Queentown, New Zealand: Historic Old Library

Downtown Queenstown isn't too big, and most of the building are rather standard. No doubt many were rebuilt as the area became popular for tourists. 

But the Historic Queenstown Old Library is the exception to the rule. The town decided it needed a library around 1873, and it took four years to actually build one. A concert helped open the facility. 

There was talk in the 1960s of tearing down the old place and building a new one. That caused a bit of a public outcry. A vote was taken in 1967, and the original library was saved. A new home for books was built next door eventually, and the former residence of knowledge was turned into a Citizens Advice Bureau. That last part sounds so dignified. "I can't figure out what color to paint my living room, so I asked the people at the Citizens Advice Bureau for help."