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Fully Certified
Oxford Library and Service Centre
General Information
34 Main Street, Oxford
0800 965 542
Opening Times - Check before visiting as might change
Monday – Friday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Overview
Welcome to Oxford Library and Service Centre
Haere mai ki tō tātou kā Oxford Library and Service Centre
We have two parts to our space: Oxford Service Centre for all your council needs, and Oxford Library.
Our service centres are the front face of our council; we aim to help every customer who comes through our doors and respond to emails and telephone calls.
At our service centre, you can:
-Pay rates
-Access local information (maps, etc.)
-Register dogs
-Pay any council bill
-Book council venues and cemetery plots
-Enter service requests
-Apply for a rate rebate
We hope you enjoy your time with us as you learn, imagine, and explore. Our focus is on delivering outstanding customer service, providing a wide range of resources, maintaining our dynamic collection, and offering programming, activities, and opportunities to reflect and empower our hapori. From late-night events and our Tinker Zone to preschool programming, we aim to have something for everyone.
If you can’t make it into our library to access our books, board games, DVDs, magazines, and newspapers, we also offer an e-library with over 70,000 resources. These include movies, crafts, comics, music, audiobooks, magazines, newspapers, and more. You can also explore our local history through our Recollect platform.
We are a fines-free library, offering zero fines on holds or overdue items, with only a small fee for our bestsellers. This means you can visit any of our libraries or place a hold without worrying about costs.
The Oxford Library offers:
-Free-to-use public library computers
-24/7 Wi-Fi
-The Tinker Zone
-Visitor materials, including welcoming bags, maps, and flyers
Notes for Cardholders
For use of our Tinker Zone sewing machines, you must complete a 45-minute induction. Please contact the library on 0800 965 542 or email library@wmk.govt.nz to book your session.
You can join the library in person or online using the following link (please note that membership is free for residents of Waimakariri and those who study in our district): https://onlinereg.kotui.org.nz/forms/12
If you have any feedback regarding books you would like to see in our catalogue, please speak to our team or fill out our purchase suggestion form https://waimakaririlibraries.com/about/contact-us/purchase-suggestions-form
Your support person has free access to any paid activity you are attending. Please note that our team will need to know they are attending in advance.
Standing and Queuing
Our staff can assist you when you are at Oxford Library and Service Centre. Our team can sit with you while communicating if you would like. This space is located to the left of our main desk in the library.
Our library staff are often roving and we are happy and ready to help. Just approach us or call out. Our team wear our library card colours (blue, purple, orange, and green) on their lanyards.
A manual wheelchair is available by our carpark entrance if you require one.
Level Access
Entry to Oxford Library is from Main Street and includes a slight ramp into the building. Access involves wheeling approximately 10 meters into the library. We have an accessible carpark directly outside the library and also at the back. There are automated doors at the entrance, and the building is on a single level.
Distances
We have street parking on Main Street and Burnett Street within 10 metres of our entrance. There is also a car park at 43 Main Street (a 70 m walk from the library entrance) which includes an electric vehicle charger.
We have two mobility car parks for Oxford Library. One is at the rear of the building, accessible from Burnett Street, and the other is directly at the front of the building on Main Street.
Urgent Toilet Access
We have one toilet at Oxford Library, which is an accessible toilet with a sliding door. The toilet can be accessed to the left of the main area by the children’s zone.
If you require a toilet urgently and it is in use, please let our team know so we can support you to use another toilet.
Disability Assist Dogs
Disability assist dogs are welcome in our library. We are happy to provide water outside our spaces for pets. We cannot accommodate other dogs due to council policy and health and safety risks in our spaces.
Essential Companions
Oxford Library and Service Centre entry is free for everyone. If you need support to find seating for you and your companion, please let the team know. Please note this may not be in your chosen area of the library. Entry is free, and your companions are warmly welcomed.
If we are running a paid activity, we are happy to allow your support person a complimentary ticket. Please note they may not be able to take part in the activity if it sells out, but we will try our best to accommodate them. If you would like your support person to attend, you will need to purchase your own ticket and email library@wmk.govt.nz
to book a ticket for your companion.
If you are booking a rates appointment, we allow space for up to three people to attend. If you require more, please contact Oxford@wmk.govt.nz
to make additional arrangements.
Difficulty Accessing Visual Information
We are happy to assist you in finding what you need and to introduce you to the library. We offer books in dyslexic fonts that are easier to read and have a range of audiobooks and DVDs available. We have bilingual signage in our building to identify areas and shelving. Our computers all have text-to-speech accessibility, and if you need time with a librarian to find information, we are happy to help you by booking a “Book a Librarian” appointment. We can also show you how to change the formatting of BorrowBox and Libby to make your books easier to read. If you would like access to braille books, we are happy to see what is available at libraries around New Zealand that take part in the Interloan Scheme.
Difficulty Accessing Audible Information
We have time to listen and talk with you in a way that works for you. We can use a translation tool to work between audible and written information. We have a range of tools available; you can use a tablet and our translation apps at our counter to convert speech to text and communicate with our team.
Hidden Disabilities
We are happy to follow your lead to ensure you have the best possible experience in our library and service centre. Please let our team know.
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