Too tight for toys

Bridget (centre) and friends Laura and Clara play with educational toys from Kyneton Toy Library.

Kylie Kitchen 

Kyneton Toy Library's location has been reduced from a room to a cupboard, leaving it significantly short of space to store its collection.

A room at the Kyneton Maternal Child Health Centre had housed the toy library for more than 20 years.

Recent Macedon Ranges Council renovations at the centre have seen that room become an access way for a new disabled toilet.

A wall-to-wall cupboard was installed for the toy library to replace the room, but volunteers say the alternative space is insufficient to store the collection of more than 350 toys.

Kyneton Toy Library volunteer, Lisa Ohlmus, is frustrated at council's actions. 

"In the last two months since council notified us about the works, we've repeatedly told staff the renovated space would be woefully inadequate and we require an outdoor shed to store excess toys elsewhere on the site. But our pleas have fallen on deaf ears," Ms Ohlmus said. 

"We've basically been told the storage issues are our problem and we'll have to store our excess toys somewhere else because they don't have the budget.

"For obvious reasons, storing our toys in two locations just isn't practical but council just doesn't seem to care. We're being completely steamrolled."

Ms Ohlmus is said an access ladder provided for the high cupboard is a risk to families.

"We're concerned about the risk of injury for members using this ladder, not to mention the risks for adventurous children and toddlers who will no doubt try to climb it," she said.

Volunteers and user families are concerned council is disregarding the value of the toy library.

"We feel strongly about this community resource because toy libraries can play such an important role in children's development," Ms Ohlmus said.

"Play is an essential party of early childhood development and toy libraries enable children access to a far greater range of toys and learning experiences."

Council community wellbeing director, Karen Stevens, said council supports the toy library as an important service.

The renovation was designed to allow use of the space when the toy library is not operating, Ms Stevens said.

"The toy library operates for 3.5 hours per week, two of which are on a Saturday when the kindergarten and maternal and child health centre do not operate.

"We have tried to meet the needs of all potential users of this multipurpose space.

"The space now available to the toy library is wall-to-wall (4.5m) and floor to ceiling (2.85m) with a 900mm depth."

Ms Stevens said a majority of the toys should be out on loan, rather than in storage.

"Council is also investigating locations for a 12-month temporary offsite storage arrangement for larger toys, while the library considers ongoing storage options and reassesses their stock requirements," Ms Stevens said.

"The toy library also accepted an offer by council to provide funding for an iPad to support the setup of a 'virtual' toy library, where families could browse the library online and book larger toys that will need to be stored off-site."

To find out more about the toy library and become a member, email lohlmus@hotmail.com