17 Jul 2023

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With a background as a book binder and as a trainer on the construction of commercial books, each day is different for Christchurch City Council’s Preservation and Distribution Team Leader, Jane Hackett.

“Whether I’m organising my team to deliver books and exhibition items across the city, or I’m spending time repairing books, no day is ever the same,” says Ms Hackett.  

Ms Hackett says that her team works hard to make sure books are relocated to fill customers’ holds, and to give books that need to remain in the collection an extra life, so they are available for customers to enjoy.  

“Every library book is examined on return and will be passed along to my team if it is in need of repair. We’ll determine what needs to be done and then restore it to the best of our ability.

“When I come home with a huge smile on my face, my husband can always tell I’ve been repairing books. I love this aspect of my job, it’s my happy place.” 

Books that are no longer needed in the collection skip the repair process and instead are kept for the Christchurch City Libraries Big Bargain Book Sale - an event planned and managed by Ms Hackett. 

Placing loose-leaf material into archival boxes

Ms Hackett says the Preservation and Distribution Team deliver a selection of books to at least ten rest homes each fortnight. "This is a joint effort with our Outreach team who put these selections together, and we deliver them.

“To encourage tamariki to engage with books and reading, we also deliver a range of children’s books to low decile preschools three times a term.

Ms Hackett says another significant part of her role is to manage the distribution of books between the libraries, using two trucks to visit 20 sites a day, Monday to Friday.

“During library closures, we work alongside the Facilities team to assist with the reconfiguration of shelving, moving furniture and equipment around and minor maintenance. We also provide valuable help with the setting up of exhibitions across the network."

The collaboration list continues as Ms Hackett works together with the archivists at Christchurch City Libraries and Christchurch City Council. “This is an important aspect as I can provide advice on how material can be preserved for the future – whether this is by creating specialised archival boxes for loose-leaf material, or mending books with fragile bindings.

“We work hard each day to keep the collections looking at their best, and to move books around the city to refresh collections on a regular basis and to meet customer demand.”