Library may spread to parking area

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33777, 25 February 1975, Page 1

Library may spread to parking area

Temporary buildings may be put in the car and bicycle parking area on the Cambridge Terrace frontage of the public library’ to ease the “nightmarish” crowding of the existing building.

The cultural committee of the Christchurch City Council agreed yesterday to call for a proposal from engineers and architects about such a building or buildings as the most practicable short - term solution. The committee had considered a report from the city librarian (Mr J. E. D. Stringleman), who said that a •‘nightmare of improvisation” was needed to keep up the day-to-day activities of the library’. This was because of the critical shortage of room for books, staff, and library users he said. The pressure on space

would become worse when the Government-assisted scientific and technical information headquarters for the South Island was installed at the library. Possible storage space at the St Albans Library would ease the crisis only as much as it would mean that books now stacked on the floor in the present library would be stored on shelves, he said. Nucleus “There is no possibility of further internal alterations within the present building to increase accommodation. Nor does the solution lie in removing a section or sections of the library to another building as this leads to inconvenience to the public, additional staff, and some duplication of stock and equipment.” The committee’s recommendation to consider installation of a temporary building — probably suitable for removal to another site where it can form the nucleus of a branch library — will go to the next meeting of the full council for confirmation.