It’s a sign of the times

So much has changed and so much changes. This was the newspaper room in the old library in Alexandra St (Worley Place) in March 1993.

The racks in the foreground could hold 72 titles and even up to about six years ago we had the big racks on Level 3 though not with a full house – maybe only 40 titles by then.

Technology and postal costs put paid to this vast quantity of paper.

The London Times, when our subscription was cancelled, was costing twice as much for postage than for the newspaper.

We no longer hold vast numbers of back copies as is advertised on the back wall here – they are retrievable nowadays via the web or, for the Waikato Times, in the library on microfilm.

Current editions today are (mostly) on websites like Pressreader (also available at the library).

However, each Hamilton library still has one or more copies of the Waikato Times available each day.

Contributed by Perry Rice, Heritage Librarian – Photographs, Hamilton Central Library. If you have any information you would like to pass on or would like to buy an electronic copy of the photo, please e-mail archives@hcc.govt.nz quoting: HCL_M02672.7