Name of library $14,650 question

What’s in a name? When it comes to the new central library, it is $14,650.

The Christchurch City Council spent that much hiring an external creative agency to come up with a name for the library being built on the corner of Gloucester St and Cathedral Square. It hired Plato Creative earlier this year to determine a suitable way to name the facility, and to come up with an English descriptor. It cost $14,650.

It recommended the English descriptor be A Place of Discovery, which would be used mostly for communications and marketing.

City councillors on Thursday decided to call the library Tu¯ranga, the name gifted by Matapopore Charitable Trust and Nga¯i Tu¯a¯huriri.

While most city councillors were happy with the Maori name, they did not seem fussed with the English descriptor that Plato Creative came up with.

They decided to officially call the library Tu¯ranga, and have further discussion about the English descriptor. and how it would be used at a later date.

Plato Creative did desk research to see examples of names and “brand identity” for libraries here and overseas.

It then did ethnographic research, by asking people questions on the role of libraries today, how people used them, and how they could be made more relevant.

The $92m project is due to be completed next June.