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On 20 April an appliance fault caused a fire which quickly spread through the Shirley Library and Service Centre in Marshland Road.
Books were destroyed and, although structural damage was moderate, the premises require complete refurbishment.
Within three weeks of the fire the service centre was again operating fully, just around the corner in New Brighton Road. According to service centre manager Peter Francis, it will take six to nine months to reopen the facility. "Tenders for rebuilding will be let shortly. Plans for the refit will see a change in layout. The service centre counter will move inside the library area, rather than being located together with shared entrances as previously," he said.
Meanwhile, although the fire only affected a small proportion of the building, smoke and water damage destroyed the entire library and service centre contents.
Customer services manager Glenda Fulton says the loss for customers and staff has been acute. "We have received messages of support from Christchurch people and from libraries throughout New Zealand. The five libraries closest to Shirley -- Redwood, Papanui, New Brighton, Linwood and Central -- have made approximately 20,000 extra issues a fortnight since the fire due to Shirley Library customers going elsewhere," she said.
A free bus service from Shirley Library will serve customers until the facility reopens, running to Linwood Library on Wednesdays and to Papanui Library on Saturday mornings.