The good place

Published on 15 March 2022

An independent survey of 434 adult library users was carried out at the beginning of this year by university student, Hannah Acheson. The aim of the survey was to gather qualitative data – stories and perspectives – to determine how the Waitaki District Libraries personally impact its users.

While library staff felt that the idea of the library as a community hub did resonate with Waitaki people, the depth of the responses and the heart-warming comments the survey engendered were simply astonishing, according Waitaki Libraries Manager Jenny Bean. Comments such as “My children wouldn’t have learned to read and write without the library” show just how much patrons value the district’s libraries as a place of learning, a place to feel connected literally and virtually.

More than half of those surveyed related to the concept of the library as a community hub, a social connection point offering a safe and welcoming environment where people could just be themselves, where mental health benefits were palpable; it was also seen as an information centre, where useful and helpful access to computers and the internet was made available. Above all, libraries are where the library staff made a world away from societal pressures, a place where all were welcome.

88% of survey respondents valued books as a way of learning, entertainment, expanding their horizons and as a pathway to a future for themselves and their families. Jenny said, “it’s really exciting to know just how important Waitaki District Libraries are to people’s wellbeing as we continue to work with the community, especially in the tough times over the last few years”.