Library closing for refurbishment

New Plymouth’s library will close for three days at the start of September while its carpet is replaced for the first time in nearly 15 years at a cost of $175,000.

Puke Ariki has had the same carpet since it opened in 2003.

‘‘Each year we have about 300,000 people through so I think it’s done really well,’’ said manager Kelvin Day.

Day said there was no other way of getting the two floors refurbished.

‘‘It’s quite a logistical exercise with nearly 100,000 items affected.’’

Communications manager Polly Catlin-Maybury said it is a zero waste project, with the old carpet going to be recycled and the new carpet tiles being partly made of recycled materials.

Catlin-Maybury said all books that are due on the closed dates will have their loan period automatically extended, and if people with an overdue book from an earlier date can renew it online or call the library with their library card.

The community libraries and mobile library will still be open.

‘‘We’re wanting to make it as painless as possible,’’ Day said.

‘‘Things have done well but it is time for a bit of freshening up.’’

The library will be closed from Monday, September 4 to Wednesday September 6, with the ground floor and ‘Discover it’ children’s area reopening on Thursday, September 7, and level one reopening on Sunday September 10.

Crackerjacks preschool story time will be moved to the foyer of the museum, while the Justice of the Peace and Migrant Women Meet will be cancelled that week.