A council spokesman said the shared Queenstown Lakes-Central Otago libraries website received more than 31,000 views in April compared to a previous average of about 11,000 per month.
Children’s storytime readings via Facebook videos collectively received more than 8000 views, and library members viewed more than 165,000 online articles and streamed 861 films last month (usually around 150) via apps available on the website.
General manager community services Thunes Cloete said while it had been great to see a significant increase in use of online resources “our libraries are real community hubs with a value far exceeding their traditional role of lending books and other items."
Followed quickly behind was Jane Trustcott and Caio Catsburg (2), of Wanaka, who were both "really excited" to be able to read new stories.
District librarian Sue Gwilliam said to manage demand and the flow of people safely under Covid-19 level two protocols, just one person per bubble would be allowed to enter each library at any one time, and each library would host a maximum of between 10 and 20 customers.
Other changes included asking users to limit their visits to 15 minutes and isolating all returned items for 72 hours before being returned to the shelves for borrowing.
Arrowtown, Frankton, Queenstown and Wanaka libraries opened yesterday but Glenorchy, Kingston and Makarora did not allow for the required physical distancing.
Additional measures were being implemented to allow these venues to reopen later this month, Ms Gwilliam said.
