Residents and visitors will be able to view 3D holograms of planned developments, create a podcast, and read and borrow books and e-books at the "digital library" planned for the ground floor of the council's future Central Administration Centre.

The library - located within the Council Chamber and customer service centre - will have interactive wall-mounted screens featuring key city attractions, a podcasting studio, and a multi-purpose meeting available for the community.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said it would put the city at the "forefront of bridging the digital divide" and deliver "inclusive access" to the community.

"It will redefine the library experience for people of all ages and create opportunities to experience emerging technologies and spark future innovation across our services," she said.

"It will help meet Smart City and sustainability commitments to foster digital inclusion and education equality, and inform the roll-out of future technology across other branches."

The library will host coding classes for tech-minded students, novices, or industry professionals eager to up-skill their digital knowledge, and a digital "magic box" that replicates pages from the city's rare book collection would also be available to read. It would also have eBook download kiosks.

Libraries manager, Suzie Gately, said the digital library project would take the best of traditional libraries and enhance the experience with modern technology.

"Libraries have, through history, been places for people to learn, relax and collaborate," she said.

"This project will take that experience to the next level by blending traditional book-lending with curated digital content and a strong customer service focus."

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