Lila Tucker browsing at Wollongong Library. Picture: ADAM McLEAN
Matchbox cars were the latest children's toys and television was still an untried gadget when Lila Tucker first joined her local library.
Now 87, Mrs Tucker fondly recalls making regular trips to the Balgownie community hall-library as a young woman, scanning the shelves for the latest titles in her favoured genres - historical fiction and western.
Six decades and thousands of dog-eared books later, Mrs Tucker remains an avid library user. She averages about six books a fortnight, often reading them from cover to cover in one sitting.
"It's much easier to borrow books these days, and there's a bigger selection," she said.
"I have no idea how many I've borrowed over the years, but I haven't read all the books yet."
Mrs Tucker believes libraries are "essential" in the community.
"I think there's a lot [of people] in my age group that depend on the library," she said.
"I'm on the pension so I can't afford to buy lots of books, but I also don't want them all - it'd be too much clutter."