Auckland Council’s Central City Library remains closed, but an alternative, limited service is being run for central city bookworms.
This limited, ‘pick-up’ only service will be available at the central city library, starting tomorrow (Saturday 10 April). This will allow central city customers to come and collect books they already have on hold and return any books that are due back. Items that are in transit to fulfil requests will also start coming into the central library for collection. These will be notified to customers in the usual ways.
This service will be available 10am – 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday.
This service will also operate 1pm – 6pm Monday to Friday.
Due to limited staffing in the building, customers will not be able to access other services or areas in the building. Staff will retrieve holds for customers and check them out before handing them over.
Some community programmes will move to Ellen Melville Centre in Freyberg Square and some services such as book chats will move online. We will also be getting the ‘Korero’ Book Bike out and about in the central city area. Check the Central City Library Facebook page for updates, call Library Connect (09 377 7795) or talk to staff at the Central Library during the hours they’re open.
Accessing other library services
If you wish to visit an alternative library, please consider heading to one of our other branches, such as Parnell, Leys Institute Little Library in Ponsonby, Grey Lynn or Epsom. To find the branch most convenient for you, visit the Auckland Libraries website.
If you want help with research, whakapapa, family, or local history you can contact us online or visit one of the three other centres for in-person help. Find out how we can help with your research by visiting our webpage on research services.
If your local library is the Central City Library and you wish to return books, you can do this at any of the libraries located throughout the region. If you’re not able to make it to another location or you have books out that are now due or nearing the due date, please renew them online or call us for assistance.
If you have books on hold ready for collection at the Central City Library, these will remain on hold until we can provide an option for collecting these in the central city.
The library was temporarily closed in late March following a precautionary evacuation and air quality issues within the building, associated with the building works.
Auckland Council’s Central City Library was then closed again from 6pm on Thursday 1 April, until further notice.
The building is currently undergoing work to repair the roof, which created an unpleasant smell within the library.
Our focus is on public health and safety, so library staff have made the difficult decision to keep the library closed for the time being.
As part of ensuring the well-being of both staff and customers, air quality testing was carried out when the library was first closed on 22 March.
All results from that round of testing have come back clear and we can assure people who were in the library at that time that whilst the smell is very unpleasant, there was no harm to health.
Based on health and safety advice we sought, we have requested further independent testing. There are no indications of adverse health and safety impacts; this additional step will provide further reassurance to staff and customers that, while we have some unpleasant smells coming from the roof, there are no risks to anyone’s health and safety.
