2025 has been a busy year for the Marlborough District Libraries. We welcomed 390,749 visitors through our doors. Together, our community borrowed an impressive 456,679 physical items and 20,222 digital resources.

This year also saw the launch of several exciting new collections, including Dementia Friendly, Read in the Library Magazines, Manga, and OverDrive Advantage (eAudio and eBooks). In total, 12,021 new titles were added to our shelves.

Our libraries continued to be a vibrant hub for community connection. We delivered 798 library run events and hosted an additional 610 community events. These ranged from school holiday programmes and the Summer Reading Programme to celebrations and awareness initiatives such as Matariki, Alzheimers Awareness, Epilepsy Awareness, DNA Drive, Pink Shirt Day, Pink Ribbon Day, ANZAC Day, Blue September, and Movember, to name just a few.

We were delighted to welcome visits from many local schools and preschools, including St Mary’s, MBC, MGC, Tua Marina, Whitney Street, Rapaura School, Bohally, Riverlands, Witherlea, Wairau Valley, and Fairhall. We also delivered 26 book boxes to Picton schools to support reading engagement across the region.

Our outreach work remained strong, providing services to local rest homes such as Bethsaida, Ashwood Park, Springlands Lifestyle Village, Redwood Village, and Waterlea Lifecare. We continue to support 18 housebound clients, thanks to the dedication of our wonderful library volunteers.

As we look back on a busy and rewarding year, we are incredibly proud of what has been achieved alongside our community. These accomplishments reflect the ongoing support, involvement, and enthusiasm of our library users, partners, schools, volunteers, and wider Marlborough whānau. We look forward to 2026 as we continue to provide welcoming spaces, enriching collections, and meaningful connections for everyone who walks through our doors.