HB Williams Memorial Library, 34 Bright Street Gisborne.
Library opening hours
- Monday 9am - 5.30pm
- Tuesday 9am - 8pm
- Wednesday 9am - 5.30pm
- Thursday 9am - 5.30pm
- Friday 9am - 5.30pm
- Saturday 9.30am - 1pm
- Sunday - Closed
- Public holidays - Closed
Contact details
- email: info@gpl.govt.nz
- phone: 06 867 6709
- Facebook: GisborneLibrary
Services
- Books, digital library, Beamafilm streaming, computers, Wifi, printing and photocopying
- Justice of the Peace (JP) - every Thursday 9am - 11am. This free service is in the Tautoru Orion Room
- 8 community rooms and spaces - available to book for events, meetings or small gatherings
- Rangahau Research on level one - for quiet study, support and thousands of resources
- buy a Bee Card for the buses
Library fees and charges
Including fees for room hire, photocopying and book sales
About the library building
Located in Gisborne's central business district, it first opened in 1869 as Turanga Library in a room within the courthouse - at a time when there were no overland roads.
In 1967, the library moved to its current site, thanks to the generous gift of land and building from the Williams family, in memory of Heathcote Beetham Williams (H.B.).
Designed by Colin Pilbrow, the building was celebrated as a striking example of 1960s architecture and continues to be admired for its bold design.
To meet the evolving needs of the community, the building underwent a major extension and upgrade in 2018 with the artistic and cultural guidance from Tā Sir Derek Lardelli, alongside architects Chow Hill.
