Library facts
Some facts and figures about Christchurch City Libraries Ngā Kete Wānanga o Ōtautahi.
Libraries Manager
Carolyn Robertson took up her appointment as Libraries and Information Manager on 17 January 2005.
Staff
On 5 August 2019 there were the equivalent of 292 full-time people employed in the library network, including part-time and technical staff and service centres.
Membership
This is free to all Christchurch City Council ratepayers and residents. At the end of the financial year June 2019 there were 198,088 members.
Charges
Apart from a charge for audio-visual material and the Bestseller Collection, all stock is free to borrow. Our basic reference service is free and we offer free computer and internet access.
Resources
Each library has a wide range of resources that can include books, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, eBooks, magazines, newspapers, maps and other materials. We subscribe to a wide range of online resources for study, research, personal information and entertainment.
Unrestricted internet use and email are available free of charge on library computers or bring your own and use our free wifi.
Statistics
Library statistics for the financial year July 2018 to June 2019:
- Membership:198,088
- Enquiries answered: 812,058
- Stock: 1,237,250 total items
- Issues: 4,643,059 items
- Website page views (across our websites): 6,574,025
Libraries
We have community libraries and mobile library services. There are network services teams supporting the libraries with everything from administration, events & programmes, stock purchasing and maintenance, buildings and facilities and technology.
Christchurch City Libraries timeline
| 1859 | 4 August | The early library was opened on 4 August 1859 by the Mechanics Institute. It started in temporary premises in the then Town Hall on High Street. |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 6 March | Spreydon Library, the first branch library, opened. |
| 1976 | September | Bishopdale library began operation. |
| 1982 | Central Library moved from corner of Cambridge Terrace and Hereford Street to a new building on Gloucester Street. | |
| 1989 | November | Paparua County and Waimairi District become part of Christchurch city resulting in Bishopdale (opened 18 September 1976), Fendalton (opened 28 October 1967), Halswell, Hornby and Redwood libraries joining the Canterbury Public Library network. |
| 1993 | December | Linwood Library opened. |
| 1997 | October | Sumner Library joined the Christchurch City Libraries’ network when the former voluntary adults’ library and the children’s library amalgamated. |
| 1999 | July | An exciting new building for New Brighton Library opened. |
| 2000 | July | Fendalton Library and Service Centre opened. |
| 2001 | 7 June | Fingertip Library service launched with staff located at Central Library. |
| 2003 | August | St Martins Children’s Library closed. |
| August | South Christchurch Library, Service and Learning Centre opened. | |
| 2005 | August | Parklands Library opened. |
| 2006 | January | Upper Riccarton Community and School Library opened. |
| 6 March | Non-city membership fees are dropped for Banks Peninsula residents due to local government merger: Akaroa, Diamond Harbour, Little River and Lyttelton Libraries join the network. | |
| 2009 | 5 August | Christchurch City Libraries celebrates 150 years of Christchurch libraries. Internet access become free. |
| 2011 | 8 July | After the earthquakes and the closure of Central Library, Christchurch City Libraries opens temporary library at Central South City. |
| 19 December | Temporary library Central Library Peterborough opens. | |
| 2012 | July | South Library and Beckenham Service Centre closes due to earthquake damage. |
| 15 July | Temporary Central South City library closes. | |
| 23 July | After the earthquakes and the closure of Central Library, Christchurch City Libraries opens a temporary Central Library Tuam. | |
| 8 September | New library at Aranui opens. | |
| 3 December | Mobile "Library to Go" vans start service. | |
| December | South Library and Beckenham Service Centre re-opens. | |
| 2013 | January | Demolition of Sumner Library due to earthquake damage begins. |
| 30 April | Linwood Library and Service Centre at Eastgate opens. | |
| 1 November | Central Library Tuam closes. | |
| 2014 | 20 January | A temporary Central Library Manchester opens. |
| July | Demolition of the former central library building on Gloucester Street begins. | |
| 2015 | 28 November | The Te Hāpua: Halswell Centre opens. |
| 2016 | 30 January | Lyttelton Library closes for earthquake repairs. |
| 15 February | Temporary Lyttelton Library opens at Trinity Hall in the Lyttelton Recreation Centre. | |
| 22 February | Groundworks begin on the new Central Library site. | |
| 25 July | Construction work begins on new combined library, community centre and museum at Nayland and Wakefield St corner, Sumner. | |
| 1 August | New Brighton Library closes for earthquake repairs. | |
| 15 August | Temporary New Brighton Library opens at 60 Brighton Mall. | |
| 26 October | First concrete pour for the foundations of Tūranga (new central library). | |
| 2017 | 29 January | Temporary New Brighton Library closes at 60 Brighton Mall. |
| 13 February | New Brighton Library reopens. | |
| 13 March | Lyttelton Library reopens. | |
| 22 July | Ōrauwhata: Bishopdale Library and Community Centre opened on Saturday 22 July 2017 on the site of the former Bishopdale Creche. | |
| 19 August | Matuku Takotako: Sumner Centre opened at 37 Nayland Street. | |
| 2018 | 18 August | Central Library Manchester closed for good at 5pm on Saturday 18 August. View photos of Central Library Manchester (it was open from Monday 20 January 2014 to Saturday 18 August 2018). |
| 26 August | Central Library Peterborough closed for good at 5pm on Sunday 26 August. View photos of Central Library Peterborough (it was open from Monday 19 December 2011 to Sunday 26 August 2018). | |
| 12 October | Tūranga, the central library at 60 Cathedral Square, opened at 1pm. View photos of Tūranga's opening day. | |
| 17 November | Parklands Library closed for repairs. | |
| 2019 | 4 March | Fendalton Library closed for repairs. |
| 29 March | Parklands Library reopens. | |
| 27 July | Redwood Library closes for repairs. | |
| 29 July | Fendalton Library reopens after repairs. | |
| 7 October | Redwood Library reopens after repairs. | |
| 2020 | 22 March | Shirley Library closes for refurbishment. |
| 15 June | Shirley Library reopens after refurbishment. Opening is delayed due to Covid-19 lockdown. | |
| 2021 | Saturday 3 April 4pm | Linwood Library and Service Centre closes refurbishment. |
| Tuesday 27 April | Linwood Library and Service Centre reopens after refurbishment. | |
| 2022 | Tuesday 1 March | Christchurch City Libraries goes fines free and historical debt related to fines is wiped. |
| 2023 | Monday 27 November | New Brighton Library closed for improvements from 4pm Sun 24 September, and reopened 9am Monday 27 November. |
| 2024 | Thursday 28 March | Hornby Library closed. |
| Friday 19 April | Matatiki Hornby Centre opened. |
Technology
The libraries are linked by the SirsiDynix Symphony library system. Customers have access to stock information via computer catalogues in our libraries and through our website.
| 1989 | 19 June | Online Public Access Catalogue released inside the library. |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 7 June | Internet access and pages on WWW launched at www.ccc.govt.nz/library/. |
| 1 November | Dial-up access to catalogue introduced. | |
| 1997 | 9 June | Web1 interface to catalogue introduced. |
| 2001 | 18 April | Redesigned web site and new URL launched. Old site: wayback machine - www.ccc.govt.nz/library August 2000, New site: wayback machine - library.christchurch.org.nz April 2001 |
| 22 – 29 July | Te Reo navigation and ‘core’ pages launched for Māori Language Week. | |
| 2003 | 19 May | the pulse / te auaha website for teens launched |
| 28 July | Online index of 22 volumes of Ngāi Tahu claims evidence, Te Kerēme, launched. | |
| 2004 | 13 November | Sirsi Unicorn Library system replaced DRS. |
| 2006 | 4 January | Redesigned web site launched: wayback machine - library.christchurch.org.nz March 2006. |
| 2007 | 5 April | Wireless internet access launched at Central Library. |
| 22 May | Christchurch City Libraries blog is launched, with the first posts from the 2007 Auckland Writers and Readers Festival. Here is our first post. | |
| 7 June | Bibliofile blog is launched, with the first posts coming from a conference in the United Kingdom on joint school/public libraries. | |
| June - September | Pharos system introduced for library PC booking and printing / copying charging. | |
| 2008 | the pulse / te auaha website for teens moves to thepulse.org.nz | |
| 14 June | Moved website domain from library.christchurch.org.nz to christchurchcitylibraries.com: wayback machine christchurchcitylibraries.com June 2008. | |
| August | Christchurch City Libraries joins Flickr. | |
| 2009 | January | http://library150.com/ goes live to celebrate 150 years of Christchurch libraries. |
| 5 August | Free internet access. | |
| 2010 | 12 April | Christchurch kids blog is launched. Read the first post. |
| 15 September | Christchurch City Libraries joins Twitter as @ChristchurchLib. | |
| 2011 | March | Christchurch City Libraries establishes a Facebook presence. |
| 2 May | BiblioCommons catalogue is launched. | |
| 2012 | 23 October | Our Flickr site passes one million page views. |
| 20 November | CINCH moves to new system. | |
| 2013 | 2 September | Our Flickr site passes one and a half million (1,500,000) page views. |
| 2014 | 1 December | Our main website moves to my.christchurchcitylibraries.com in a BiblioCommons' hosted content management system. |
| 2015 | October | ThePulse website content is moved to a special Teens section on the new Library website. |
| 2017 | December | ThePulse website is closed. |
| 2018 | 12 October | Tūranga's Discovery Wall and website launches. |
| 2019 | 12 February | Christchurch City Libraries joins Instagram as @ChristchurchLib. |
| 9 December | Digital heritage repository Canterbury Stories launches. | |
| 2023 | 11 August | Canterbury Stories adds its 70,000th item. |
| 18 October | 5 millionth item borrowed on OverDrive. |
For more information, read our brief history of Christchurch City Libraries.
