor plan to explore individual spaces using a personal device.
Virtual visitors can also click or hover on “signposts” for more information about a service or feature. Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said the virtual tours aim to encourage, increase and extend ongoing community engagement with the Cairns Libraries website, collections and physical venues.
“Libraries are an important part of the community; they provide information and resources, are a place where people can connect, and importantly encourage children to read,” Cr Manning said.
“With ongoing changes and growing concerns about COVID-19, incorporating 3D Virtual Tours was timely. The tours have allowed Cairns Libraries to pivot into a new online space, creating new ways to share libraries with the community.
“They are designed to allow people to step inside one of our branches using their smartphone, tablet or PC, and gain a sense of what they can expect to see or do during a library visit.
“The tours are simple to navigate, and once people start roaming around and clicking on the signposts, I know they will be surprised and impressed by the number of services and resources available.
“Hopefully, after taking a virtual tour, people will be encouraged to visit a library branch in person.”
The project was proudly funded and supported by the Queensland Government and State Library of Queensland.
Council was awarded a Queensland Government Strategic Priorities Grant for $18,420 to create the 360° Virtual Tours.
Visit Cairns Libraries website (www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library) to take a tour.
