About Miramar Library
Our Library and Community
Our library has a long history that dates back to 1933 when Miramar branch library was opened by the then Mayor, Mr T. C. A. Hislop. Since then it has undergone numerous changes, one being a shift in location. Originally the library was situated on Chelsea Street but moved to its current position on Miramar Avenue in 1984 - a location that once housed the old fire station.
Moving closer into the hub of the Miramar community township has meant that the library plays a central role in community life. We have a notice board that is often filled to bursting with news and information on local events. We also keep an extensive vertical file on Miramar, its history and events that take place within the community. A special feature of the vertical file includes original newspaper articles written about the Wahine disaster in 1968.
Among the other significant changes that we have undergone is a huge growth in stock. We now sport a collection of more than 30,000 items compared to the scant 2,500 the Chelsea street site started with!
Our branch library is a well utilised library and caters to the borrower needs in the immediate Miramar community and surrounding area.
Our library is recognisable by the rainbow motif that adorns the central spine-like window and the large stone cat sculpture at the entrance to the building. Although the building is small we are big in welcoming everybody and providing the best help we can!!
For more information about the community have a look at the Miramar/Seatoun pages in our local history section.
Our Library Team
Our vibrant team of Librarians work across both Ruth Gotlieb and Miramar Libraries.
Our backgrounds are diverse and wide spread, ranging from the far reaches of Holland and China, to the near familiarities of Eastbourne, Nelson, Coromandel Town and Methven. Driven by a common interest for people and information at work, we also entertain ourselves with a plethora of other interests and passions outside of the workplace.
We are trampers, readers, dancers, photographers, cowboys, artists, gardeners, travellers, chefsâ¦. music, wine and chocolate connoisseurs, cyclists and motorcyclists, musicians, poets, swimmers, conservationists. We dance the tango, host international students, scrapbook, and de-bone fish. We are fascinated by tattoos, dinosaurs, coronation street, opera, monkeys, robots, gold leafing, theatre, pirates, yoga, capoiera, and mathematics.
Services We Offer
We provide class visits for the surrounding schools. A number of classes partake in activities that facilitate children's learning about the library and how it works. We also offer two pre-school story times a week: 10:15 on a Tuesday and Thursday. Other facilities for children are a puppet theatre and a large collection of handmade puppets. Board games are also available and a glass cabinet can sometimes contain displays which children will enjoy.
Along with some of our other branch libraries, we offer a 'book club' on the first Monday of each month. Members talk about books they have read and browse a selection of new library books. Finally, for the ratepayers we offer a box where rate payments can conveniently be posted and then picked up the same day without any cost.
Our Collection
Included in our collection of more than 30 000 items is an extensive large print section. It is used mostly by those suffering from impaired eyesight to whom small print books pose problems. Large print are popular books with many of our elder library patrons who comprise a large percentage of our customers.
