Replacement for Central Library Tuam

Friday 6 September, 2013

Central Library Tuam will close on 1 November 2013 and reopen in new premises in Manchester Street early next year.

Central Library Tuam will be demolished to make way for the Justice and Emergency Services Precinct, and the leased Manchester Street premises are an interim measure until the New Central Library opens in Cathedral Square.

Libraries and Information Unit Manager Carolyn Robertson says Central Library Tuam has been hugely popular with borrowers since it opened in 2012.

In its first year of operation it had 411,183 visitors, making it the third busiest library in the network. It issued 317,204 items and hosted 125,000 computer sessions.

Given this level of patronage, the distance to the Peterborough Library, and the fact that it will be three years before the New Central Library opens, we believe it is important to continue to provide library services south of Cathedral Square.

We had difficulty finding suitable CBD premises with sufficient open space to house our collections, but we are very pleased with the building at 36 Manchester Street which meets 100 per cent of the building standard. It has parking at the door and is close to CPIT and South City.

Central Library Manchester, on the corner of Allen Street will open to the public in mid-January following fit-out and set up.

The relocation allows us to consolidate our Aotearoa New Zealand collection. Access to our heritage research material, including family history resources, will now be available from this new location while Central Library Peterborough will house all foreign language books and magazines, Ms Robertson says.

The New Central Library in Cathedral Square is due for completion in approximately three years.