Coventry Library
Completed in December 2007, the striking Coventry Library in Stirling received a Commendation for Public Architecture and an Award of Merit for Interior Architecture from the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (SA). It’s well worth a visit just to admire the building itself.
Coventry Library celebrates the concept of the ‘third place’, the kind of civic structure that connects people beyond their home and workplace. It’s been embraced as a community hub, with over 900 visitors per day, making it one of the busiest public libraries in South Australia.
Read the paper or a magazine with a coffee, browse the substantial collection of books, CDs and DVDs, or shut out the world with a range of music through a set of headphones in a comfy booth. Use the library’s computers or bring your own and take advantage of free wifi. In the warmer months you can even borrow a deck chair and sit on the lawns!
The lush Library lawns are a popular place for community events. The lawns are a shady summer spot for a picnic, with free barbecue facilities around the rotunda.
One of Stirling’s sculptures from the Adelaide Hills International Sculpture Symposium takes centre place. Carved from black granite from Black Hill in Walker Flat, South Australia, by Spanish artist Miguel Isla in 2012, the sculpture is titled The Remoteness.
Visitors to the library can learn about local history via the Mount Lofty Historical Society’s collection, with volunteers happy to assist with enquiries between 2pm and 4pm on the days the library is open.