Christchurch library Tūranga hits a million visitors in first year of opening

Thursday, 10 October 2019

Christchurch's new central library will officially open on Friday. Video first published in October 2018.

One million people have visited Tūranga, with the central Christchurch library hitting the milestone almost one year after it opened.

With its gold and glass facade, the five-storey building is one of the most iconic structures to appear on the city's post-quake skyline.

But beyond its aesthetic appeal, the $92 million building has become a focal point for students, families and community groups.

Tūranga opened its doors on October 12, 2018, and has since become the city's living room.

Turanga manager Chris Hay says there's still a place for books in our lives, with more than 471,000 books borrowed from the central Christchurch library in the past year.

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On any given day toddlers learn to read, teenagers play video games, film fans browse the DVD collection and researchers scourer the archives for hidden gems of information.

Manager Chris Hay said Tūranga had achieved its aim of being a place where everyone was welcome.

'If you go down to our children's floor it's 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 Tūranga 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 Thailand eight months ago to complete an English course.

Library user Marley Nicol, 3, brushes up on her computer skills.

'It is better than anything in my country,' she said.

Vernon Omeri and Lloyd Wynyard were playing chess on the ground floor of Tūranga 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 Tūranga, compared to 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.

Tūranga manager Chris Hay says he sees libraries as multipurpose spaces.

'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 Tūranga 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.

A place of quiet contemplation. Lydia Johnstone focuses on her research.

'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.'

Even in an increasingly digital age, Tūranga's vast local archives hold information not available on the internet.

'I think that there's a real myth that you can find anything online. You can find a lot of information online but there is an awful lot of stuff that you can only find through local or national library resources.

'And there's that serendipity, that opportunity to accidentally discover stuff that you weren't necessarily searching for, that's something quite special about libraries.'

Vernon Omeri and Lloyd Wynyard enjoy a game of chess at Tūranga.

Several events are planned to mark the first anniversary.

TŪRANGA'S FIRST YEAR:

Most popular adult fiction - The Midnight Line by Lee Child.

Most popular adult nonfiction - Becoming by Michelle Obama.

Most popular YA book - Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve.

Most popular children's book - 91 Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths