Granity Community Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Granity Community Library |
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| General information | |
| Type | Library |
| Location | Granity |
| Address | Torea Street (State Highway 67) |
| Coordinates | 41°37′44″S 171°51′15″E / 41.6288°S 171.8543°E |
| Opened | 1903 |
| Owner | |
| Designated: | 21 September 1989 |
| Reference #: | 5019 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | Single storey |
The Granity Community Library is a small public library. You can find it in the town of Granity on the West Coast of New Zealand. This special building is listed as a Category II historic place by Heritage New Zealand. This means it is an important part of New Zealand's history.
Contents
The Library's Beginning
Granity was once a busy place for loading coal. Coal from the Millerton coal mine went onto trains here. Then, the trains took the coal to Westport to be shipped away.
In 1903, a group called the Granity Library Committee wanted to build a library. They asked the Minister of Railways for some land. They were given a rectangular piece of land for a small yearly fee.
A Small Mix-Up
Eight years after the library was built, they found a problem. The building was on the wrong piece of land! So, the first agreement had to be canceled. A new agreement was then made for the correct spot.
How the Library Worked
When the Westport Coal Company had its engineering workshops in Granity, they helped the library. The company gave the library free electric light. At its busiest time, the library had 80 members. In 1924, its books and items were insured for £300.
A local person remembered how the library looked back then: The library was set up very differently. Books were kept behind glass cases on the walls. In the middle of the room were two long tables. These tables held daily newspapers from all over New Zealand and even Australia. Magazines and the Auckland Weekly News were also common. Miners had a small amount of money taken from their pay for the newspaper service. The library was open every day. It was a very busy place where people came to read the papers. The librarian earned a small salary and had help from young paid workers.
The Library Today
Today, the Buller District Library in Westport provides books for Granity. The library also gets books donated by people living nearby. The people who work at the library are all volunteers. A committee runs the library.
Over the years, the library has been a meeting place for many groups. These include the Countrywomen's Institute and the Silver Band. The Rovers Rugby Club also met there. It was a practice space for the local drama club. The Fire Brigade even held regular Forty-Fives card game nights there.
Building Changes and Features
The library building has not changed much since it was built. One big change happened during the 1968 Inangahua earthquake. The library lost its chimney in that earthquake. In 2015, the library was even featured in a BBC radio series. The series was about small libraries around the world.
