Planning underway for the library of the future

Published: 26 February 2018

Napier City Council is asking the community to help shape the city’s future library services with its Love Your Library campaign.

A series of Love Your Library “ideas sessions” around the city will see the Libraries team out and about, helping to elicit feedback from locals and visitors alike.

Darran Gillies, Libraries Manager says he’s encouraging residents to “let the ideas flow!”

“Here at the libraries, we like to say that we’re on a remarkable journey of discovery. But we can’t go this expedition alone. We want library users and library enthusiasts – as well as the people who don’t normally go to the library - to help us design something that works for our whole community. We know there is a tonne of bright ideas out there – we just need to harness them!”

A series of Love Your Library “ideas sessions” around the city will see the Libraries team out and about, helping to elicit any feedback that locals and visitors might have. “That feedback might be around how the service could look, feel, operate, and also things like how we can better meet the needs of many cultures, promote inclusivity, use technology and create a truly welcoming environment. The library is a vital, vibrant centre for enriching the lives of Napier people and there is a lot of work to do to get the strategy right.”

NCC Libraries Manager, Darran Gillies: "We’re on a remarkable journey of discovery. But we can’t go this expedition alone. We want library users and library enthusiasts – as well as the people who don’t normally go to the library - to help us design something that works for our whole community."

Right now, Napier City Council provides library services from two locations: a temporary city library within MTG Hawke’s Bay, which opened earlier this month, and a branch library in Taradale. There is a total membership of around 34,000, in a population of more than 60,000. NCC Chief Executive Wayne Jack says once the strategy is complete later this year, Council can begin to contemplate where the new central library will be. “The Library building on Station Street is still on the table,” he says. “All of the Council administrative services, including the Library, can fit into that building if it’s renovated appropriately, and is affordable. So that’s still an option, as well as a number of other sites around the CBD that we’re investigating too.”

The first Love Your Library Ideas Session takes place at 10am tomorrow – Tuesday 27 February – at the Taradale Shopping Centre, with another session in the CBD at 12:30pm. Members of the public are welcome to pop along. For a full list of the sessions, see https://www.napierlibrary.co.nz/my-library/your-future-library/  - there's also a feedback form online and at library counters for anyone who wishes to have their library ideas considered. The close-off for gathering feedback and ideas is Monday 30 April 2018. 

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