We Say – Turn the page

The only thing you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.

Albert Einstein

The time for Auckland Council to seriously look at investing in a purpose-built library in Warkworth is long overdue. Yes, we are all very aware of how tight budgets are and that council is on an austerity drive, but it does plan to spend $2.791 billion on capital investment in its next financial year, including $17 million on libraries.

For a fraction of this pie, a start could be made on planning a fit-for-purpose modern library that will meet the needs of a town set to swell from 5000 to 22,000 over the next 20 years. Warkworth desperately needs a library that caters for people of all ages – from toddlers to totterers.

The current library in Baxter Street, with views of the river and bush, and a carpark building across the road, is the ideal site but the present building is long past its use-by date. It is far too small to accommodate the plethora of programmes run in Warkworth, it lacks proper staff facilities and there is inadequate storage space, plus it leaks.

The town needs a community hub that includes large and small meeting, display and workshop spaces, quiet places for research and study, a local history and archives section, spaces dedicated to children and teens, a council service and information hub, and café. It should also accommodate the information centre, as this would give visitors better access to information, including on weekends when the current centre is closed. A modern library could also accommodate external service-based organisations such as the Justices of the Peace, Citizens Advice and the Budget Service, which will all have to find new homes anyway when council closes the service centre next door.

Libraries have been around for centuries, but they have evolved to be much more than just a depository for books. Modern libraries have embraced digital resources and thanks to the creativity and energy of our local librarians, Warkworth runs a range of programmes that also celebrate our community’s diversity.

As places for lifelong learning, libraries say a lot about what a community values. They are not luxuries, but one of the most essential centres in any town that cares about its cultural life. We spend so much time asking council to fill our potholes – but what about the places that fill our brains. What we have in the town now is totally inadequate.