Sue Thomson Casey Memorial Library to undergo a carpet makeover

The Sue Thomson Casey Memorial Library will undergo a carpet makeover this autumn, giving our vital community facility a well-deserved freshen up.

The carpet replacement project will be completed in four stages, so that the library can retain at least partial services throughout the renovations.

The first three stages, covering the publicly accessible areas, will take place from 6 May to 10 June.

The current carpet has reached the end of its life, being stained and frayed. Its age means it is no longer receptive to being professionally cleaned and is very worn in some areas.

The new replacement carpet has a 15–20-year lifespan and is made up of square tiles, which means sections can be replaced individually if required for any very high-wear areas.

Flooring Plus from Westport are the carpet laying contractors and have extensive experience with local commercial projects of a similar nature.

Carpet replacement in a library environment is no mean feat, and Buller District Libraries’ Westport collection is home to some 25,000 items.

Shelving must be dismantled, and books packed away in order so they can be efficiently reinstated after the renovation.

Professional movers Crown Relocations NZ will be taking care of the initial shelving and book removal stages, to ensure the books are handled with care and kept in order.

This is a process that requires professional expertise and Crown have completed many library relocations nationwide.

The whole project budget is $141,000, with quotes for the above work being within this budget. The works were identified in the 2021-2031 Long-Term Plan and confirmed in the 2023-2024 Annual Plan.

Buller District Libraries staff learnt quite a lot about moving a library collection from the Inangahua County Library move in Reefton in 2023 and will complete the reinstatement of books on shelves once Crown reinstalls the shelving.

The library’s four full-time-equivalent staff will be kept busy during this period assisting with the move, running events offsite, and completing the usual non-public facing tasks such as cataloguing, book processing, marketing, and promotion.

The delivery of physical library services based in Westport will be affected during the project. Staff have worked hard to minimise the disruption to services as much as possible. In Stage 1, the meeting room and computer room will be closed to the public.

However, as a great example of collaboration between BDC facilities, community engagement activities and some library services, e.g. the popular Tuesday Club will move to the NBS Theatre on Palmerston Street.

Other programmes, such as the Scrabble Group will relocate to the library's history room during Stages 1 and 2. Non-fiction, fiction and large print adult book issues will not be available during Stages 2 and 3.

Throughout Stage 3, the library will be fully closed to the public. There will not be any book issues made or Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa (APNK) computers available during this time. Free
Wi-Fi, accessible from outside the building, will still be available.

A full list of services, event times and relocations will be kept on display in the library window, and on the library website: Buller District Libraries (bullerlibraries.nz)

Should any changes to the timeline for the delivery of services need to occur, these will be communicated to the public via the same channels.

This will be a busy time for staff, and council apologises for any inconvenience to library users.

During the closure period:

• We suggest that patrons issue their books ahead of time to ensure they have enough reading material during the closure.
• We will extend all issue dates beyond June 10. We will also ask borrowers, if possible, to return their books after 10 June.
• Online services such as Libby, Borrowbox and Kanopy will still be available throughout this period.

-ENDS-

For further information please contact:
Manager Library
Nicky Meadowcroft
Nicky.Meadowcroft@bdc.govt.nz