Birkenhead Library, part of the Auckland Libraries system, is located on Auckland's North Shore in New Zealand. Founded in 1949 it predominantly serves the areas of Birkenhead, Beach Haven, Birkdale, Kauri Park, Chelsea, and Birkenhead East, a population of about 26,000, including six primary schools, two intermediate schools, and two colleges.Fisher, Muriel and Hilder, Wenman. (1969). Birkenhead: the kauri suburb, Birkenhead: Birkenhead Borough Council, p. 101.Statistics New Zealand. (2006). Community Profiles accessed Feb 2007.
Typical of medium-sized public libraries in New Zealand, it provides an extensive range of modern library resources and services through its integration into a wider urban network, and through its association with the National Library, while retaining its own distinct, local connections such as the Archives Collection of the Chelsea Sugar Refinery.
The library was the first public library to be founded in North Shore City, the first to offer dial-up access to the New Zealand Bibliographic Network, and a leading proponent of full weekend services.
For four years the library was located in temporary quarters in the Birkenhead Leisure Centre, while a dispute over the location and design of its proposed new building was resolved. On 17 December 2009, a new Birkenhead Library and Civic Centre was opened on the site of the former library.
History The history of Birkenhead Public Library is characterised by four transformations which occurred at approximately twenty-year intervals since its founding in 1949. Three of these transformations involved new buildings, while the other involved amalgamation into the wider North Shore Libraries system. There was also an unexpectedly long interim period when the library was based at the Leisure Centre.
Founding of the library At the turn of the twentieth century, apart from "subscription libraries" the only library in Birkenhead was run by the Zion Hill Methodist Church. In 1901, the Birkenhead Borough Council resolved that its legal and finance committee should consider building a public one, but little eventuated.Fisher, Muriel and Hilder, Wenman. (1969). Birkenhead: the kauri suburb, Birkenhead: Birkenhead Borough Council, p. 102.Haddon, Kathy. (1993). Birkenhead: the way we were, Birkenhead: North Shore City Council, p. 45. A subsidy of £100 was sought from the government in 1904 for a building "not to exceed a total of £600".
However, it was not until 1949 that the Free Birkenhead Public Library was established. Opening on 14 November, it was located in the basement of the Council Chambers. It was a modest beginning, bolstered by support from the National Library. There was an initial budget of £500 (about $35,984 in 1st Quarter of 2017). The library began with a collection of around 1500 items, "swelled by about another twenty books a month.""The last word in library service," North Shore Times Advertiser, 26 April 1968, p. 6.Reed, Kim. "Reserve zone change on the books," North Shore Times, 29 September 2005, p. 3.
The "Civic Reserve library"
After the Auckland Harbour Bridge was opened in 1959 the Birkenhead area became much more accessible.Titchener, Paul. (1982). 'The naming of Birkenhead,' Beginnings vol. 6, p. 36Christie, Colleen. (1989) Birkenhead: a brief account, Birkenhead: Birkenhead Public Library, p. 3. By the mid-1960s issues each year had increased dramatically by nearly a hundred thousand items.Fisher, Muriel and Hilder, Wenman. (1969). Birkenhead: the kauri suburb, Birkenhead: Birkenhead Borough Council, p. 101.
Nora Bourke, the chairman of the Library Committee, felt the existing building was limited and, with mayor Cyril Crocombe, began making plans for a much larger building. This was to be built on the Civic Reserve, on which a World War One memorial has stood since 1927.
On 20 April 1968, the new building was officially opened by the Governor General Arthur Porritt."New page in Birkenhead history," North Shore Times Advertiser, 26 April 1968, p. 4Christie, Colleen. (1988). Back then: oral history interviews from the Birkenhead Public Library collection, vol 3, pp. 23–25. For the next 37 years, until 2005, this was the location of the Birkenhead Public Library, and in 1979 the reserve was renamed Nell Fisher Reserve after the first librarian, Eleanor "Nell" Fisher.
Amalgamation
The 1980s saw an increase in the depth and variety of services offered. A Bedford vanGraham, Rata. (1992). Birkenhead Library: A history, Birkenhead: North Shore Libraries, pp. 1–2. was used to start a mobile library service in 1982, and the library began opening on Saturdays in 1983. In 1986, children's multimedia items were offered for the first time, and the New Zealand Bibliographic Network link was established. Soon after, compact discs were made available, while in 1987 the library began opening on Sundays. So service was now provided over the entire week, a first in New Zealand.Graham, Rata. (1992). Birkenhead Library: A history, Birkenhead: North Shore Libraries, pp. 2–5.
Notable too in the late eighties, was the processing of books to create "machine readable codes,"Graham, Rata. (1992). Birkenhead Library: A history, Birkenhead: North Shore Libraries, p. 3. which saw the catalogue shifted from card to microfiche.North Shore Times Advertiser, "Computer links Birkenhead to library network," North Shore Times Advertiser, 28 January 1986, p. 3. Borrowers were now directly registered onto the computer, and a new computer management system went live, "the most sophisticated...in the world."Graham, Rata. (1992). Birkenhead Library: A history, Birkenhead: North Shore Libraries, p. 4. This was a forerunner of the greater computerisation ahead, including the introduction of self-issue machines in 1995 (pictured), internet access in 1996 and a widening range of electronic resources from 2002."New system for library," North Shore Times Advertiser, 12 December 1995, p. 3."Library surfs the internet," North Shore Times Advertiser, 19 September 1996, p. 38.Carmichael, Nikki. "The world's at your fingertips via libraries," North Shore Times Advertiser, 3 May 2002.
However, perhaps the most significant event of the eighties was amalgamation of the Birkenhead and Northcote Boroughs, and the subsequent merging of the local libraries into the North Shore Libraries system in 1989 (pictured).Norsburgh, Megan. "Supercity swears in its mayors and councillors," North Shore Times Advertiser, 31 October 1989, p. 3. Staff were redeployed and regional development was initiated. A new division, Technical Services, became fully operational at Takapuna. A Children's Services Coordinator was appointed, and the computer management system established the year before was improved to allow universal access to the six libraries' holdings.Graham, Rata. (1992). Birkenhead Library: A history, Birkenhead: North Shore Libraries, p. 5Christie, Colleen. (1989) Birkenhead: A brief account, Birkenhead: Birkenhead Public Library, p. 4."Library celebrates seven-day service," North Shore Times, 17 May 2005, p. 11.
This convergence has continued to this day with the advent of the "eLGAR" conglomerate, the Libraries of the Greater Auckland Region.The eLGAR website is simply the grouping of all the constituents catalogues. However, in December 2007 they started the eLGAR Blog which aims to be more informative. Birkenhead Library (as part of the North Shore Libraries system) began a public rollout of the eLGAR Smarter System on 16 June 2005.Bethell, Michelle. "Borrowing’s a breeze with library’s smart system," North Shore Times, 17 May 2005, p. 5.
On 1 May 2000, a time capsule was buried out in front of the library, by the Birkenhead war memorial. It contained various items such as maps, driver's licences, shopping receipts, and old library cards from the 1960s and 1970s. Blessed by a kaumatua from Awataha Marae it was planned to be dug up in one hundred years. On the plaque are quoted the opening two lines from T. S. Eliot's poem Burnt Norton.
The "Leisure Centre library"
In 1992 issues topped 300,000 items.Graham, Rata. (1992). Birkenhead library: a history, Birkenhead: North Shore Libraries, p. 8. By 2003 usage of the library had increased still further, to such an extent that it was noticeably affecting service delivery."Birkenhead Library gets $1m expansion," North Shore Times Advertiser, 23 August 2001, p. 11. Over 500 people a day were entering the library and new members were growing at a rate of 150 per month. Finding room to add new material to the existing stock of some 67,500 items was becoming increasingly difficult."Library list of woes make sad reading," North Shore Times Advertiser, 10 June 2003, p. 1.
Another factor driving the need for change was the absence of enough space for community groups, such as primary schools and students, book clubs,"Booktalk group," North Shore Times Advertiser, 20 May 2003. and author events."Handbooks presented to librarian," North Shore Times Advertiser, 14 May 2003. By the end of the 1990s some sort of addition to the library or a rebuild was being actively considered.
In 2005, in preparation for building works on the same site, the library was shifted to a converted basketball court in the Birkenhead Leisure Centre in Mahara Avenue (pictured). Other alternative sites had been considered, but most were found to be either inappropriate or too expensive.Report of a meeting: Community Services & Parks Committee . With limited space available for services, the Plunket, Citizen's Advice Bureau (CAB), and council Area Office had to find alternative premises."Area office on the move," North Shore Times, 5 April 2005, p. 12"CAB moves ranks while library is demolished," North Shore Times,31 May 2005, p. 34. In fact only 50% to 60% of the library's own stock could be accommodated.
$175,000 was budgeted for the fitout of the basketball court,Report of a meeting: Community Services & Parks Committee . and included such things as improved lighting, car park access, and funding for a passenger lift to allow for disabled patrons.Report of a meeting: Community Services & Parks Committee .. Since the location was some distance from the town centre, a free shuttle bus was provided from Highbury once a week.Reed, Kim. "Free shuttle bus to temporaray library," North Shore Times, 19 May 2005, pg 8.
The Leisure Centre is located in the Birkenhead War Memorial Park. In the areas adjacent to the library, there were problems associated with youth drinking, graffiti, and other undesirable behaviour.Minutes of a meeting of the Birkenhead-Northcote Community Board Community Services Committee . Patronage of the library dropped by 35%.Reed, Kim. "Library hit by more delays," North Shore Times, 27 March 2007, p. 2.
In March 2007, the library was granted a resource consent to use the Leisure Centre location for a further three years or until the new library was built, whichever came later.Report of a meeting: Community Services & Parks Committee .
This location was meant to be a transitional arrangement while the new building was being constructed. However, the library remained at this temporary location for four years.See Controversy over the new building
The current library