Complaints over library misuse
Feilding residents have raised concerns about the rising number of teenagers eating takeaways and creating noise and mess at the Feilding Public Library.
Feilding man Gary Barnett has complained to the Manawatu District Council, saying people are eating fast food on tables, creating excess noise and smoking by the entrance.
The complaint, echoed by other Feilding residents, centres on misuse of the facility by youths and the feeling that traditional library users no longer felt comfortable at the space.
Barnett claimed there were groups of children standing around in different areas, but none of them were reading or using the facilities for the appropriate purpose.
‘‘Some groups were sitting at tables eating takeaways from Mcdonalds and KFC. On the carpet were the remains of food, plastic drink cups and the tops of the tables were greasy.
‘‘Books and food don’t go together. The existing carpet is a disgrace,’’ he said.
‘‘Trying to leave the library was like walking through a mob of sheep with no one willing to move.’’
Halcombe resident Tamzin Darragh echoed Barnett’s concerns and said she wrote to the mayor to express them.
‘‘The fast food, smoking, bad language, seemingly free childcare and plonking noisy piano now make the library an unpleasant environment for traditional users to visit,’’ Darragh said.
Darragh said the focus on literacy at the library was gone and there should be limits on the wifi use.
Community facilities manager Doug Tate said the council reviewed its library services in 2014 and found that Feilding Public Library visitor numbers were low and it ‘‘had failed to keep pace with change’’.
In response, the library introduced new technology, free wifi 24/7, extended opening hours and new programmes and events.
‘‘As with any change, there has been challenges for the service, in particular trying to reconcile the differing expectations of our existing and new users and the general understanding of the purpose of a library,’’ Tate said.
‘‘Some in our community believe that libraries are still purely about the enjoyment of books and reading.’’
Smoking, consumption of food, excessive noise and the behaviour of some children were issues all modern libraries were experiencing, Tate said. ‘‘As the issues arise we are actively dealing with these,’’ he said.