The city’s Central Library will reopen for business this month.
The flagship branch of the Hamilton City Libraries operation was closed in late 2016 after a Detailed Seismic Assessment revealed the building had one section with an unacceptably low seismic rating.
Hamilton City Libraries Director Rebecca Whitehead says the Central Library will reopen to customers on Monday, 9 July, with staff planning a range of events under the theme “Welcome back to our place”.
The reopening of the Central Library coincides with school holidays, and the libraries’ Children and Teens team has put together a programme of child-focused activities and initiatives.
Children’s entertainer Mr Roberelli will be attending and performing, and using the reopening days as a chance to film segments for his next music video. Also set to feature is the famous Dr. Seuss character The Cat In the Hat, making a special appearance ahead of his show at Claudelands in October. He will be reading the famous Dr. Seuss stories based around rhyme and word-play which children quickly relate to, and a family pass to his upcoming show will be up for grabs as a competition prize.
Street theatre performers are also booked for the reopening event, which will include story-telling.
“We’d love to see some of our young customers dress up for our reopening, so we’re encouraging them to come as their favourite story characters,” – she says.
The libraries team will also be giving away 1000 of the new Hamilton City Libraries tote bags, which will feature the winning design from the recent competition.
The Heritage Team will have a new themed display for the reopening, and customers will be able to contribute to a story wall, which will be based on the theme “I Love My Library”.
Mrs Whitehead extended the thanks and appreciation of the Hamilton City Libraries staff to all customers.
“We’ve been operating our Pop Central Library in the Council Reception Lounge, which has meant limited service and led to some frustrations. Our customers have been extremely patient while we’ve sorted out the Central Library, and we do want to acknowledge that,” – she says.
The Pop Central Library will be decommissioned once the Central Library reopens.