Wellington's New Pop-Up Library Has Opened on Manners Street

It was a sad day saying goodbye to the Wellington Central Library on March 19 due to earthquake strengthening issues. Many Wellingtonians have had a hole in their hearts ever since and have missed having that city hub to cosy up and read a book in. Unfortunately, our Central Library will be closed indefinitely, but as of today, we have a temporary solution.

Arapaki Manners Library and Service Centre has now opened at 12 Manners Street. This space is one of many new pop-up library and Council Service centres to be introduced into Wellington's CBD. We can also look forward to a new partnership with The National Library opening in a few months, as well as several more pop-up libraries around the city.

Arapaki was officially opened to the public at 9am on 28 May with a small ceremony. "At Arapaki, Wellingtonians can browse and borrow items, read papers and magazines and even pay their rates or register their dog all in one place," Mayor, Justin Lester states proudly. Lester wanted to thank Wellingtonians for their patience, after the abrupt closure of the Central Library and acknowledged that although Arapaki is perfectly formed, it is a small space. However, we can expect to see many more spaces like Arapaki pop up in the coming months.

It may be small but Arapaki has roughly 7500 items on the shelves. These range from a children's section, non-fiction, fiction and AV items. With a great team of helpful library staff available to help with any questions and guide you through the new Arapaki space, you'll be well looked after. There are also several self-service computers and a Council payments desk for you to take advantage of, and yes, there is free wi-fi.

Wellington's new pop-up library is still a work in progress, with many more improvements to be put in place as the weeks go on. The public has a crucial role in providing feedback and advice for our leaders as to any improvements we want to see in Arapaki. "We have specifically selected a range of popular items and services for Arapaki. We'll be keeping an eye on what's popular and what's not. Customer feedback will help us make sure we have what our readers want across our CBD network," says Councillor Fleur Fitzsimons, who holds Wellington City Council's community facilities portfolio.

Until the day the doors of our beloved Central Library are open once again, we need to open our minds to these temporary solutions. Arapaki is the first of many pop-up libraries to bring that much-needed space full of culture, learning resources and knowledge back to our CBD.

Arapaki Manners Library and Service Centre is open for Service Centre related business Monday-Friday from 8am-5pm with extended hours for the library which is open Monday-Friday 8am-7pm, Weekend hours are from 9.30am-5pm.