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Napier LibrariesNgā Whare Pukapuka o Ahuriri

Napier Libraries provide safe and welcoming community spaces, where the informational, recreational and educational needs of everyone are met with free and personalised service

Napier Libraries MTG Jan 2018 12 resized

Progress made on Napier Library project

The new Napier Library is growing closer to becoming a reality with due diligence on the top three sites having been completed. A report on the options for the Napier Library is expected to go before Council in early 2020, for more information click here.

Our mission

Napier Libraries' objective is to "Help make Napier the best city in New Zealand by providing the best Public Library Service in New Zealand".

The Libraries' broader values were laid out in 2018 Napier Library Strategy (2MB): "We commit to listening to the needs of our internal customers and community and delivering excellence in service. We engage in a friendly, trustworthy and respectful manner embracing cultural heritage and diversity with an open mind."

Five objectives emerged from the Library Strategy that are essential to the library providing the best service for the community.

  • Enabling access – the support of learning, literacy and reading in both a physical and digital world. The library needs to continually develop services, skills and collections to meet changing customer expectations.
  • Space for all – With the adaption of the Library strategy ‘space for all’ becomes an important part of building the new library so that it is accessible, adaptable and appropriate multi-purpose areas fit for today and the future. Spaces to encourage a safe and welcoming environment.
  • Knowledge Advocates – Providing the right content, reducing barriers, responsive to community needs, being a trusted advocate in a time of information proliferation. We will do this by creating easy to access and relevant collections and databases that champion intellectual freedom and equal and free access to knowledge and information.
  • Community collaborators – Matching the needs of the wider community. Working with parts of the community most in need of our service. Develop programmes that will benefit our community, and connecting our community to relevant expertise, as well as collaborating with our community and social enterprise to expand our services.
  • Sustainable future – We are in a competitive world where people have more options. We have a responsibility to our environment. Libraries are ratepayer funded with traditional use in decline. Building expertise to provide a better service. Investing in an empowering our people, growing their knowledge and expertise to be ready for the future. A place for social enterprise to drive environmental good.

At Napier Libraries we're committed to providing a welcoming environment that honours biculturalism. In both our libraries you will find signage in English and Te Reo, and we aim to continue to develop the Māori content on our website.

History of Napier Libraries

Napier has had a public library service since the days of the Athenaeum, established in 1865. When Napier and Taradale amalgamated in 1968, the Taradale Library became a branch of the Napier Library. In 1986 the first purpose-built library opened in Station Street, next door to the main Council building. The Taradale Branch was located on Gloucester St until 1995, when it moved to its present location. The Napier Library remained the main city library until December 2017 when it closed due to a seismic assessment that met only 15% of New Building Standards.

We currently have two locations: The Napier Library is temporarily housed within the MTG Hawke's Bay and we have a branch library in Taradale. There is also a central city storage facility for our overflow, and items held there are available as free reserves. We’re committed to providing a welcoming environment that honours bi-culturalism and promotes inclusivity.   

Both libraries offer a variety of collections in multi-media formats which are free to borrow, these collections strive to match the interests and needs of the community. 

Our specialist collections

Napier Libraries holds unique collections such as:

  • A restorative justice collection known as the Robson Collection. This collection is hosted on behalf of the Napier Pilot City Trust / Tō Mātou Taiwhenua Kōkiri o Mataruahau. 
  • The International Humanitarian Law Book Collection which helps to make sense of, and points the way to combatting, the effects of the calamities and insanities of crimes against humanity throughout our world. 
  • The Māori collection contains items written in English, Te Reo Māori and bilingual material. There are works by Māori authors as well as works on general subjects that feature predominantly Māori content. 
  • A special reference and local history collection includes local and central government publications, maps and genealogy resources.

Napier Libraries images

Library Services

Library Services Fees and Charges approved for 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024.

All fees and charges are inclusive of GST (except as noted *).

Library Services Charges Fee (incl GST)
 
Rentals
Book RentalNo Charge 
DVD Rental - new title, per item 7 days$4.80 
DVD Rental per item, including Children's, 7 days$2.70 
DVD Rental - series, 14 days$7.00 
Interloan Charges
Interloan reciprocal library No Charge 
Postage Fee$7.00 
Interloan (non reciprocal library admin fee) $15.00 
Membership Cards
Replacement of Membership Cards$6.40 
Research Services
Per hour with first 15 minutes free$56.00 
Photocopying & Printing
Per A4 sheet Black & White $0.40 
Per A3 sheet Black & White $0.60 
Per A4 sheet Colour $1.10 
Per A3 sheet Colour $3.20 

Charges Related to Damaged or Lost Items Fee (incl GST)
Note: Books with a high replacement value are priced at the discretion of library management
Item Charges
Items are charged at individual purchase price as per catalogue record. If a purchase price is not recorded, a standard replacement cost is charged as per the following average item price tableIndividual Purchase Price 

Books Fee (incl GST)
 
Books standard replacement cost$45.00 
DVD & Audiobooks
Per Disk standard replacement cost$25.00 
Childrens Puzzles
Children's Puzzles$25.00 

Napier Libraries Napier Location Map

Napier Libraries Taradale Location Map

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Napier City Council - Copyright © 2024 Napier City Council

Disclaimers and Copyright
While every endeavour has been taken by the Napier City Council to ensure that the information on this website is accurate and up to date, Napier City Council shall not be liable for any loss suffered through the use, directly or indirectly, of information on this website. Information contained has been assembled in good faith. Some of the information available in this site is from the New Zealand Public domain and supplied by relevant government agencies. Napier City Council cannot accept any liability for its accuracy or content. Portions of the information and material on this site, including data, pages, documents, online graphics and images are protected by copyright, unless specifically notified to the contrary. Externally sourced information or material is copyright to the respective provider.

© Napier City Council - www.napier.govt.nz / +64 6 835 7579 / info@napier.govt.nz