Visitor numbers increasing at Whanganui libraries but not yet at pre-Covid levels

There were 223,953 visits to the Davis Library at Pukenamu Queen’s Park for the year ending April 2024. Photo / Bevan Conley

The public is returning to Whanganui’s libraries, with 309,836 visitors across all three branches to the year ending April 2024 - 14 per cent increase on the previous year.

A report from Whanganui District Council libraries and community manager Pete Gray said internet sessions (65,690) were up by 6 per cent and issues (583,491) were up by 14 per cent.

Of the visits, 223,953 were at the Davis Library at Pukenamu Queen’s Park.

Council also operates the Gonville and Alexander libraries.

Gray told the council’s operations and performance committee the level of issues had not been seen for the last 15 years.

Numbers were still down on pre-Covid levels but they had improved by 40 per cent from 2021/22.

During deliberations on the council’s next long-term plan (LTP), elected members voted to close the Davis Library earlier on weekdays and Saturdays.

Gray said that could impact visitor and issue numbers but people may adjust when they visited.

“We won’t know until we see what the outcome is going forward, then we will be able to report back.”

Current parking restrictions around the library - due to landscaping work around the neighbouring Sarjeant Gallery redevelopment - had been going “reasonably well”, he said.

The main Davis Library carpark has been out of action for over four years because of the redevelopment.

Whanganui District Council libraries and community manager Pete Gray. Photo / Bevan Conley

Gray said the recent restrictions had stopped people who worked in town from parking near the library for the day.

“Our disabled car parks are still in operation in the same place and they are not affected.”

Councillor Rob Vinsen said there would be a net gain of seven car parks at Pukenamu Queen‘s Park once the Sarjeant redevelopment was completed, with an estimated 80,000 visitors to the gallery in its first year.

“How is the library going to cope with that?” he said.

Gray said the library had coped “with no carpark at all”.

“Anything we get at this stage is a net benefit.

“Obviously, the library has significantly more visitors coming in and out than 80,000 so the total number is going to be somewhere in the region of over 300,000 over the course of a year.

“From the library customer point of view, the fact we will get our carpark back in four and a half months is definitely a positive.”

Gray’s report said the Hakeke St and Castlecliff libraries continued “to thrive as essential community-run hubs”.

“Hakeke St Library has welcomed 30,548 visitors, facilitated 10,916 checkouts, and hosted 15,356 internet sessions since opening in January 2018,” it said.

“Meanwhile, Castlecliff Library in Rangiora St, since its inception in May 2018, has served over 6046 checkouts and 5622 internet sessions.”

He told the committee public feedback, received via email, had been mostly positive.

Customers were asked to rate the service from 1 to 5 and leave a comment.

“The main thing people like about their experience at the library is the frontline staff,” he said.

“It’s good to know our staff are appreciated for the work they do.”

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.