New vans turn a page for Whanganui District Library
Published on 19 October 2020
A.M. Blackett and her library team in the 1930s
Read all about it! Whanganui’s new mobile library vans will be seen around the district from Tuesday, 27 October, after Labour weekend, when they are brought into operation to serve the needs of the community.
Whanganui District Libraries Manager, Pete Gray, says the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans are “huge”.
“It was important to us to get the ‘super-high’ 2.2-metre roof to make sure the vans are inviting and comfortable for people of all heights.”
The “extra-long” vans are 7.3 metres long and 2 metres wide.
Pete Gray says one of the big advantages of the new vans is their ability to access areas where the mobile library bus cannot travel.
“At Whanganui District Library we’re committed to getting the books to where the people are.”
The vans can travel to anywhere the library bus went but also further afield to places the bus couldn’t reach, such as along the River Road, into retirement complexes around town and to outreach events.
He says the vans will also come in useful for refreshing the collection for suburban libraries, a task that until now has been completed either by courier or a staff car.
Every available safety feature has been ordered with the top-of-the-line vans, including 360-degree cameras and “blindspot assist”.
“Switching to vans also takes the pressure off us in terms of staffing as the vans can be driven by any holder of a Class 1 licence, unlike the bus, which could only be driven by our two librarians with Class 2 licences.
“This means the vans will be on the road for more hours each week, making more stops than was possible with the bus.”
The cost of replacing the mobile library bus would have been close to $600,000. $300,000 was set aside to purchase and refit the vans and the project has come in under budget. Pete Gray says he would like to thank the Lion Foundation and the Four Regions Trust for their support for the project.
The concept design for the exterior of the vans was completed by Library Performance Manager, Sonny Tamihana.
Pete Gray says the inspiration for the adults’ van, dubbed “Tahi”, was a picture of Miss Blackett, a former city librarian, and her team from the 1930s.
“The picture sums up our history as an organisation and the power of libraries, particularly for women at the time.
“She and other literary champions like Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, Kerry Greenwood’s Phyrne Fisher and Alice in Wonderland are why we chose that particular series of images.
“The design is nostalgic without being overt about it.”
He says the inspiration for the children’s van, “Rua”, is again picking up themes of literary heroism for children from books like Pippi Longstocking, Captain Underpants, The Famous Five and Peter Pan.
“These are titles kids love and continue to love, and we always want to encourage that excitement for reading.”
The children’s van has the capacity to seat about eight children – as many as the bus – and the adults’ van can seat about three adults.
Pete Gray says because there is less standing room in the bus, schools will need to adapt their practices to bring smaller groups to the mobile library van, rather than whole classes. He says because of the recent COVID-19 restrictions many schools have already developed systems for bringing smaller groups to the mobile library.
Because the mobile library collection is split between two vans, there will be fewer books on board each van but the collection will be more regularly refreshed. The van bookshelves have more room to display books face out “to catch the eye and entice people to delve into the books”.
The mobile library schedule can be viewed by visiting Whanganui District Library’s website or scanning the QR code on the van doors.
Everyone is welcome to attend the launch for the mobile library vans on Friday, 23 October at 2.00pm at the Davis Library. Both vans will be stationed outside the library and open to the public for two hours.