Library use is difficult to measure. The last time an actual survey was carried out in 2010 we learnt that only 3 people who visit the library borrow books to take home. You can measure how many books people borrowed, and how many different people are actually borrowing books. You can count how many people used a computer too but the majority of library use is by people who visit. They might not borrow a book but they might read 5 magazines and browse through 4 cookbooks, or look up a reference book or visit an exhibition or listen to an authors talk.

Te Takere opened in September 2012 and the chart shows that visitor counts across the District doubled and have remained doubled ever since. Library use by borrowers taking books home has remained about the same which means that the increased visitor use - about 25,000 a month - is all community use and a good measure of the wider use we wanted our community to make of the library facilities. Te Takere truly has become much more than a library and a true community centre.