NZ’s first suburban self-service library to open

New Zealand’s first suburban self-service library will open in Whanganui East on the country’s North Island in January 2019, reports the New Zealand Herald.

The new Hakeke Street Library, to be launched on 23 January by Whanganui District Library in partnership with Whanganui Advocacy and Support Trust community centre, will house a collection of about 2000 adult and children’s books.

Library members will be able to check books in and out and pay overdue charges by EFTPOS at self-service machines. A touchscreen PC will be available for creating and logging into library accounts, and for searching and reserving books. Staff will be available for basic assistance during opening hours.

Whanganui District Council libraries and community manager Pete Gray said that the library is a ‘new model for New Zealand’, and that it will ‘build deeper connections’ into the community.

‘We want the community to feel it’s their space and look after it. It’s not a council space; rather, it’s the council putting something into a space that is there for the community,’ said Gray. ‘No-one should be excluded from the library by distance or cost.’

The Hakeke Street Library is the first of several self-service libraries planned for Whanganui, with the Whanganui District Library seeking expressions of interest from other organisations in other suburbs interested in hosting a self-service library.

Category: Library news