Driving the bush track to the superhighway: The Maroochy Mobile Library experience

As non‐traditiona! entry to higher education increases, combined with high quality distance education and parttime learning opportunities which create an emphasis on the concept of “lifelong learning”, the demand for learning resources and library services in all communities will increase. Provided that public libraries can rise to the inherent challenges in meeting the needs of lifelong learners, they will become the institution of choice for the general public for support of learning and education, offering prospective learners potential access to a wide range of high quality learning resources, no matter where they, or the resources, may be geographically situated. In this, by taking advantage of the advances of technology, the mobile library may expand its traditional role and be a major player in repositioning the library as an information broker in support of lifelong learning in remote or marginalised communities.