A group of Akaroa citizens formed the Literary and Scientific Institute in 1860 as a library and for community education. After years of conducting meetings in the town hall, they commissioned Samuel Farr to design a dedicated facility. In 1911, a significant refurbishment resulted in the Arts & Crafts appearance. The building was renamed Coronation Library in recognition of the new king of the United Kingdom, George V. After the main library moved in 1989, this became a reference library for archival material.
