Whanganui District Council libraries and community manager Pete Gray (right) and Whanganui Advocacy and Support Trust founding trustee Marie Butturini at the Hakeke Street Library premises.
A suburban self-service library, thought to be the first of its kind in New Zealand, will open in Whanganui East in January.
Whanganui District Library, in partnership with Whanganui Advocacy and Support Trust (WAST) community centre, will open the Hakeke Street Library at 65 Hakeke St on January 23.
"No
one should be excluded from the library by distance or cost and through this partnership the library will build deeper connections into our community," Whanganui District Council libraries and community manager Pete Gray said.
"We want the community to feel it's their space and look after it. It's not a council space; rather, it's the council putting something into a space that is there for the community.
"As far as we know, the suburban self-service library is a new model for New Zealand."
