Boom time for book lovers

By Sarah Ell

NZ Herald·

12 Dec, 2014 06:00 PM6 mins to read

Sarah Ell investigates the renaissance of Auckland's libraries and their transformation into community centres for the digital age.

One of the pleasures of summer is relaxing with a good book -- and children on holiday especially can enjoy a host of summer reading. Aucklanders have access to an astonishing 3.5 million books, DVDs, games and reference materials, across 55 libraries from Wellsford to Waiuku, a service where items can be borrowed and returned at any branch. But libraries are more than just receptacles for books -- increasingly, they are becoming community centres, meeting places, internet access points and venues to meet for coffee and join in with activities and clubs, says Auckland Libraries manager Allison Dobbie.

"We've seen with the new library at Waiheke the extent to which people are using it for public meetings, author talks -- things that were difficult to do before because of a lack of space. The community have really taken the place to their heart and are engaging with it and using it in all sorts of ways."

This year new libraries have opened at Waiheke, Te Atatu and Ranui, following Wellsford's last year. New buildings will open next year at Devonport in January and Otahuhu in July.

"These have all replaced existing libraries, but the long-term plan addresses growth areas in the city and providing new facilities for places that don't currently have a library," says Dobbie.

For example, construction is soon to begin on a new library at the Westgate town centre, to open in 2016.

"All the new libraries have been designed to be flexible spaces -- the shelves can be pushed to one side so they can host a multitude of different activities to reflect the needs of their community."

Dobbie says the library service is seeing big growth in the use of its digital space; the borrowing of e-books and accessing of online resources. The libraries are pushing these services this summer, offering help with various e-readers as well as advice on how to download books, magazines and other resources. More than 58,000 e-audiobooks, e-books and e-magazines can be accessed free by library members.

To make it easier for time-poor people to pick up holiday reading, Auckland Libraries are also offering "take five" bundles of books, grouped by theme or genre, so you can grab and run on your way to the beach or bach.

Dare to Explore

For a supercool way to keep kids hooked on reading over the holidays, Auckland Libraries is once again running its Dare to Explore summer reading adventure programme, now in its fourth year. Kids aged 5 to 13 get a "passport" to help them set and track their reading goals. There are 60 reading-related challenges, from designing an alien to building a giant marble run, learning a traditional Maori game or making invisible ink to send a message to a friend.

Danielle Carter, Auckland Libraries adviser on youth service development, says they hope to attract around 10,000 kids in the Auckland area to take part .

"This year we have worked with kura kaupapa with te reo content, which we hope will bring in more numbers," she says.

The challenges appeal to boys and girls at all reading levels. Children are encouraged to set their own reading goal. "It can be reading a certain number of books a week, or reading for a certain amount of time, or reading outside their usual genre," Carter says.

Any child who completes at least four challenges joins a party at the end of the holidays at their local library. Events will be held over the summer at libraries around the city, for kids to complete challenges and get together with other explorers.

Dobbie says as well as the programme being fun, research has shown that "it helps children to maintain their reading level over the summer, which typically falls back a bit during the holidays".

Turn over a new leaf

Every trip to the library is an adventure. Turn your library trip into an outing to a new part of Auckland, to explore these great new and revamped libraries and community centres. Set older kids the challenge of figuring out your trip by public transport (use the journey planner).

Te Atatu
A library combined with a community centre, opening out to Jack Pringle Park and a cool playground. There is a large children's area and the whole building, designed by Moller Architects, is flooded with natural light. "People have the opportunity to use the building in lots of different ways, which the community has worked very hard for for a long time," says Dobbie.

Ranui
The large new library, or pataka korero, designed by Jasmax, has architectural features and artwork reflecting the local environment and community. At its centre is a large sculpture by Nic Moon, The Great Forest, which features the handprints of 500 local people. "The architects have been very clever about the way they have captured the location," says Dobbie. The building also incorporates sustainable principles such as thermal-mass walls and natural ventilation.

Waiheke
The new library at Oneroa, designed by Pacific Environments, is adjacent to the Artworks theatre building and local museum, creating a central amphitheatre for events and gatherings. Again, features reflect the local community and environment, including three carved pou in the courtyard; Ngaruhora by Lorna Dixon-Rikihana, an artwork integrated into the interior and exterior glass; and Kazu Nakagawa's forty nine letters, which sees the phrase "Lots of rain, lots of sun, lots of wind, lots of day, lots of night" carved into the fabric of the building. "It's worth a visit just to see the art," Dobbie says.

The exterior of the new library on Waiheke Island.

Takapuna
Takapuna Library reopened in August after a major renovation, designed by Strachan Group Architects. The children's and young adults' areas have been moved downstairs and expanded, and the building fitted with new computer wiring and wi-fi. It's right next to the beach and handy to several excellent icecream shops for after.

Auckland Central
The revamped children's area at the central library in Lorne St opened in April this year and has proved hugely popular. Designed by Creative Spaces, in consultation with Ngati Whatua artist Graham Tipene, it features a wooden reading tree, taniwha-inspired shelving and cushioned reading nooks.

Auckland Library's children's section is big and bright.

Grey Lynn
Not new, but celebrating its 90th birthday today.

"The library was officially opened on a Saturday afternoon so that the hard-working 'industrial public' of the suburb could attend on their half day off," says community library manager Alola Robertson. Today's party at the William Gummer-designed 1924 building includes readings by local authors Stephanie Johnson and Anne Kennedy, games and live music plus, of course, a cake. Today, noon-3pm.