Corrina Meikle
Community Libraries Manager, Tamaki ki Runga, Auckland City Libraries
By 2000 Glen Innes Community Library had seen a consistent decline in customer use. And although youth represented an above average proportion of the local community, this was not reflected in the library usage statistics.
In 2001, with the support of the Ministry of Education, Auckland City Libraries supported the launch of Akozone Homework Centre at Glen Innes Community Library. This was a new youth-focussed educational initiative. The community responded very well and Akozone successfully created a positive and welcoming environment. Youth became the primary users of the library.
Two years down the track, analysis showed that although library usage by youth had increased, library use was not limited to youth, it had in fact sparked a connection with the wider community. So instead of looking further into a re-branding Glen Innes Community Library as a youth library to reflect the increased youth users, the library is now recognised as serving the whole community of library customers.