The Children's Library of Upper Riccarton

The 50 year story of the Sir John McKenzie Memorial Children's Library,
Upper Riccarton, Christchurch

• Discovering a Need
• Gathering Support
• Library Services in the 1950s
• A home for the library
• First Days
• An Unexpected Benefactor
• Sir John McKenzie
• A Grand Opening
• A Very Busy Library
• Sharing the Experience Gained
• The 70s and 80s
• "Your Library Has Been An Outstanding Success"
• County and City Amalgamate
• Crisis
• Revival
• Volunteers list

Researched and written by David Welch on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Upper Riccarton Children's Library.

Material sourced from Annual Reports of this library and its successor, the Sir John McKenzie Memorial Children's Library; from contemporary newspaper reports; from a published article written by Joan Fazackerley in 1959, from district histories of Riccarton, Paparua and Waimairi; from Canterbury Public Library reports to Christchurch City Council 1951-1955, from biographical information about of Sir John McKenzie, Lord Cobham, James Hay, and official histories of Rotary, and general material about the 1950s.

Prepared with the help of Joan Fazackerley, May and Eddie Britnell, Ann Whitnall, Dawn Averill, Susan Wallace, Hazel Blake, and Erina Parks, who all helped in various ways to help create as accurate a record as possible. This said, all opinions remain those of the author.

Prepared and published with the assistance of Christchurch City Libraries, (formerly Canterbury Public Library) Christchurch 2004.

View catalogue record.