14/10/2026
Did you know there’s an Australian Standard behind how wide the space between library shelves should be?
It’s called AS 1428.1, and it’s all about making sure everyone can move around a building, including people in wheelchairs.
How is it measured? A wheelchair needs a path at least 1,000 mm wide to get through, but turning around takes more than 1.5 metres.
So, imagine a school library. The shelves are in, and the aisle looks fine on the plan. Then a student in a wheelchair goes down it, reaches the end, and has nowhere to turn. That’s not right!
And width is only half of it. Reach is the other half. If the book sits on the top shelf, someone who’s seated still can’t get to it. The State Library of NSW puts it simply: shelving should be “at the appropriate height and reach for all users.”
The good news is that this is easy to get right at the planning stage, as long as shelves, tables and chairs are planned together. That’s why it’s so important for suppliers, architects and school teams to work together, so the library works for every student.
The State Library of NSW has lots of free resources if you want to know more: https://pls.sl.nsw.gov.au/managing-my-library/buildings-and-spaces/library-layout-templates-and-modules