Tu¯ranga draws 1 million visits
One million people have visited Tu¯ ranga, with the central Christchurch library hitting the milestone almost one year after it opened.
With its gold and glass facade, the fivestorey building is one of the most iconic structures to appear on the city’s postquake skyline. But beyond its aesthetic appeal, the $92 million building has become a focal point for students, families and community groups.
Tu¯ ranga opened its doors on October 12, 2018, and has since become the city’s living-room. On any given day toddlers learn to read, teenagers play video games, film fans browse the DVD collection and researchers scour the archives for hidden gems of information.
Manager Chris Hay said Tu¯ ranga had achieved its aim of being a place where everyone was welcome.
‘‘If you go down to our children’s floor it is full of families coming in for a few hours; playing with Lego or curled-up in a comfy seat reading together; they might be playing on the foosball table or having a go on the Xbox,’’ he said.
‘‘There are also spaces for quiet study, that was something that really came through during the community consultation. This is still a place of quiet contemplation and research and study.’’
Lucy Cross brings her two children Georgia, 4, and Olivia, 2, to Tu¯ ranga about three times a month.
‘‘They are in heaven here,’’ she said. ‘‘They absolutely love the range of the books and the Lego. I love seeing the kids being able to interact with other kids and having the opportunity to play.’’
Sutatip Cee uses the library every day for the free wi-fi so she can learn English online. She moved to Christchurch from
‘‘The physical book does still have a place in our lives.’’ Tu¯ ranga manager Chris Hay
Thailand eight months ago to complete an English course. ‘‘It is better than anything in my country,’’ she said.
Vernon Omeri and Lloyd Wynyard were playing chess on the ground floor of Tu¯ ranga on Wednesday afternoon. The pair play chess regularly at the library.
‘‘It is fantastic here,’’ Omeri said. ‘‘It is the best place ever. I play chess, hang out and listen to music. It is pretty awesome.’’
In the past 12 months, 8818 new members have joined Christchurch Libraries at Tu¯ ranga, compared with 2199 people who joined the temporary central libraries in Manchester St and Peterborough St in the previous year.
Hay said more than 471,000 books had been borrowed in the past year.
‘‘The physical book does still have a place in our lives.’’
The past decade had seen a huge change in the role of public libraries.
Gone are the severe and silent spaces, the hushed tones and the lines of dusty books. Libraries have become cool and Tu¯ ranga is part of that revolution.
As well as borrowing books, visitors can learn how to write code or use a sewing machine, they can edit music or produce prototypes on a 3-D printer.
‘‘I see libraries, increasingly, as multipurpose spaces,’’ Hay said.
‘‘Community resources that particularly have a focus on equity of access and opportunity for everyone and I think that is the vision for this library.’’
And even in an increasingly digital age, Tu¯ ranga’s vast local archives hold information not available on the internet.