Article Index

Christchurch City Libraries has been an important and well-loved part of the Christchurch community for 150 years. We hope you will enjoy reading about all the changes that have taken place over this time, the people, places, services and collections that have shaped the library we know today.

Start with our timeline or read our short history of Christchurch libraries.

Collections

• Over the years Christchurch City Libraries has developed some interesting collections of special interest
• A Library for Children
• One of the most popular places in our libraries is the music collection
• The world languages collection has undergone a dramatic expansion in the last 60 years
• Imagine hanging an original Colin McCahon or Grahame Sydney on your wall and it costing you nothing

Libraries

• Addington Library, 1918-1971
• Akaroa has a long history of libraries in the community
• Bishopdale was the third library to be opened in the Waimairi County Libraries network
• Christchurch City Libraries has always had a significant central city presence, beginning in 1859 as a Mechanics Institute collection
• Diamond Harbour has had a long and lively community life and a community run library has been part of that since 1943 when a branch of the Lyttelton Public Library was opened in the golf club pavilion
• Fendalton Library & Service Centre / Te Kete Wānanga o Waimairi
• Hornby Library has been serving the people of Hornby since January 1972 when it opened
• Halswell Library / Te Kete Wānanga o Otamatua
• Linwood Public Library: The Voluntary Years, 1909-1993
• On the 18 December Linwood Library was opened with a dawn ceremony of blessing, followed later in the morning with an official opening ceremony
• Little River Library Te Kete Wānanga o Wairewa stands in the middle of Little River township
• The Lyttelton Library is the oldest library in Canterbury
• The Mobile Library story
• New Brighton Library / Te Kete Wānanga o Karoro
• Libraries have a long history in the Papanui area
• History begins on day one, so even one of our newest libraries, Parklands, has a little history
• Redwood Library has held an important place in the heart of its’ community since it opened in 1968
• Shirley Library is the epitome of a community library, drawing a loyal band of customers and building significant relationships with local schools and neighbouring community housing occupants
• “An integral part of the fabric of the St Martins area”
• “Community focused, architecturally inspired” South Library / Te Kete Wānanga o Wai Mōkihi
• Spreydon Library’s opening in March 1971 marked the beginning of a new era of library service in Christchurch
• Sumner has always had a very distinct identity in its seaside location and did not become part of Christchurch City until 1945
• Upper Riccarton Community and School Library / Te Kete Wānanga o Pūtaringamotu
• Waltham Library was established during the rush to open suburban libraries in Christchurch in the 1870s
• Woolston Library was one of the earliest suburban libraries to open in Christchurch, in 1871, and against all odds, the library survives to this day

Librarians

• Remembering Jack and Edna: Ernest Bell and Edna Pearce - two librarians who as Uncle Jack and Aunt Edna, created a children's radio show in Christchurch in the 1920s
• Dorothea Brown, appointed City Librarian in 1986 was a ground-breaker
• Sue Sutherland was Christchurch City Librarian from 1 October 1995 until January 2005
• When John Stringleman retired a long ode was composed in his honour by Margaret Mahy and performed by the “Stringlesingers”
• Ron O’Reilly City Librarian from September 1951 came from a new generation of New Zealand trained librarians
• Barbara Collie was a long serving and dedicated librarian at Canterbury Public Library renowned for her superior sense of style
• “It’s fantastic to work in a place that embraces our bi-cultural identity and nurtures it”. There’s no doubt Haneta Pierce loves her job at Christchurch City Libraries
• For a whopping 55 years Brian Gilberthorpe has worked at Christchurch City Libraries, becoming a senior arbiter of accuracy in how the library catalogues its resources
• The desire to work in a stimulating learning environment, helping people to become confident information seekers led Carolyn Robertson into a library career
• Frederick Thompson, 1805-1881
• Charles John Reader, 1803-1885
• Francis Grollier Stedman, 1839-1891
• Alexander Cracroft Wilson, 1840-1911
• Ernest John Bell, 1885?-1971
• James Nash Howard Strong, 1840-1924

Other Subjects

• Library Travels with my Father by Julianne Pask
• Richard Till - a culinary trip down memory lane
• A Special Birthday Cake
• In 1940, 12-year-old Mollie Tobeck left home ... took the tram from Beckenham to town and joined the Canterbury Public Library
• Library staff get artistic with anniversary panels
• Bookbinding is a special skill – and a very important one in a library where books are moved about, carried all over the city, and handled by literally hundreds of people
• Over the years some of our libraries have been lucky to have a cat in residence
• Everybody needs a friend and Christchurch City Libraries has a dedicated group of Friends who support and promote its services and host a lively programme of local author events
• Jayden’s teddy bear a winner
• Since its beginnings in a single room in 1859, Christchurch City Libraries have clocked up some impressive ‘firsts’...
• “Dowdy” and “lacking dress sense” is how fashion maven Paula Ryan described many librarians when she spoke on the topic of librarian presentation and grooming at a library conference in 2007