Our Library - Now & Then
Rotorua District Library has one central city library and one mobile library providing library services to the Rotorua District.
We aim to operate and maintain a diverse library as an information, educational, recreational and cultural resource which meets the needs of the community.
We maintain an excellent library service to enhance the lives of the community we serve. Providing information and entertainment from a variety of media, the library is constantly evolving to meet the diverse needs of our changing times.
Rotorua District Library was first established in 1889 and is a very popular and well-used civic amenity.
The library exists to provide education, information, cultural and educational resources; to minimize economic, social and cultural barriers to information access for all the people of the Rotorua District. The library is a repository for local history, including Maori history, for future generations. It reflects the Rotorua culture and diversity of the community with special collections of New Zealand, Maori and Polynesian history, matched with information and books in other European, Asian and Pacific languages.
It plays an important role in improving the standard and quality of life for residents by providing a means for lifelong learning, independent decision-making and cultural development of the individual and social groups, reflecting the diversity of the community.
The History of Rotorua District Library
The First Rotorua Library
The Rotorua Public Library and Reading Room opened in April 1889 in a building next to the Rotorua Hotel at Ohinemutu. The building had been first a store and then a schoolroom before being furnished as a reading room with newspapers, magazines and 335 lending books. Visitors were given free use of the library but residents had to pay a subscription of one pound a year.
By December 1889 so many newspapers and magazines had disappeared that access was restricted to subscribers only. The Library had 900 books by 1891, in part funded by successful concerts and dances organised by the library committee.
By 1895 the library badly needed renovation and a building fund was started for a new library in Arawa Street. The Victoria Institute was opened in 1897 with a new librarian, Miss Emma Cottrell, and by 1907 it had 1300 books.
For the next 15 years Rotorua was under Government control and the library was sadly neglected. When Rotorua became a borough in 1923 the librarian Miss Benner reported that most of the books were old and lacked covers. She used to sell plants from her garden to raise money for the Library.
The Municipal Building
An upsurge in interest in libraries in the 1930s resulted in Rotorua Public Library moving into the new Municipal Building in October 1940 and becoming "free" to borrowers in 1941. During World War Two library service was given to soldiers in the Physical Training Centre Military Camp and in the hospitals. Use of the library increased steadily during the 1950's and 60's.
The Masonic Building
In 1970 the Library moved into temporary premises in the Masonic Building on Fenton Street where it remained for 21 years. A branch library operated at Western Heights for 12 years closing in 1981. A new modern issue system was introduced in 1974, a mobile library service in 1985 and the Library's first computer system in 1986.
Rotorua Public Library was still in its temporary quarters when it celebrated its Centenary in 1989 but the dream of a larger library that could give better service to the people of the Rotorua District was not far from reality.
Haupapa Street
The former government building between Haupapa and Arawa Streets was renovated and opened to the public in 1991.
In 2008/9 the library building was extensively renovated, adding 1000sq metres of floor space for the library. A cafe was incorporated into the entrance design and an extra floor was opened up to accommodate the growing collections. Three meeting rooms were created as well as a secure browsing area for some of the library's special heritage collections.
The entrance door was also moved to face out to Haupapa Street. At that time, the library's name changed from Rotorua Public Library to Rotorua District Library.
In 2011, the library carries 168, 847 items of stock managed by 41 staff members.