The evolution of libraries and how going cash-free fits

By Siren Deluxe, Manager of Kāpiti Coast District Libraries  

As the Manager of Kāpiti Coast District Libraries I spend all day, every day, thinking about libraries. We have achieved many improvements for Kāpiti libraries over the years which I am genuinely proud of.  

For starters we’ve been offering free WiFi and the use of desktop computers and Chromebooks since 2013. More recently, over the past five years, we’ve focused on streamlining services, introducing new technology and hooking you up to over a million books and DVDs through our regional network.  

Streamlining services  

In 2021 we invested in self-issue machines and an automatic returns shelf enabling customers to quickly issue and return their own books at Paraparaumu Library. Customers love this service, using it to issue 68% of all books at Paraparaumu Library and automatically return 88% of items. Since then, we have also installed self-issue machines at Ōtaki and Waikanae libraries.  

In 2022 Kāpiti libraries went Fines Free joining a national movement to cease charging fines. Now, when returning your DVD slipped your mind, or you’ve taken slightly longer than three weeks to complete your murder mystery, or you’ve just found that ABC board book which slipped under the couch, you don’t have to worry. 

At the same time, we also wrote off historic debts. This encourages families back to using the library, removing the shame and frustration of unpaid fines.  

Introducing new tech and services 

In 2022 we launched the Kāpiti Coast Libraries App which enables people to browse, reserve and renew our collection items from the comfort of their own homes. Also acting as a library card stored in your phone, you can use it to issue your own books at the library if you want! 2,797 library members use this app. If you try it, you’ll love it. 

In 2022 we started offering Libby, a resource offering over 50,000 eBooks, audiobooks and magazines all for free. Since offering this service our digital issues have exponentially boomed with Libby being our second largest and second most used library collection. 

In 2023 we made high-speed document scanning at the library free. 

In 2024 we stopped charging to borrow DVDs from libraries. 

In 2025 we opened a Makerspace where you can access and learn how to use digital tools like 3D printers, laser cutters, vinyl cutters etc. You can also use a sewing machine here for free.  

In 2026 we welcomed Upper Hutt libraries into our SMART collective of regional libraries. You can now borrow any book from Masterton, Carterton, Southern Wairarapa, Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, Porirua and Kāpiti, all for free! That’s a selection of over a million books and DVDs! 

It’s hard to spend money visiting Kāpiti libraries, and that’s the way we like it.  

Why people use Kāpiti libraries 

According to our most recent library survey, 88.6% of Kāpiti respondents rated ‘borrowing physical items such as books, DVDs and magazines’ as the main reason they use their library: that’s free! The second most popular use of your public library was ‘using the toilets’ (35.6%); that’s free! The third most highly rated use was ‘using our space to sit, read and relax’ (32.6%); that’s free! We are constantly reviewing data like this to help us understand where to invest our effort and budget. 

‘Using printers and scanners’ came in at #7 (23.3%). The good news is that we have scanners here for you to use, and that’s free. Printing is also available at a low price, but moving forward you will need to pay with a card. We know from our data that most of you are already paying by EFTPOS, and the percentage of you choosing to pay by EFTPOS has been increasing each year for the last 10 years. 

The decision to go cash-free 

Paekākāriki Library is already cash-free with Paraparaumu and Waikanae libraries following suit in August. 

Cash is costing us. Ironically, accepting people’s coins as payment is losing us money, and is a mis-spend of staff time and expertise. 

The majority of cash payments we are taking are related to photocopying and printing. We will still have a photocopying and printing service available, but it is not the heart of the library.  

To explicitly break down our decision… 

Cash payments involve more than the point-of-sale mechanics of a staff member entering a cash payment in the library management system, counting your notes or coins and providing change. It requires: 

• bringing the till out and locking it away each day.
• a secure place to do this and use of a safe.
• two staff to be onsite for when transferring the tills for safety reasons.
• a staff member to go through the process of balancing the till and preparing the regular cash deposit for the bank.
• a staff member to be present for the cash pick-up, and associated security sign off for an Armourguard collection.
• the Council’s finance team inputting cash takings and monitoring the reports and deposits to ensure they match. If there is a discrepancy time is invested in resolving these.
• occasional trips to the bank to break down notes into coins are also required.  

All these small actions mount up to a significant investment of valuable staff time… all of which will be eliminated by the library going cash-free. 

The decline in the use of cash 

We know that in 2023, Statistics NZ reported that just 7% of New Zealand’s transactions were made in cash. It’s not a new trend as in 2019 “a Reserve Bank survey of the public’s cash use has found that nearly nine in every 10 New Zealanders prefer to pay for things without using cash.” 

Libraries are uniquely placed to help their customers gain confidence to use digital payment processes with programmes like Digital Seniors and Digital Drop In (which are offered for free at the library). Cash is preventing libraries from progressing to more open-plan designs and is taking staff time away from collection-based library services.   

Why going cash-free makes sense 

We have made the decision to go cash-free, informed by both societal and library trends, supported by data, and because each time we receive a payment in coins, it incurs a disproportionate cost in staff time, wages and risk management. When we no longer need to design facilities and operations around safeguarding cash floats that often exceed daily takings, we can focus more resources on delivering better library services and greater value for ratepayers.