Wānaka Library is still the busiest of the eight libraries in Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago.

Its members checked out more than 270,000 books over the last financial year.

This was more than half of the total of around half a million books checked out across all eight libraries.

Wānaka Library also got plenty of foot traffic: more than 120,000 people walked through its doors.

This made up over a third of the 300,000 or so visits across all libraries.

The local library also signed up around 126 new members for each month of the year.

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) branch library manager Upper Clutha Julie Stretch said Wānaka Library also hosted a “significant number” of Te Ao Māori events.

They included Te Reo Māori Storytime, Local Māori Stories, events for Matariki and Waitangi Day, among others.

A “huge number and variety” of events for adults also took place, ranging from film screenings to LGBT+ events, bingo, the Festival of Authors and much more.

Julie said the local library team “all feel grateful to work in a library that is so well supported by the community”.

She noted that the Hāwea Library was also getting busier. 

New fire doors were installed which means the library now has capacity for 95 people.

District-wide, some of the big successes of the year for the libraries team included going fines-free in August, the new website and the increased use of the Libraries app.

Find more about all the things on offer at the Wānaka Library - and other libraries in the district - here.

PHOTO: Wānaka App