Demand for jobs at Christchurch's new $92 million central library has surpassed expectations after 1000 people applied for 45 positions.

Tūranga, the Christchurch Central Library, will employ 108 people or 85 full-time equivalents.

Seventy-four of the positions would be new and 34 staff would transfer from the temporary Peterborough and Manchester streets libraries.

SUPPLIED Artist's impressions of Tūranga - the new Christchurch central library.

Central library establishment manager Erica Rankin said the council was employing 45 library assistants, who would help customers throughout the library, and it had more than 1000 applications for those jobs.

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"We were expecting a high level of interest in the roles advertised for Tūranga, but the number of applications for all roles surpassed our expectations, including interest from outside of the region."

STACY SQUIRES/STUFF The finishing touches are placed on the exterior of Christchurch's new central library, Tūranga.

The five-storey building, on the corner of Colombo and Gloucester streets, will be the largest library in the South Island and a third larger than the city's former central library, which was demolished after the February 2011 earthquake.

One of the new roles was a "marginalised community liaison", whose role would be to "support those for whom life events have made it more challenging to access resources". The library would also employ media studio specialists and exhibitions curator, a programming specialist and youth liaison.

The council had initially expected to spend $60m on the library, but this later increased to $75m and then to $85m and now the budget was $92.7m. The Crown had paid $12.7m to buy the land and demolish buildings on the site.

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A report presented to the council's Social, Community Development and Housing Committee on Wednesday said the library was expected to open on August 27, but Rankin later said she hoped to confirm an opening date in the near future, once detailed completion planning work was complete.

Tūranga has been described as much more than a library with books. It will feature up to 100 computers, an innovation zone for trialling new technology, 3-D and laser printers, music, film and video editing studios, a 200-seat community arena, two roof terraces and accessible balconies, and a cafe.

The building will also feature the country's biggest digital "touch wall", a seven-metre-wide interactive wall that would give people access to the library's digital content. However, the council has yet to release the cost of the wall, despite Ombudsman Leo Donnelly telling the council it should do so.

Rankin said on Thursday, the council had yet to discuss the Ombudsman's recommendation with the commercial provider of the wall, who asked for the information to remain confidential.

"We need to speak to them first prior to responding to the recommendation and thereby considering the release of this information."

The council has 20 working days to respond but Rankin said it would do so "as soon as we possibly can".

At the committee meeting on Wednesday, city councillor Aaron Keown said the library would become somewhere people come together, not just to read books.

"This is not a library you go 'shh, someone is reading'."

Keown had previously been critical of the amount of money being spent on the library, but was this week full of praise for the facility.

"I never thought I would say this, but when the library opens, you will see where every cent has been spent."