Hundreds of thousands of books returning to Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui

Over 8000 shelves are needed to house more than 250,000 books on the public floors of Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui (The Window to the Wider World). Laid end to end, that’s roughly 7.5 kilometres and the equivalent of walking from the Botanic Garden ki Paekākā to the Tapu te Ranga Island Bay Library. 

But a collection this size is no easy feat to curate – it’s not as simple as putting in shelves and filling them up.  

In fact, the Wellington City Libraries team is hard at work creating a perfect mix of old and new items for Te Matapihi, along with bespoke and creative elements to make each collection stand out. 

When the Central Library closed in 2019, all the books, magazines, DVDs, vinyl, and other collection items were relocated. Some went to branch libraries in the network, while other items went to one of six temporary locations: three interim CBD libraries, Te Pātaka Collection and Distribution Centre in Johnsonville, Wellington City Archives, and controlled storage in other places around the city.   

To prepare for the move, Wellington City Library Service Manager Kathleen Lockett says that the Collections team at Te Pātaka is preparing all the books in the Collection and Distribution Centre, as well as curating over 140,000 items for the library’s ‘long tail’. 

“Our Collections team has three big tasks underway. We’re building up copies of popular books, which we deliberately buy more of to match customer demand. We’re buying books that will suit a large Central Library, because maybe that’s where they will find a bigger readership. And we're also keeping what we call the long tail, which you can think of as our back-catalogue.

"It’s a lot of the books, magazines, music and other things that used to be in the old Central Library or which have already circulated through the branches. They may not be read as much as the newer books, but they’re still very important for the future.” 

This large, curated collection of books has been a big part of the design of Te Matapihi, says Wellington City Library Team Leader Kerry Clarke. 

“We know that our customers really like the variety and attention to detail in our collections.  

“Before we began planning how everything would be displayed in the new building, we had to wait to see how much space we’d have to work with. We looked at different angles, from where quieter spaces may be or what was being planned for the youth area. It’s a real collaboration between our teams, the architects and the shelving experts. There will be more bespoke elements to go with the shelving and seating.” 

Kathleen says she is excited about how people will perceive the space and interact with the books when the library opens next year.  

“There is standardised shelving for libraries, but we work with the shelving contractors to design a system that works for our customers. Some areas are very traditional with rows of shelves where you mostly see the spines of books, because it lets you fit more books in. But for different areas like the children’s area or graphic novels, we have tailored it to what works well for engaging with the books, like having the front covers face outwards to capture the eye. 

“Our libraries have changed so much since 2019. We are always trying something different and seeing what works, or looking at how customers can find things more easily. We like to talk about the serendipity of a library, you come in for one thing and find something else you’ve been looking for a couple of rows down.” 

From late August, the shelves will start to be installed and then movers and library staff will follow, transferring and building up the collections. Moving a collection of this size takes time, and the initial move of books is estimated to take 10 weeks to complete. 

In the meantime, Kerry says that people can be excited about what’s to come as the team continue to build up their catalogue. 

“The way we think about the collections is curation. We are constantly buying new things for the collection, and what we’ll do for Te Matapihi is curate the old and the new to make the best collection we can.” 

 When Te Matapihi reopens in early 2026 it will once again be an integral part of the beating heart and life of our capital city.  
 
It will be a modern, uniquely Wellington space that brings our mana whenua history and stories back to our waterfront. It will house integrated Library, City Archives, and Capital E services and be a space for everyone, with each experience a window to exploration, discovery, connection, and belonging.    

Find out more about the project on our website.