Poster Session
Presentation Title:
Creating a positive impact and setting children up for a love of reading and lifelong learning in Tamworth
Presenter:
Ita Hanssens
Date:
Thursday 14 May 2026 | 1:00pm – 1:30pm
Presentation Description:
This poster demonstrates the long-term impact of book-gifting through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in regional NSW on children, their families and the Tamworth Regional Libraries. Findings demonstrate greater caregiver and child engagement in shared book reading and long-term impact on library membership, attendance, outreach and staff engagement with the community through education.
Ita Hanssens
Team Leader Learning Experiences
Tamworth Library
Presenter Bio
Ita Hanssens is the Team Leader Learning Experiences at Tamworth Library. Ita’s team started the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Tamworth and they handle the admin and registrations. Ita has over 15 years’ experience working in libraries in city, coast and regional branches. Ita holds a Bachelor in Information Studies, specialising in Librarianship. Ita works closely with the State Library of NSW to edit the Reference Excellence training modules and was an active part of the Reader’s Advisory Working Group. Ita has presented at Reference Seminars and at Readers’ Advisory Seminars both online and at the State Library of NSW. She has been a guest lecturer at Charles Sturt University and has written book reviews for the Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association.