Christchurch City Libraries
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The Christchurch Central Library in 2007
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| Country | New Zealand |
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| Established | 1859 |
| Location | Christchurch |
| Branches | 20 |
| Collection | |
| Size | 1,089,818 (June 2008) |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 5,980,509 (July 2007 - June 2008) |
| Population served | 348,435 (2006 census) |
| Other information | |
| Director | Carolyn Robertson (Libraries and Information Manager) |
| Staff | 254 |
| Website | christchurchcitylibraries.com |
Christchurch City Libraries are operated by the Christchurch City Council and are a network of 19 libraries and a mobile book bus. The library was formerly known as the Canterbury Public Library. Following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake a number of branch libraries have closed including the Christchurch Central Library. Two temporary central libraries have been set up and are located in Peterborough Street and Manchester Street and will remain open until the new Central Library opens in 2018.
The library began as the Mechanics' Institute in 1859, when 100 subscribers leased temporary premises in the then Town Hall. The collection consisted of a few hundred books.
By 1863, with the help of a grant from the Provincial Government, the Mechanics' Institute opened a building on a half-acre of freehold land on the corner of Cambridge Terrace and Hereford Street, purchased the year before at a cost of £262.10.0. This site was to remain the home of the library until 1982.
Debt, dwindling subscribers and other problems forced the Institute to hand over the building to the Provincial Government in 1873. By this time the collection numbered some 5,000 volumes, and was placed by the Province under the control of the new Canterbury College (later University). With the abolition of the provinces in 1876, the library became the property of the College, ratified by an Act of Parliament in 1878.
Canterbury College controlled the library for over 70 years. Despite continual financial problems the bookstock and service continued to develop during most of the time.
Francis Stedman was the first official librarian (1876–1891), although he divided his time between the library and the College, where he was also registrar. By 1881 Stedman had increased the bookstock to 15,000 volumes. By 1898 when Alexander Cracroft Wilson (son of John Cracroft Wilson) was librarian (1891–1906) the stock had increased to nearly 30,000. Ten years later, under Howard Strong (1906–1913), the stock numbered over 40,000 volumes.
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Wikipedia