A great feature of our new city

Have you been to the new library? I suspect you must have if the line out the door when the place opened was anything to go by. ‘‘A library with a line out the door?’’ those of you that weren’t part of the seething masses might say.

‘‘Sounds more like a PR stunt for some hipster bar than a public space offering little more than shelter and some dusty ol’ books.’’

But it’s true. When the building threw open its doors, I tried to go and participate in the opening, tried to be a non-cynical member of the Christchurch public, tried to play nice with the rebuild – only to find a trail of people snaking out into Cathedral Square.

Now my spidey senses are warning me that Duncan Garner once got himself in trouble for the way he described a line of people, so I’ll do my best to ensure my description of a line isn’t mean to anyone except white men.

After sniffing about the tail of the line like the dog I am, I took a rain check and went for a beer at the always excellent OGB Bar across the street.

Then I decided it’d be rude not to have another and before I knew it I was thinking about singing Irish music and visiting the library was the last thing on my mind.

I returned this week, resolving to avoid beer and seek Frank Sargeson.

The library sits on the fringe of Cathedral Square, new and shiny in a part of the city that – sadly – looks like the earthquakes happened yesterday.

It was busy as, a haven from the rain that had shown up and reminded us that even though we’d dug the singlets out of the old wardrobe, summer wasn’t here yet.

I popped in for a minute and stayed for an hour. The place is well appointed, the flow through the building is excellent and the awesome staff have the place running like a Swiss clock.

In a rebuild that has at times felt like it’s being done for the benefit of rich old men, this is a truly democratic space.

It’s for all the people of Christchurch to enjoy and all you need to do is poke your head in the door and observe the old homeless gents hanging about and reading magazines while kids from Christchurch’s elite schools wander about to see how democratic it is.

Consider for a moment what libraries throughout history represented. Archives of empires, often attached to exclusive learning institutions; havens of elitism, knowledge and power. Compare that with our library. Open, bright, engaging, full of life and somehow in its own subdued way – joyful.

I’d suggest that the two best and most successful parts of the rebuild so far have been the Margaret Mahy Playground, which never fails to be well attended, and this, the new library.

If you jump on a plane tonight, you could be visiting the oldest continually operating library in the world in Morocco tomorrow.

It’s been operating since 1359. That’s a long time. That’s almost as old as algebra.

Or, to localise the example, Ma¯ ori people were in the first decades of calling Aotearoa home at that point.

If a visit to the world’s oldest library sounds stuffy, boring, and about as exciting as a trip to church, you could just jump on the bus and head into the city.

There you’ll find the world’s newest library. Go on. Check it out. It’s a choice place.

I hope you all find time to engage with this marvellous piece of the new Christchurch.