Papanui Library closes for upgrade
Papanui Library will be closed in stages over the next few weeks while a new air conditioning system is installed.
The closure will take place in two stages: the rear half of the library will be closed from Thursday 3 – Wednesday 16
July, during which time it will offer partial services, with limited access to the collection and no Babytime or
Storytime sessions. The library will be fully closed from Thursday 17 July – Thursday 28 August.
The facility’s Customer Service Desk and Board Room will remain open throughout, offering wider Christchurch City
Council services and a meeting space.
Libraries and Information Unit Manager Carolyn Robertson says Papanui Library’s heating system has been due for
replacement since prior to the 2011 earthquakes.
“There have been issues for a few years now with hot and cold spots developing in Papanui Library – its current air
conditioning system is inefficient, and it’s more cost-effective for us to replace it than to repair and keep it
operating.
“Papanui is one of our busiest community libraries and we’d like to apologise to all our regulars for the
inconvenience,” she says. “It’s a complicated process, but the installation is being completed as quickly as possible
and will make Papanui Library a much more comfortable place to spend time in.
“The library’s ceiling is quake-damaged and is in need of some work,” Mrs Robertson says. “Ideally we’d be able to do
these jobs at the same time, but the ceiling is still subject to an insurance settlement, so that work will come later.”
Papanui Library’s after hours return facility will be cleared daily throughout the closure, and items from Papanui
Library can be returned to any library in the Christchurch City Libraries network. The nearest large library is
Fendalton Library on the corner of Clyde Road and Jeffreys Road. Reserved items will be made available at Fendalton
Library unless otherwise requested.
Papanui Library’s toilets and wifi will be unavailable throughout the entire period of the closure.
For more information about the closure, and which services will remain on offer, please contact the Fingertip Library on
(03) 941 7923 or visit www.christchurchcitylibraries.com
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