[1] In 1903 the mayor of Hokitika Henry Michel wrote to philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and requested £4000 to build a public library for the town.

[5] In 1906 he agreed to supply £2000 for a library for Hokitika, and later added £500 for furnishings – an unusual step, as he usually funded just the capital cost of the building.

[1] Nelson architect Arthur Griffin's design was chosen from six submitted proposals, and William Arnott & Co. won the construction tender for £2,034.

[1] The Hokitika library was no exception: any resident could read books and newspapers in the reading room for no charge, but although "FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY" was written in capitals above the portico, borrowing books in fact required a paid subscription – violating the letter and spirit of the Carnegie grant.

[1] The Carnegie building had a leaking slate roof – unable to cope with the West Coast's rainfall, it was replaced with corrugated iron – and porous walls.