As if we needed any more proof that New Zealanders are the nicest people on earth comes this wholesome tale from Tūranga library. Ah, libraries. A safe haven of public knowledge and inexplicably comfortable chairs that always smell just a little bit like burned plastic.
Tūranga library in Christchurch was closed on the February 6 public holiday Waitangi Day. In theory.
While all the staff had been given the day off, an issue with the automatic doors meant the library itself actually wasn’t closed. People could still access the building and the self-checkout machines.
Instead of using the opportunity to loot a load of Warrior Cats books, the good people on Christchurch simply kept using the library as normal.
Oh, if we all had the moral core of library-dwelling New Zealanders.
The door cock-up was revealed in a load of documents released last week by the Christchurch city council, as per The Guardian.
380 people used the library on Waitangi Day according to a staff member. Further proof that government funded spaces where people have access to books, CDs and art are in fact good things!
“Our self-issue machines automatically started up and 147 books were issued by customers,” said the staff member according to The Guardian.
“No book-theft alarms went off and at this stage nothing has been reported missing nor have we spotted any damage.”
I’m now calling for a Toy Story-esque Pixar caper set in Tūranga library where all the books/CDs/sculptures/doors/self-scanning equipment are actually sentient.
Florence Pugh could play a plucky novel for tween girls looking to break free through the automatic sliding doors. She’d have to face off against an evil Encyclopaedia Brittanica collection voiced by Daniel Radcliffe (doing various accents of course).
All I need is a budget of $3 million and I can make this happen.
Apparently, nothing significant was stolen which is particularly nice given Tūranga library is also home to loads of art and sculptures.
Not to be all “maybe people are good!” but maybe people are occasionally good.
There was one pissed off library user who left an angry note in retaliation for the lack of staff. They said they were taking CDs without properly checking them out because their account wasn’t working and there were no staff to help them. Perhaps because it was a public holiday?
According to a staffer “one customer left a note saying they were taking some CDs because there were no librarians in sight: ‘I’ve decided to take the CDs to teach you a lesson in how not to operate a functioning library’.”
Huge Karen vibes there, just be grateful you have access to a library and move on.
Christchurch city council member Bruce Rendall confirmed that there’d been an investigation into what I’m dubbing Night At The Museum 3: Day At The Library.
“We’re grateful for the honesty of the people who used the library during this time,” he said as per Stuff.co.nz.
God bless New Zealand and also God bless the noble public institution of libraries.
The post Kiwis AKA God’s Favourites Use Unstaffed Library Like Normal & Don’t Steal A Thing appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
