"[22] This was a forerunner of the greater computerisation ahead, including the introduction of self-issue machines in 1995 (pictured), internet access in 1996 and a widening range of electronic resources from 2002.

A Children's Services Coordinator was appointed, and the computer management system established the year before was improved to allow universal access to the six libraries' holdings.

[35] Another factor driving the need for change was the absence of enough space for community groups, such as primary schools and students,[34] book clubs,[36] and author events.

In 2005, in preparation for building works on the same site, the library was shifted to a converted basketball court in the Birkenhead Leisure Centre in Mahara Avenue (pictured).

[38] With limited space available for services, the Plunket, Citizen's Advice Bureau (CAB), and council Area Office had to find alternative premises.

[38] $175,000 was budgeted for the fitout of the basketball court,[41] and included such things as improved lighting, car park access, and funding for a passenger lift to allow for disabled patrons.

[48] Brendan Rawson, from the Architecture Office[49] in Ponsonby, was retained in 2004 to design a building that would create the much needed public space; and in addition, reflect the heritage of the area.

This commitment to the environment was an increasingly significant part of North Shore City Council's approach to urban development, especially through the Resource Management Act and the Treaty of Waitangi.

In late 2005, the Council Community Services General Manager, Loretta Burnett, stated: "There will be additional costs associated with a plan change but they are modest in comparison.

[69] Speaking after his appeal in 2007, Bill Abrahams, owner of Rawene Chambers located opposite the library site (pictured below), said that this lack of a consent was "the crux of the matter.

Reasons cited included concern about the impact on the existing environment, traffic flow, and the building's proposed size, which violated the zoning requirements.

[78] Four months after the library was demolished, Jill Nerheny, the Birkenhead-Northcote Community Coordinator, claimed there was a groundswell of support for leaving the land as green space.

[79] Residents Clyde Scott and Peter White became adamant the community would be better served with a park on the reserve site and the library located elsewhere in Highbury.

Previous reports in 2003 and 2005 had considered the existing site was the best choice, while the Highbury Centre Plan of 2006 indicated that there had been extensive close consultation with the community over two years, which in a general sense was pertinent to the usage of the contested land.

The commissioners concurred, and the library site became formalised as part of a Special Purpose 9 zone, which allows for the continued operation of community facilities.

[5][92][93] While the exact future of the library was uncertain, a survey conducted by the MP for Northcote Jonathan Coleman in October 2006 showed there was widespread public support for its return to its former site.

[94] However, Abraham Holdings, owner of Rawene Chambers, located opposite the library's former site, lodged a last-minute appeal with the Environment Court, claiming, among other things, concern over the impact on the historic value of the reserve.

The decrease in staff occurred despite the onset of Sunday openings and the increase in door-count and issues because, at least in part, amalgamation allowed the centralisation of many departments, such as cataloguing.

[128] The onset of computers has also increased efficiency, even to the near complete automation of some services, such as circulation through self-issue machines, which recorded 40% of items borrowed within their first months of installation at Birkenhead in 1995.

[130] Other occasional staff have included a librarian on exchange from England,[131] and various volunteers, such as a Taskforce Green worker helping with a rebarcoding project,[130] and a student doing a Duke of Edinburgh award.

This encouraged reading by setting targets coupled with incentives and visible marks of achievement, such as green, silver, then gold leaves on the Raakau tree (pictured).

[136][137] From this the library became more involved in the provision of a wider range of holiday activities, like puppet shows and hands-on arts and crafts, such as making hats or murals or cake decorations.

[144] It was the precursor to "Rhymetime" now standardised across the entire North Shore Libraries system, a programme specifically designed to encourage active socialisation and the development of reading skills, through the focus on rhythm and rhyme.

"[111] However this support was qualified: the National Library did not want to encourage "cheap reading" of genre books, such as romance, westerns and detective stories.

[10] This increased to over 63,000 items in 1992, and included a much more diverse range of media, from children's puzzles to archives, as well as the provision of stock from other branches, and access to system-wide databases.

They felt her assertion that there was not enough demand by "serious readers" was a misrepresentation of the community's ability and very real need; while the three councillors who'd campaigned on a promise of getting something done proclaimed the report biased.

This was to remain unchanged for about five years, apart from minor alterations, such as the inclusion of a branch phone number prominently displayed on the front page, and updates to reflect changes in staffing.

[191] This marked a shift from Datacom's maintenance to the work of Mike Copley and Trine Romlund hired specifically to build a more functional and professional-looking website for the entire North Shore Libraries.

[207] Speakers at their events have been diverse and have included historian Claudia Orange, writers Muriel Fisher, Sheridan Keith, and Rosemary Menzies, as well as Ann Hartley, a former mayor, Jenny Kirk, a former councillor, and Sergio Gulyaev, a Russian astronomer.

These statistics give an indication of usage of the library by a variety of measures including membership, issues (yearly and monthly), door count, stock size and number of reference queries.