The Central Library collection is getting ready for its new home in the Johnsonville Collection and Distribution Centre. A mix of approximately 400,000 books, CDs, DVDs, magazines, newspapers and other reference materials will be carefully packed in order, moved and re-shelved over the coming eight weeks.
“We are pleased to be in the final stages of making the much-loved collection available once again, and we thank our customers for their ongoing support,” says Laurinda Thomas, Wellington City Libraries and Community Spaces Manager.
“The Centre in Johnsonville provides both the climatic conditions, space and transport routes needed to manage the collection safely over the long term, until decisions can be made about the future central library services.”
“Although we move thousands of items around our 14 branches every day, this will jump substantially when people are able to order from the CDC. So we are finalising the ordering process and timings so people know what to expect. Towards late April we will advise customers how to order items, and the timings for when they can pick them up from the branch of their choice.”
Over 12,500 items are available in two of the three planned CBD libraries, which opened in May and October last year. Arapaki Library in Manners Street provides a mix of fiction, non-fiction and popular children’s titles. He Mataphi Library within the National Library has over 5,000 items with an Aotearoa and Māori focus.
The third and largest of the three CBD libraries, Te Awe will open in May. Te Awe will provide spaces where people can read, study or collaborate. There is also a dedicated space for a children’s collection, parents’ room and the popular Baby Rock ‘n’ Rhyme sessions.
People will be able to access around 31,000 items which have been tailored to represent the diverse range of subjects which Central Library customers have requested or reserved.
Council staff will be providing advice to the Council on Wednesday 25 March on options for future central library services and the external engineering assessments on the Central Library building. We will share the papers on the Wellington City Council website on 19 March.
Wellington City Libraries’ rare book collection is now housed at the Wellington City Archives at 28 Barker Street.
More information:
Timeline for Wellington Central Library Replacement Services
There are a few periodical magazines that I have been unable to access since Central closed. Some of these magazines (e.g. Air Classics and Sea Classics) are not available in suburban libraries. When the magazines are relocated in CDC, will they be available for issue from the Johnsonville library?
Also, since the date Central was closed, did WCL continue to receive subsequent issues of the above magazines for example?
Kia ora Robert,
Our serials librarian will contact you via email.
Ngā mihi, Ligia.