Library history
19625 Hotel Rotorua and Comet Store, 1886, photographer unknown, Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa (CP-90)
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 (Comet) 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.
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14328 Victoria Institute, Municipal Buildings/Library Arawa Street (South side between Fenton/Tutanekai Streets), photographer unknown, Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa (CP-2138)
The Victoria Institute
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.
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6299 Municipal buildings - Fenton/Arawa Streets, photographer unknown, Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa (OP-824)
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.
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The Masonic Building on Fenton Street, just past the intersection with Arawa Street. Unknown photographer, Rotorua Library archives.
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.
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Government Building Arawa to Haupapa Street, photographer unknown, Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa (OP-4808)
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.
Top left: Rotorua Library, taken from Haupapa Street end. After extensive renovations in 2008/9, the Library included a cafe.
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Mayor Stevie Chadwick opens the temporary library in Pukuatua Street, Rotorua
Pukuatua Street
Rotorua Library opened in the temporary location on the corner of Pukuatua and Amohia Streets on 29 July 2017.
The library name changed from Rotorua District Library to Rotorua Library.
The move to these temporary premises allowed for refurbishment and maintenance work to be done on the Haupapa Street building. Many know the building on the corner of Pukuatua and Amohia Streets as the 'Old Van Dyks Building. While the floor space of these premises was a significant reduction, different layouts, processes and programmes were tested ahead of the move back to Te Aka Mauri, Rotorua's new Library and Children's Health Hub in Haupapa Street in early February 2018.
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Rotorua Library, Te Aka Mauri, between Haupapa and Arawa Streets, looking over Jean Batten Square.
Rotorua Library, Te Aka Mauri
Te Aka Mauri, incorporating the new Rotorua Library and Rotorua Children's Health Hub opened on 3 February 2018.