New era begins for National Library

The reopening of the National Library heralds a new era in connecting New Zealanders with the documentary heritage of their country, says Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain.

The National Library building on Molesworth Street was officially reopened by Prime Minister John Key early this morning.

“The National Library has undergone an amazing transformation. It’s a state of the art space which embraces technology – it’s an exciting and vibrant place to spend time in,” says Mr Tremain.

“The $65 million refurbishment has taken three years to complete and has involved extensive remodelling of the interior as well as a new roof. The upgrade has also included improving storage conditions for the preservation of fragile documents and images in the collections.

“Modernising the building means visitors can interact with visual representations of New Zealand’s history. The knowledge and information the National Library holds is accessible to everyone and I encourage school groups to include it in their itinerary when they come to visit the Capital.

“The collection is an impressive piece of New Zealand’s past. It’s valued at almost $1 billion and if laid out would span 95 kilometres.

“If people can’t make it into the building they can easily access the collections through the newly re-launched library website www.natlib.govt.nz.”