“We just have to deal with it,’ Gray said. “If prices go up, we’ll be buying less. If the New Zealand dollar falls significantly, we’ll be able to buy less of stuff that is published overseas. That’s just a fact of life, as it is for everyone else.”
Council chief executive David Langford said the overall library budget could be looked at as part of the Long Term Plan next year.
Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe said libraries would be important as community hubs and a place for social interaction in the future, and asked if Whanganui’s were prepared for that.
“Libraries have always been that to a great or lesser extent,” Gray said. “They’ve always been safe places for people to go and visit. That’s certainly how we envisage the core of what a library is.
“It’s part of what we do now. We’re on board with what you are thinking.”
Gray said the lack of parking was one area generating constant feedback from the public, but this would be looked at as part of the landscape redesign of Pukenamu Queen’s Park.
Feedback about the staff was overwhelmingly positive.
“You know the library staff, particularly those who work on the front line, are an absolute credit to the library and to council,” Gray said.
“That is something I’m very proud of.”
BSM Architects have been appointed to undertake design drawings and enable accurate costings of the Davis Library extension, which includes work on the library roof held over from 2021.
