Redeveloped Launceston LINC officially opened today

The newly redeveloped Launceston LINC offers new and modern literacy, learning and local history information for the Launceston community.

This $3.15 million upgrade across four floors of the Civic Square building includes new meeting and training rooms, a café, a refreshed children’s area, collection and reading spaces as well as the adoption of new technologies and contemporary design.

This redevelopment has put Launceston LINC in an excellent position to continue to provide important literacy, learning, local history and information services to the Launceston community as well as building on its connections with new and existing clients – readers, learners, researchers, educators and partners.

The project was initiated following a review of the buildings in Launceston managed by LINC Tasmania and concluded that in order to meet the current and future needs of LINC’s clients the High Street and Civic Square properties would be retained and upgraded. The York Street property has been decommissioned.

Launceston LINC currently caters for more than 320,000 visitors and clients per year, accessing services for a broad range of experiences including borrowing books, magazines and DVDs, the use of public access computers or connection to WiFi through their own devices. There are courses and structured learning opportunities, participation in early childhood programs for children and parents/carers and a range of public programs and exhibitions and hiring meeting spaces.

The state-of-the-art new facilities are expected to encourage more people in the Launceston area to engage with information and learning in a welcoming and comfortable environment.

This contemporary redevelopment has been brought to life by Launceston architects Carroll and Cockburn, the Department of Education’s Facility Services team, LINC Tasmania’s project team and builders Premium Constructions.

A significant public art work, commissioned through the Arts@work program and designed by Aaron Wasil of Futago, will be installed in the near future on the building façade.

This sculpture, inspired by the concept of ‘paper to pixel’ will weave its way up the front of the building to represent the evolution of information storage and access through the centuries.

From the outside to the inside, the new Launceston LINC demonstrates the spirit of innovation and collaboration that is hallmark of the LINC service model and its ongoing commitment to meet the evolving needs of Tasmanian communities.
Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Education and Training