The H. E. Holland Memorial Library, also known as the Seddonville Community Library, is a community library located in
Seddonville
Seddonville is a lightly populated locality on the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is most famous for the historical role it played in New Zealand's coal mining industry.
Geography
Seddonville is in the is ...
in the
Buller District
Buller District is one of 53 districts of New Zealand, and is within the West Coast Region. It covers Westport, Karamea, Reefton and Inangahua Junction.
Buller District's overall land area is . The district is administered by the Buller Distri ...
of the South Island of New Zealand.
History
A library was first built in Seddonville in the early 1900s.
This library was destroyed and the collection lost during a flood that followed the
1929 Murchison earthquake
The 1929 Murchison earthquake occurred at 10:17 am on 17 June. It struck the Murchison region of the South Island, with an estimated magnitude of 7.3, and was felt throughout New Zealand. There were 17 deaths, mostly as a result of landsli ...
.
Harry Holland
Henry Edmund Holland (10 June 1868 – 8 October 1933) was an Australian-born newspaper owner, politician and unionist who relocated to New Zealand. He was the second leader of the New Zealand Labour Party.
Early life
Holland was born at G ...
, leader of the
Labour Party and
MP for
Buller, made a public appeal to replace the lost collection, and donations were received from libraries, booksellers and individuals around the country. Donations were carried free of charge by the Post Office. Cabinet approved 180 volumes from the General Assembly Library be donated, and altogether a collection of 2–3000 books had been acquired through donations from individuals and other libraries.
In the meantime, the local community had raised enough funds, together with a £50 donation from the Mines Department, to pay for the new building outright. The library was officially reopened by Holland on 9 December 1929. In recognition of his efforts, the reopened library was named the H. E. Holland Public Library and Mr Holland was presented with an inscribed silver-mounted walking stick.
The library was renamed the H. E. Holland Memorial Library after Holland's death in 1933.
The building and collection were again extensively damaged by flooding on Boxing Day of 2010.
Collection
The library is run by volunteers, and is supplied with a rotating collection from the Buller District Library.
References
External links
{{Commons category, H.E. Holland Memorial Library}
Picture of interior of library after 2010 flood Libraries in New Zealand
Buildings and structures in the West Coast, New Zealand
Libraries established in 1929
1929 establishments in New Zealand