"A library is an arsenal of liberty"
~ Unknown
The Rural Public Library
14 April 2010
What characterises the Public Library in rural New Zealand?
In general, the rural Public Library is housed in a small building, situated in a small urban centre. Even though its immediate location can be small, it often serves a larger ‘hidden’ population spread over an enormous geographic area. This population can be characterized as conservative and often resistant to change. In addition, the percentage of rates paid in rural New Zealand is extremely high given the low population figure and the relative value of the land they occupy.
This does not mean that rural New Zealand does not want to see their children do well at school and go on to achieve well in society. It does not mean that rural communities don’t want to be safe and healthy, or provide for those less fortunate in their communities.
It does mean that rural authorities struggle to meet these desires and keep basic services such as roading (always large in the rural setting), water quality and waste management at a high level.
With all these competing pressures on the local authority it has meant that the Public Library has had to become smarter in finding ways of providing the services to meet an almost unconscious expectation of the community.
The Public Library in rural New Zealand is often the one place where the community can get a wide range of information and services that several agencies might handle in a bigger place. It often becomes a defacto youth centre, a Council Service Centre, citizens advice or tourist information centre. All this in addition to its more traditional roles of offering books, reference services and internet access.
Years of poor internet access has been countered to some extent through the spread of the Aotearoa Peoples Network Kaharoa. With it have come more expectations and a wider client base.
The public expect that all of the small number of staff are “Librarians” and can offer the same service irrespective of their training. Staff training opportunities are limited due to restrictions and additional costs relating to geographical location.
The communities and community groups may be small in population, but are generally close to and very supportive of their library. Volunteers assist in various capacities from helping out at busy times to covering and mending books.
These connections to the community are vital in providing sponsorship, resources and support to enable programmes to occur. Taking advantage of every opportunity has become the catch-cry of many rural Public Library managers.
As such the small rural Public Library is the hub that provides the space for all the citizens of the community to enjoy.