First look inside the new Wellington Library

Walking through the Victoria Street entrance of Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui, at first glance the library is the same yet different. 

There are hundreds of thousands of books, metal bridges and escalators from before. But beyond that, the revamped library offers a whole new host of creative spaces and technologies.

The new library has more places to read, relax and gather, says redesign project leader Gisella Carr.

More open spaces will host author talks or performance without encroaching on other library users.

The original library opened in 1991 – when it was also given the name Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui, which translates to ‘the window to the wider world’. 

It has been closed since March 2019 after a seismic assessment found it was a threat to life if a serious earthquake occurred. It has now had a $217.6 million makeover. 

While much of the shell of the original award-winning library remains, many of its concrete walls have been removed, bringing in more natural light.

The council says 250,000 items will be housed on over 7000 shelves in the public space. The total collection size is estimated at 402,000 with 152,000 items stored on levels three and four of the library, available on request.

Children's librarian Stephen Clothier says there are 40,000 to 50,000 fewer books on the floor than they had previously. But with around 8km of shelving, "there's very much a huge amount of collection items there for people to get lost in”. 

Modern technologies, including developments in AI, were among the factors considered when designing and modernising the library, Carr says. 

"You only get once in a generation opportunity to think about a facility like this. So that has really been a major focus for us."

One of the new creative areas in the library is “makerspaces” - a room full of creative technologies free to use, which one may not be able to afford at home. 

"We've got a bank of 3D printers, we have sewing machines, an overlocker, a loom for weaving, we have wool winding materials, we have a CNC machine here that does carving out of wood, we have some resin printers, we have acrylic and paper cutters, a laser cutter," Clothier says.

The revamped library has a recording studio full of musical instruments, built in partnership with the School of Music. The fully soundproof facilities on level two may be used for band recordings and podcast hosting.

A children's play and learning hub called Nōku te Ao Capital E is split across two spaces in the library. The Capital E building was previously located under the City to Sea bridge on the other side of Civic Square, then relocated to Queen's Wharf after being deemed earthquake prone in 2013.

On the mezzanine, the under-fives play area is based around the story of Ngake and Whātaitai, the taniwha of Wellington harbour.

The room isn't fully ready, but Delyse Diack from Capital E says Whātaitai is represented in a quiet baby space in the corner while Ngake is reflected in the bluish-purple slide in the centre of the room.

Older kids also have access to digital studios - MediaLab and OnTV - on level two. The OnTV studio has a green screen covering one wall and a fully functional control room.

Diack says students can see what it's like to produce a TV segment, practicing roles like director, newsreader and autocue.

Wellington City Archives can also be found on level two, meaning for the first time all of the archives and collections will be available in the one place.

“The staff here will be able to help across all of the different collections and resources that we have, and then we have specialist library heritage people and archivists, depending on the level of research that you're doing," says archives leader Adrian Humphris. 

New “digitisation stations”, where visitors can bring in their own photographs, negatives, film or videos and put them on a USB, are expected to be popular. The stations are free to use, but need to be booked by appointment.

The new library also has exhibition spaces, with many of the opening exhibitions Wellington-centric. A collection by artist and science communicator Dr Gabby O'Connor will explore what the landscape around the library may have looked like in the past, with about 1000 locals contributing to the scenes. 

Another, ‘Dear Wellington’, will look at historical correspondence between the council and its citizens.

Wellington Mayor Andrew Little says the library reopening adds momentum to return Wellington back to a vibrant and bustling capital city. 

"It comes at a great time, with the refreshed Te Ngākau Civic Square and the many surrounding projects nearing completion. These works have been disruptive to local businesses and retailers, but the revitalised civic spaces will attract many more Wellingtonians and visitors to the heart of our city. The future is brighter for Wellington." 

The library will reopen on Saturday, 14 March.