Library move involves 125,000 items

Rotorua District Library director Jane Gilbert is planning for the library's move to a temporary site. Photo / Stephen Parker

The Rotorua District Library will soon move 125,000 items into temporary premises while work on a shared library and children's health hub goes ahead.

Library director Jane Gilbert said planning was well under way for the move into the old Van Dyk's building on the corner of Amohia St and Pukuatua St in what she describes as a "major operation".

Mrs Gilbert said the re-fit of the temporary premises would cost between $150,000 and $250,000 and had been under way since March. The only hold-up had been the provision of public toilets.

She said the library would be closed on July 25 and 26 and reopen in its new premises on July 27, depending on the speed of the movers, and would return to its newly refurbished premises by around March 2018.

The cost for the temporary premises would be $144,000 per annum with all costs associated with the move previously budgeted for in the council's long-term plan.

"There will be no staff losses and we will be providing all the current services we currently provide," she said. "Moving house can be a stressful undertaking and very few moves can be as complicated and involve as many items as this one.

"We will be taking approximately 125,000 collection items. Although the majority will be books, this also includes AV items and magazines etc.

"The library has a very loyal following with more than 7000 patrons through the doors each week. The temporary location needed to provide enough floor space to continue core library services, it must be centrally located near public transport and convenient public car parking."

Mrs Gilbert said there would be some disruption.

"We hope to minimise that as much as possible. When we are in our temporary building, we will be trialling a number of innovations so when we move into our new library, it will be state of the art - a library of the future."

Library move:

• Library will be closed on July 25 and 26 for the move into the old Van Dyk's building on the corner of Amohia and Pukuatua Sts
• It will remain there until around March 2018
• Temporary re-fit will cost between $150,000 and $250,000
• Cost for temporary premises is $144,000 per annum