Projects

Aotearoa NZ People's Network

The Kawerau District Council has agreed for the Library to participate in a pilot project to establish the first phase of a New Zealand People's Network centred on public libraries. The Aotearoa NZ People's Network is a collaboration between National Library, public libraries and business, which will provide New Zealanders with greater access to computer and internet technologies through public libraries and provide guidance for users on how to find and use content. A primary motivation is to allow every public library in New Zealand to provide the same standard of Internet connectivity and to provide similar opportunities to all members of their communities.

As well as providing access to content, the People's Network will provide tools and the platform for individuals to create and store their own content. For example, a grandmother in Taihape could set up her own Flickr account with the help of her local Librarian, then upload photos of her grandchildren so her family around the world could access them. She might deposit her family stories in the community content repository where they will be stored for her descendants as yet unborn. Likewise, her grandchildren in Auckland could upload their latest digital photos and share them with Grandma. It's quick for the children, and rewarding for Grandma, who now has her family set up as an online community. With the People's Network in place, libraries will become even more of a hub for the next digital wave, catering to patrons that are tech-savvy as well as those who have yet to hear words like online, blog, e-mail or Web.

The project is loosely based on the successful People's Network in the United Kingdom (http://www.peoplesnetwork.gov.uk/ ). However, there have been significant learnings from the UK project and this has resulted in a New Zealand implementation which offers equipment which is easier to manage and support, and content which is made more accessible through structured directories. Public libraries in Wairarapa/Tararua, Taranaki, the West Coast (South Island), and in Kawerau (Eastern Bay of Plenty) have been chosen as the first libraries to connect to the project. A package including equipment, networking, training and access to web based tools and services will be supplied to libraries in these regions. We went live in Kawerau 23 November 2007.

Building Upgrade

Over the last year the Kawerau District Council made a considerable investment in the future of our public library by extending the building, updating decor and collections, and opening access through to the Sir James Fletcher Kawerau Museum. The total floor space has increased by a third and this new space now houses museum display, the fiction and non-fiction collections. We also gained a stack room complete with lundia shelving. Another change has been the extension of the teen space upstairs to create relaxation and study zones for our older kids. Underneath the new mezzanine floor, an imagination zone has been completed with tree, grass, caterpillar and the childrens' collections. In the Technology zone, space has been set aside for participation in the Aotearoa New Zealand People's Network Phase 1 project.

Other changes include the development of two new collections. These are DVDs and Junior Readers. Both collections are proving popular with customers. Funding has also been put aside to increase the number of magazines/newspapers for next year. Work is still continuing with furniture, signage and some zones yet to be completed. The Council funded the bulk of the work with the Eastern Bay Energy Trust contributing $42 000 towards energy related costs. This investment from the Council and the Energy Trust means we now have a public library service that the local community is enthusiastically supporting.