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The Friends of the Library group is calling for the more space for the Warkworth Library by amalgamating with the Auckland Council Service Centre next door.
The group of around 30 regular library customers presented its case in a deputation to the Rodney Local Board on April 19.
Friends of the Library member Kate Leslie said that what was once a sufficient space for the current Warkworth Library, built in 1994, is no longer adequately.
“Services the library now offers include school holiday programmes, compiling CVs, tourist information and computer lessons, amongst all the regular issuing of material,” Kate says.
“The library isn’t what it used to be and is subsequently woefully short of space to accommodate its customers and their needs.”
She went on to say that the staff office hosts up to eight people at one time, but is only sufficient for one person.
“The library could do so much more with an increased space and the cheap solution would be to amalgamate the council service centre, which is barely used, with the library.”
Warkworth Library manager Lisa Outwin says she supports the idea of expansion and would be keen to utilise the service centre to create one hub of information.
“When I started here in 2000 there was one fulltime staff member and two part-time, where we now have five fulltime and four part time so the service has grown, but not the building.”
Board chair Beth Houlbrooke said that it was certainly a possibility to amalgamate the two services and one worth investigating.
However, Auckland Council head of community libraries North and West Darryl Soljan said this option is currently off the cards. “While we have previously discussed the possibility, Council’s customer services team requires this space to deliver the current and future services,” he said.
