Kev celebrates 15 years at the library

If you've been a Taupo Library regular for a few years now, you no doubt would have come into contact with one of our longest serving librarians, Kevin Collins.

Kev's celebrating 15 years on the job this month and has seen the library evolve and grow over the years.

As you can imagine, he is a huge fan of libraries and what they stand for.

"A single library card is a passport to the universe," he said.

"No matter your age, gender, race or wealth, the library is free for all."

He said with 100,000 items available at our district's three libraries and over 28,000 members, the libraries aimed to embrace the needs of the community it serves.

"A library feeds people with lifelong learning, invigorates creativity, connects people and enlivens the spirit for recreation and research," he said. "From the classic novels of Dickens to local government reports and digital content, we are guardians of knowledge."

He also noted the connection between libraries and democracy.

"It allows us to understand unbiased views of global, political, historical and cultural significance to arm each of us with better insight and understanding to the mechanics of the world."

When Kev started at the library it was a markedly different landscape. Technology has accelerated in leaps and bounds and he said it was now "a community magnet and a core of many lives".

"The library is a sanctuary," he said. "There is always something to learn here and that's part of what makes it such a special place."