Te Ara Ātea will not get a name change to include the word 'library'.
That was the decision Selwyn District councillors made when they met today over the Rolleston library issue.
"This isn't a discussion about the name of the building - it is about signage," Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton said.
"So where is the appropriate place to put signage on our beautiful Te Ara Ātea."
A report to the community services committee outlined the work done on bilingual and te reo Māori signage at district council-operated facilities.
Included in the report was a section on Te Ara Ātea and what, if anything, should be added to make the name more clear. It included some examples of internationally-recognised library symbols that could be used.
Te Ara Ātea translates as "the unobstructed trail to the world and beyond". The name was gifted to the community by Te Taumutu Rūnanga.
Digital displays showing the services on offer at Te Ara Ātea and other notices are also planned for the building. But it is not clear how large the displays would be or where they would be placed.
Rolleston Ward district councillor Sophie McInnes said a traditional library is specifically book-orientated - but that is not the case at Te Ara Ātea.
It offers other services too, including a cafe, play spaces, study areas, meeting rooms, and outdoor areas.
While there won't be a big sign, some councillors suggested 'library' may be added to the front doors along with symbols for the services of the building proposed by council staff.
Springs Ward councillor Grant Miller said the idea of adding 'library' to the front door display should be a simple decision.
But instead, the debate has become "a mountain out of a molehill".
"By adding a small library word I don't think, in my view, it diminishes the name at all. Why wouldn't we put a small sign saying library on it if that's what the community wants?" Miller said.
Miller said there has been "little confusion in the community over the building being a library".
But Rolleston man Jens Christensen said the name is confusing for some people.
"Visitors to the town not knowing what it was from the exterior, even a lot of locals not realising what it was, what its purpose was," said Christensen.
Christensen, who is vice chair of the Rolleston Residents Association, criticised the council's report on the library name for its lack of detail.
He said it is not clear if the proposed changes will be accepted by the community. "Who knows, we have got to hope so."
The Bicultural Strategic Action Plan to guide the te reo Māori naming of district council facilities is scheduled to be completed by October next year.
