Whanganui’s home of heritage on the move

Published on 31 August 2015

31 August 2015

Whanganui’s home of heritage, the Alexander Heritage & Research Library, is about to undergo a structural makeover to bring it up to earthquake-strength standards. This requires the Library service to relocate the community’s collections to a temporary location while contractors work on the Alexander Library building.

Wanganui District Council has agreed to a $750,000 upgrade that will make the Alexander Heritage & Research Library 67 per cent of the New Building Standard (NBS) - a level safe for regular users of the building.

With building work due to begin in November, the Alexander Heritage & Research Library will close for up to two months from Friday, 4 September 2015. The last public event to be held in the Alexander Library will be the Library Book Sale on Saturday, September 5, from 10.00am to 2.00pm.

A team of volunteers from the community will work with Library staff and heritage partners Whanganui Regional Heritage Trust and Wanganui Branch of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists to pack the collections ready to relocate to a temporary site in the old Main Post Office building at 60 Ridgway Street.

“Relocating our collections and service will be a collaborative effort for the staff and volunteer team,” says Gillian Tasker, Heritage Services Leader at the Library.

The Alexander Heritage & Research Library plans to reopen in the new temporary location by Monday, November 2. If work goes smoothly the team hopes to have the Library up and running even earlier. The relocated library will include heritage and research services and more, with space to relax with a coffee from one of the nearby cafes, use public internet computers or engage with the best of the Library collections.

“We want to ensure our community continues to be able to access our Whanganui heritage and stories,” says Gillian. “We’re excited to be able to continue offering our comprehensive research service to anyone seeking information on local history, family history or Whanganui’s heritage buildings in the downtown space.”

Anyone needing research services or information during the time the Alexander Heritage & Research Library is temporarily closed should contact the Library staff by email at Heritage@wanganuilibrary.com or by phone on (06) 349 1000.