Parklands Library opens on Saturday

4 August 2005

Christchurch’s newest community library opens this Saturday, 6 August, at 46 Queenspark Drive in Parklands, with a free family gala day of live performances and activities. It’s the culmination of a long-term plan by Christchurch City Libraries to establish a permanent library for the north-east of the city.

Located next to Parklands shopping centre, the library will offer a new focal point for the community. It will be a place to meet friends and chat over a coffee, take time out to read and relax, seek information, browse, learn technology skills, hold meetings, and for families to spend time learning and having fun. Until now, local residents have been served by the mobile library, or travelled to New Brighton, Shirley or Redwood libraries, all some distance away.

Parklands Library is the result of a remarkable makeover, transforming the tired 1970’s shell of the former North Brighton Baptist Church into a stunning, state-of-the-art, community library. It’s been an economical solution to the need for a library in the area, taking just six months to complete at a lower cost than that of a new building.

To make the most of its 500 square-metres, the new library has ground-breaking layout that allows the relatively small space to be used for a range of different activities, for different customers, at different times of the day.

The library will be officially opened by Deputy Mayor Carole Evans at 9.30am on Saturday, with the library opening to the public from 10am to 4pm. There’ll be live music, roving entertainers, chidren’s activities, a ‘Parklands Idol’ competition and performances from local schools. The library’s café, ‘Ditto’ will be open all day.

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