Imagining the future library
Hutt City Council wanted to build a shared strategy and vision for their future libraries. Their staff hadn't previously been involved in developing the library’s vision, strategy and action plan, and so they weren’t invested in the outcomes.
Management wanted to take a co-design approach to involve all staff in shaping the future for the library. They also hoped to upskill them in co-design tools and techniques, so they could gain insights from library users. The staff and user insights would also be used to design the refurbishments of several of the library spaces.
We used co-design workshops to help the team of 72 staff co-create the library’s strategic plan and develop a unique set of organisational personas.
This project also included training library staff in co-design techniques. The staff were then able to conduct empathy conversations with community members about what they would like from a future library, which were layered into their strategy. We worked closely with iwi, who as a result gifted the library a te reo Māori name: Te Tatau kite Māramatanga.
As a follow-up project, Hutt City Council asked us to engage with the community about two of their libraries in Petone and Moera, which urgently required renovations. We conducted co-design workshops and interviews to gather further insights from the community about what a future Hutt Libraries experience might be like and to co-design how the Moera and Petone library sites might function in the future.
The result of this work was a series of concept designs and drawings for Moera Library. The client has since extended this work to consider how the Petone library could be turned into a community hub at the heart of the town centre.
“The service exceeded my expectations and was delivered on time and on budget. I’d hoped we’d come out of the engagement and training with a usable library strategy for Hutt City Libraries. We came away with that, and so much more. It’s not an understatement to say my team and I were pretty much transformed, in terms of the skill set we developed, the relationships with our community we strengthened, and the level of inspiration we now feel in regards to our shared vision for the future at Hutt City!”
— Kat Cutriss, former Hutt City Libraries Manager
