Watch NZH Local Focus: Trendy little libraries for Huntly

It may be the digital age but libraries are coming to a street near you, and they need your books. Made with Funding from NZ On Air.

It's all hands on deck at the Huntly Menzsheds.

Volunteers are building six "little free libraries" for the Huntly community.

The hope is that it will not only foster an interest in reading but also new friendships.

Manager of Huntly Friendship House, Victoria Kemp has been driving most of the project - organising the Menzsheds to build the mini-libraries and finding community groups to paint and decorate them.

"It's a really neat idea and it creates an opportunity for communities to connect with each other, so it's not just the books, it's about people connecting as well."

And while digital technology is changing publishing, the organisers of the little libraries project believe there will always be a place for books.

Waikato District Council's Community Development Advisor Lianne Van Den Bemd says books are tactile and will always be loved.

"I know a lot of people say for the younger generation, that the phone is part of them, but a lot of people get that feeling from a book."

But any good library needs books and the Coordinator of Huntly, Te Kauwhata and Meremere libraries is on the hunt for pre-loved books for the little libraries.

"We want neat stuff, we want stuff that's in good condition and relevant and covering all areas."

"The little libraries will have a variety of material. Hopefully we will have some junior stuff, some children stuff, some adults stuff, some fiction and non-fiction, board books for the babies, we're hoping to have something for everybody."

The project is costing ratepayers $1,200. The libraries should be up and running within a few months.

If you wish to donate books they can be dropped of at any of the six Waikato District Council libraries.

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