Te Kahu o Waipuna cuts a dramatic shape on Blenheim’s High St. Photo: Anthony Phelps / Stuff
The number of people wandering into Te Kahu o Waipuna has more than doubled since its opening, with library staff scrambling to meet the demand.
Visitors have increased from 421 people a day on average to more than 1000, while visitors on the weekend average at about 1500 a day.
The new library opened with a soft launch in May, with the official name unveiled at a ceremony on 30 June.
Marlborough District Council libraries manager Glenn Webster presented an update on the library to the council's economic, finance and community committee last week.
"July is obviously a great time to reflect on the previous year," Webster said.
He said since moving to the new library, participation in activities the library held had increased.
"Our Cheeky Monkeys, our under-five weekly programme, we're now having to look at doing two sessions in the day, because there's just far too many to be able to accommodate them in the one session," he said.
The library last year had a "library service review" and established a new leadership team and additional supporting roles, Webster said.
"When you look at the numbers the library is now seeing, I'm sure you would agree that was a worthwhile process," Webster said.
Blenheim’s new library has been very busy since it opened. Photo: Anthony Phelps / Stuff
He said sitting on High Street for the official opening was "very impressive".
"We often come through the back door, you don't always see the front of the building," he said.
The total visits since opening day of Te Kahu o Waipuna was 64,000. There had also been 1460 new members and 1660 membership renewals.
The average member took out 26 items over the year.
"People are telling us 'this is my fifth time since opening, I just can't stay away, there's just so many opportunities'.
"They're meeting friends, they're participating in programmes and they're just using the space."
Webster said they were in the process of working out what to charge for meeting rooms in the library which he would bring to the committee. They were also negotiating a change to the Blenheim bus route so it could go directly outside the new build.
The solar panels on the library also needed to be commissioned, and were not yet operating.
Meanwhile, the community use of Picton Library and Service Centre Waitohi Whare Mātauranga also continued to grow, Webster said. It averaged 7300 visits a month in the last financial year.
Deputy Mayor David Croad congratulated Webster on the success of the opening and how it came together.
"My question really is around the people thing... we have put more budget into people and new structure and a lot of that was very assumptive. Are you happy with the way that's settled down?"
Liz Nash, left, and Mabel McMurtrie, 7, test out the new children’s area in the library’s first days open to the public. Photo: Anthony Phelps / Stuff
Webster thought they were very much in the "bedding in" process.
"Additional staff, a number of them came on after we opened so they're still finding their feet, but I think it's great to see the number of staff that we have in the building, particularly out in the public areas, helping members of the public find their way around.
"I think the new leadership team, we're working together to establish our purpose and working through those goals with the team. That's an ongoing process."
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.
