The National Library of New Zealand () is charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations" (National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Mātauranga) Act 2003). Under the Act, the library's duties include collecting, preserving and protecting New Zealand's

documentary heritage Documentary heritage is a field of tangible and movable cultural heritage focused on the conservation and communication of documents of heritage interest such as bound volumes, works on paper, iconographic documents of varying media such as lithog ...

, supporting other libraries in New Zealand, and collaborating with peer institutions abroad. The library headquarters is on the corner of Aitken and Molesworth Streets in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, close to the

New Zealand Parliament Buildings New Zealand Parliament Buildings () house the New Zealand Parliament and are on a 45,000 square metre site at the northern end of Lambton Quay, Wellington. From north to south, they are the New Zealand Parliamentary Library, Parliamentary Libra ...

and the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

. The National Library is

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

legal deposit Legal deposit is a legal requirement that a person or group submit copies of their publications to a repository, usually a library. The number of copies required varies from country to country. Typically, the national library is the primary reposit ...

library, and the Legal Deposit Office is the country's agency for

ISBN The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase or receive ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency. A different ISBN is assigned to e ...

and

ISSN An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an eight-digit to uniquely identify a periodical publication (periodical), such as a magazine. The ISSN is especially helpful in distinguishing between serials with the same title. ISSNs a ...

. The library supports schools through its Services to Schools business unit, which has curriculum and advisory branches around New Zealand.

History

Origins

The National Library of New Zealand was formed in 1965 when the General Assembly Library, the Alexander Turnbull Library, and the National Library Service were brought together by the National Library Act 1965. The General Assembly Library was founded from money voted by Parliament in 1856 and soon became "a magnificent national treasure house in a splendid building". From its beginnings until it became the National Library, it always comprised a parliamentary information service of documents and newspapers plus an extensive library of international research and literature. The Alexander Turnbull Library was founded in 1920 and grew to hold a "comprehensive collection" of primarily New Zealand culture and history, Māori and non-Māori. The National Library Service, established in 1945, was made up of four divisions: the Country Library Service, the School Library Service, a National Library centre and Library School in Wellington.

Consolidation

In 1974, the Archive of New Zealand Music was established at the suggestion of New Zealand composer

Douglas Lilburn Douglas Gordon Lilburn (2 November 19156 June 2001) was a New Zealand composer. Early life Lilburn was born in Whanganui and spent his early years on the family sheep farm in the upper Turakina River valley at Drysdale. He attended Waitaki ...

. In 1976

Mary Ronnie Mary Allan Ronnie (12 June 1926 – 17 March 2023) was a New Zealand librarian. She was New Zealand's first female National Library of New Zealand, National Librarian, from 1976 to 1981, and the first woman in the world to head a national libr ...

became the first female national librarian in the world, due to becoming New Zealand's first female National Librarian, at the National Library of New Zealand. In 1985, the General Assembly Library returned to become part of the

Parliamentary Service A parliamentary train was a passenger service operated in the United Kingdom to comply with the Railway Regulation Act 1844 that required train companies to provide inexpensive and basic rail transport for less affluent passengers. The act requ ...

, changing its name in 1987 to the Parliamentary Library. When it separated from the National Library, the National Library then took guardianship of hundreds of thousands of international volumes previously acquired by the General Assembly Library, and the National Library continued to curate the traditional international library. In 1987, staff and collections from 14 different sites around

were centralised in a new National Library building, officially opened in August. The architecture of the building is said to have been heavily influenced by the design of the

Boston City Hall Boston City Hall is the seat of local government in the United States, city government of Boston, Massachusetts. It includes the offices of the List of mayors of Boston, mayor of Boston and the Boston City Council. The current hall was built in ...

, but direct reference to the

Birmingham Central Library Birmingham Central Library was the main public library in Birmingham, England, from 1974 until 2013, replacing a library opened in 1865 and rebuilt in 1882. For a time the largest non-national library in Europe, it closed on 29 June 2013 and was ...

should not be ruled out. In 1988, the National Library became an autonomous government department where previously it had been administered by the Department of Education. The same year, the Library took on the te reo Māori name Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, which translated means: the wellspring of knowledge, of New Zealand.

Restructuring and renovations

In early 1998 an ambitious $8.5 million computer project was scrapped. The National Library building was to be expanded and upgraded in 2009–2011, but the incoming Fifth National Government greatly scaled down the scope of the work, reducing the budget for it and delaying the commencement, arguing concerns about the cost of the project and the reduction in the accessibility of collections and facilities during the construction work. The building closed for two years, reopening in June 2012, while refurbishment continued. On 25 March 2010 the Minister of State Services announced that

Archives New Zealand Archives New Zealand ( Māori: ''Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga'') is New Zealand's national archive and the official guardian of its public archives. As the government's recordkeeping authority, it administers the Public Records Act 2005 an ...

and the National Library of New Zealand would be subsumed under the

Department of Internal Affairs The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA; ) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with issuing passports; administering applications for citizenship and lottery grants; enforcing censorship and gambling laws; registering births, ...

. In June 2018 a National Archival and Library Institutions Ministerial Group (NALI) was announced. The purpose of NALI was to examine the structure and role of the National Library,

and

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision (Operating name for The New Zealand Archive of Film, Television and Sound Ngā Taonga Whitiāhua Me Ngā Taonga Kōrero.) is an archive that was launched on 31 July 2014, following the completion of a three-year proces ...

, the position of the Chief Archivist and National Librarian, and the future of collecting, preserving and providing access to New Zealand's documentary heritage, particularly digital preservation and access. Before and since NALI was set up concern has been expressed about the National Library being part of the Department of Internal Affairs. In December 2020, the Department of Internal Affairs confirmed that the National library along with

and

would build a new remote storage facility to house some of the organisations' growing collections at the

Horowhenua Business Park Horowhenua District is a territorial authority district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand, administered by Horowhenua District Council. Located north of Wellington and Kāpiti, it stretches from slightly north of the town of ...

in Levin at an unspecified date. However, the project was not fully funded in later Budget bids and eventually cancelled. In February 2022 Internal Affairs Minister

Jan Tinetti Janette Rose Tinetti (born 1968) is a New Zealand politician and a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the Labour Party. Personal life Tinetti was born in Hokitika on the West Coast of the South Island, the youngest of s ...

, Archives NZ chief archivist Stephen Clarke and

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

(tribe) Taranaki Whānui

Te Āti Awa Te Āti Awa or Te Ātiawa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Taranaki and Wellington regions of New Zealand. Approximately 17,000 people registered their affiliation to Te Āti Awa in 2001, with about 10,000 in Taranaki, 2,000 in We ...

confirmed that the Government would build a new archives building on the site of the former Defence House on Wellington's Aitken Street between the present Archives NZ and National Library buildings. The new NZ$290 million building will also host archives repository and specialist facilities for the National Library, Archives New Zealand and Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.

Overseas published collections review

In 2015, the National Library signalled the beginning of a review process of their international collections, comprising the General Assembly international library in its guardianship of General Assembly collections and substantial post-1965 acquisitions. The National Library classified these collections as "overseas published collections". This was done in consultation with New Zealand's library sector. The review process was publicly announced in December 2019. Under the aegis of the Department of Internal Affairs, operations began in 2018 to dispense with 625,000 "overseas published" books, out of a total of overseas published collections amounting to 710,000 items. In October 2019, the library announced its intention to offer the books to local libraries, prison libraries, and community groups. The library stated the

weeding Weed control is a type of pest control, which attempts to stop or reduce growth of weeds, especially noxious weeds, with the aim of reducing their competition with desired flora and fauna including domesticated plants and livestock, and in nat ...

was being done to create "room to continue to grow our Māori, Pacific and New Zealand collections and to build well-managed coherent collections that support the National Library's functions, in line with our legislated mandate and collections policy." In September 2020, the review and weeding of overseas published book collections began to be discussed in the New Zealand media. The review attracted both positive and negative international and local media coverage. The review revealed that some of the books may be of pertinence to New Zealand/Aotearoan history and on-going narratives. Concerned that researchers would lose access, the weeding of over 600,000 books was challenged by the advocacy group Book Guardians Aotearoa. The books in question are housed in Wellington and

Whanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whanganui is ...

. In July 2021 the Library announced it had made a donation agreement with the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

to take the books and digitise them, making them available to researchers on their

Open Library Open Library is an online project intended to create "one web page for every book ever published". Created by Aaron Swartz, Brewster Kahle, Alexis Rossi, Anand Chitipothu, and Rebecca Hargrave Malamud, Open Library is a project of the Internet ...

platform. In September 2021, the Publishers Association of New Zealand and the New Zealand Society of Authors lodged an appeal against the legality of the National Library's donation to Internet Archive with the

attorney-general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

, arguing that the donation breached copyright law and expressing concern about the future of the books should the archive be ordered to close. In October 2021, British novelist

Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. He is best known for the fantasy trilogy ''His Dark Materials''. The first volume, ''Northern Lights'' (1995), won the Carnegie Medal

, the President of the British

Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. Membership of the society is open to "anyon ...

, criticised the donation for allegedly breaching copyright laws. Wellington QC Hugh Rennie also alleged that the National Library was receiving advice from a lawyer unauthorised to practise in New Zealand, in response to Tohatoha copyright adviser Michael Wolfe's statement in support of the donation agreement. The lawyers Andrew Brown QC and Jack Oliver-Hood also opined that the deal made the library liable for copyright infringement in New Zealand courts. The Library states that the Internet Archive uses

controlled digital lending Controlled digital lending (CDL) is a model by which libraries digitize materials in their collection and make them available for lending. It is based on interpretations of the United States copyright principles of fair use and copyright exhau ...

to "prevent illicit copying and ensure that copies are loaned to one person at a time" and that "controlled digital lending provides a way to ensure protection for content creators as well as the ability for people to be able to access and use the work that's been created." The

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is an international body representing the interests of people who rely on Library, libraries and information professionals. A non-governmental, not-for-profit organizati ...

(IFLA) issued a statement in support of controlled digital lending and highlighted the degree to which the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for legislation to enable libraries to provide temporary digital access to library holdings. The Library's donation agreement with the Internet Archive was supported by library groups and New Zealand civil society organisations. Creative Sector opposition to National Library of NZ book depletions

Creative Sector opposition to National Library of NZ book depletions

The overseas published collections project was supported by the library sector including the Council of New Zealand University Librarians (CONZUL), Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) and the Library Information Advisory Committee (LIAC), which advises the Minister of Internal Affairs. However, several groups including the Book Guardians Aotearoa, the Publishers' Association, the Society of Authors and Writers Against National Library Disposals have been opposing moves to donate the 600,000 books by writing articles, organising events and publishing a 64-page anthology of writing. Organisations that protect writer and publisher copyright particularly PANZ and NZSA (PEN NZ) are primarily concerned with the interests of their clients and members, e.g. illegal copying of books. Meanwhile, groups like Writers Against National Library Disposals (referred to by government as the "creative sector") and Book Guardians Aotearoa advocate for increased government funding for correct storage and professional curation of the international collection, to encourage and facilitate public accessibility to the threatened books. The Creative Sector does not oppose digitisation, but wishes it to occur within New Zealand as long as it fully respects authors' rights. On 29 November 2021, the National Library of New Zealand announced that it was "reconsidering" its contract with Internet Archive, and would make an announcement in early 2022 regarding its continuation or cancellation. The National Library of New Zealand has also stated that it would enter into consultation with all the authors' rights and creative sector groups concerned, in 2022. On 31 October 2022, in a letter that seems to bring the protests and the process of disposals to some kind of resolution, the director of the New Zealand National Library announced that the library is "developing a new policy for removing and disposing of collection items". Details of this new policy are expected to be made public in 2023 prior to the next general election. On 11 June 2025, the National Library confirmed that it would destroy 500,000 unused books after American publishers challenged its plans to sell the books to the Internet Archive.

Collections

The National Library's collections are stored in the main building in Wellington and several other locations in New Zealand such as the former National Computer Centre in Whanganui. The library has three main groups: the General Collections which includes New Zealand published and overseas published volumes, the Schools Collection, and the collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library. Physical access to some of the collections may be requested through digital portals, and digital acquisitions are possible through products and online resources. The General Collections focus on supporting the information needs of New Zealanders through services to individuals, schools and researchers, with notable collections such as the Dorothy Neal White Collection. The Schools Collection contains books and other material to support teaching and learning in New Zealand schools.

General Assembly Library collections

From the foundation of the National Library in 1965 until 1986 the General Assembly Library was one of the three pillars of the institution. The General Assembly Library had previously acted as a ''de facto'' National Library, offering recess privileges to the public when parliament was not in session. In 1924, for example, "6,135 books were issued during the recess period, and 670 recess access cards had been granted". The Chief Librarian further notes that "the New Zealand General Assembly Library is the only legislative library in the world from which volumes may be taken out during the recess". Until 1986, its collections included a significant overseas collection and copious parliamentary documents. The General Assembly Library became a stand-alone institution in 1986, when it restricted its focus to documents of immediate pertinence to parliamentary activities. Many of its overseas collections remained with the National Library and some works, particularly its rare books, then entered under the protection of the Alexander Turnbull Library.

Alexander Turnbull Library

The Alexander Turnbull Library was founded in 1919 by Alexander Turnbull (1868–1918), whose

bequest A devise is the act of giving real property by will, traditionally referring to real property. A bequest is the act of giving property by will, usually referring to personal property. Today, the two words are often used interchangeably due to thei ...

to the nation included the 55,000 volume nucleus of the current collection. In later years, the library made its own acquisitions and his bequest was augmented with books from the General Assembly Library collections. The Alexander Turnbull Library is now part of National Library but its collections are fully protected by law and may not be sold or otherwise disposed of by the Direction of the National library. Unlike the general collections of the National Library, the collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library are normally held in its Wellington building, the National Library building constructed in 1987. Turnbull House, the library's former location in Bowen Street in downtown Wellington, is now managed by

Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...

. It is charged under the Act to: * 'Preserve, protect, develop, and make accessible for all the people of New Zealand the collections of that library in perpetuity and in a manner consistent with their status as documentary heritage and

taonga ''Taonga'' or ''taoka'' (in South Island Māori) is a Māori-language word that refers to a treasured possession in Māori culture. It lacks a direct translation into English, making its use in the Treaty of Waitangi significant. The current ...

'; and * 'Develop the research collections and the services of the Alexander Turnbull Library, particularly in the fields of New Zealand and Pacific studies and rare books'; and * 'Develop and maintain a comprehensive collection of documents relating to New Zealand and the people of New Zealand.' Turnbull collected the works of

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'' was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and politic ...

extensively, and the library now has holdings of Milton's works which are "ranked among the finest in the world" and "good collections of seventeenth-century poetical miscellanies and of Dryden material, ... along with fine sets of literary periodicals." Chief librarians of the Alexander Turnbull Library have been: * Johannes Andersen, 1919–1937 *

Clyde Taylor Clyde Russell Taylor (July 3, 1931 – January 24, 2024) was an American film scholar, writer and cultural critic who made contributions to the fields of cinema studies and African American studies. He was an emeritus professor at New York Univ ...

, 1937–1963 *

John Reece Cole John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

, 1963–1965 *

Graham Bagnall Austin Graham Bagnall (30 November 1912 – 16 April 1986) was a New Zealand librarian, bibliographer and historian. He was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on 30 November 1912. In the 1978 Queen's Birthday Honours, Bagnall was appointed an Offi ...

, 1966–1973 *

Jim Traue James Edward Traue (10 February 1932 – 13 November 2023) was a New Zealand librarian. He was chief librarian of the Alexander Turnbull Library from 1973 to 1990. Early life James Edward Traue was born in Auckland on 10 February 1932, the son ...

, 1973–1990 *

Margaret Calder Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Old Iranian. It has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular throughout the Middle Ages. It became les ...

, 1990–2007 *

Chris Szekely Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, and Christine. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name *Chris Abani (born 1966), Nigerian author ...

, 2007–2024 *

Jessica Moran Jessica may refer to: Given name * Jessica (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters with this name * Jessica Folcker, a Swedish singer known by the mononym Jessica * Jessica Jung, a Korean-American singer known by the mon ...

(acting), 2024 The Friends of the Turnbull Library (FoTL) is an incorporated society that supports the work of the Alexander Turnbull Library by organising events, activities and offering an annual research grant to a scholars using the library's resources. FoTL also funds the publication of ''The Turnbull Library Record'' which publishes information about the activities of the library and showcases the library's collections. First published in 1940, digital issues of ''The Turnbull Library Record'' are available through Papers Past. A number of archives held at the Alexander Turnbull Library have been added to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Ngā Mahara o te Ao Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Ngā Mahara o te Ao Register is a national register of New Zealand's documentary heritage as part of the Memory of the World Programme, maintained by UNESCO Aotearoa New Zealand Memory of the World Trust. ...

Katherine Mansfield Kathleen Mansfield Murry (née Beauchamp; 14 October 1888 – 9 January 1923) was a New Zealand writer and critic who was an important figure in the Literary modernism, modernist movement. Her works are celebrated across the world and have been ...

's literary and personal papers and belongings, added in 2016. *The

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

migration collection, added in 2016. *The

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

official photographs archive, added in 2017. *The

Tyree Studio Tyree Studio was a photographic business in Nelson, New Zealand that operated from 1878 until 1942. It was founded by William Tyree in 1878 in Trafalgar Street, Nelson. William's younger brother Frederick worked for the studio infrequently befor ...

collection, held at both the Alexander Turnbull Library and Nelson Provincial Museum, added in 2017. *The

Jack Lovelock John Edward Lovelock (5 January 1910 – 28 December 1949) was a New Zealand athlete who became the world 1500m and mile record holder and 1936 Olympic champion in the 1500 metres. Early life Lovelock was born in the town of Crushington ...

Papers, added in 2018. *The Cambodian women oral history project, added in 2018. *The Sir

Julius von Haast Sir Johann Franz Julius von Haast (1 May 1822 – 16 August 1887) was a German-born New Zealand explorer, geologist, and founder of the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch. Early life Johann Franz Julius Haast was born on 1 May 1822 in Bo ...

Collection, added in 2019. *

Robin Hyde Robin Hyde, the pseudonym used by Iris Guiver Wilkinson (19 January 1906 – 23 August 1939), was a South African-born New Zealand poet, journalist and novelist. Early life Wilkinson was born in Cape Town to an English father and an Australia ...

's literary and personal papers, added in 2020. *The William Harding collection, held both at the Alexander Turnbull Library and

Whanganui Regional Museum The Whanganui Regional Museum in Whanganui, New Zealand, has an extensive collection of natural and human-history objects. The emphasis is on items from the Manawatū-Whanganui region, but the collection also includes objects of national and in ...

, added in 2024. *The collections of

Frank Sargeson Frank Sargeson () (born Norris Frank Davey; 23 March 1903 – 1 March 1982) was a New Zealand short story writer and novelist. Born in Hamilton, Sargeson had a middle-class and puritanical upbringing, and initially worked as a lawyer. After ...

, added in 2024.

Turnbull Library collections

The library houses a number of specialty collections: * Archive of New Zealand Music * Cartographic Collection * Drawings, Paintings and Prints * Ephemera Collection * Manuscripts and Archives * National Newspaper Collection * New Zealand and Pacific Book Collection * New Zealand Cartoon Archive * Music, Sounds and Audio-visual Collection * Serials Collection * New Zealand Web Archive * Oral History and Sound * Photographic Archive including work by

Albert Percy Godber Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert Computers, Inc., a computer manufacturer in the 1980s * Albert Czech Republic, a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street mar ...

* Rare Books and Fine Printing * General Collection of Books relating to New Zealand and the Pacific * Turnbull Named Collections. The unpublished material held by the Turnbull Library can be searched in Tiaki.

He Tohu

The He Tohu exhibition displays three nationally significant documents which are on loan from Archives New Zealand's holdings. * Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...

(1840) * He Whakaputanga / Declaration of the Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand (1835) * Women's Suffrage Petition / Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine (1893) The documents were moved from

on 22 April 2017 under tight security.

Services

National Library Auckland Centre 20230812 130408 02

The National Library has been providing support to schools since 1942 and the current service operates from centres in Auckland and Christchurch. Services to Schools has three priorities: * reading engagement * school libraries * digital literacy School libraries can keep up-to-date with research on school libraries, and gain advice on management, finance and staffing, collection management, library systems, and teaching and learning. Reading engagement encompasses advice on supporting children's reading and children's and young adults literature.

Digital literacy Digital literacy is an individual's ability to find, evaluate, and communicate information using typing or digital media platforms. Digital literacy combines technical and cognitive abilities; it consists of using information and communication tec ...

supports the school library's role in developing digital literacy and

inquiry learning Inquiry-based learning (also spelled as enquiry-based learning in British English) is a form of active learning that starts by posing questions, problems or scenarios. It contrasts with traditional education, which generally relies on the teach ...

. Other services include: * The Lending Service loans fiction and non-fiction books to schools and home educators * Teaching and Learning Resources makes available a range of databases and curated resources to teachers and students
AnyQuestions
is an online reference service for all New Zealand school students * Professional and Learning Support for school librarians and educators via courses, events and online methods.

National Digital Heritage Archive

Established in 2004, the National Digital Heritage Archive (NDHA) is a partnership between the National Library, Ex Libris and

Sun Microsystems Sun Microsystems, Inc., often known as Sun for short, was an American technology company that existed from 1982 to 2010 which developed and sold computers, computer components, software, and information technology services. Sun contributed sig ...

to develop a digital archive and preservation management system. A digital storehouse, the system ensures that websites, digital images, CDs, DVDs and other 'digitally born' and digitised items that make up the Library's growing digital heritage collections will, despite technical obsolescence, be preserved and remain accessible to researchers, students and library users now and in the future.

Papers Past

The Papers Past website, run by the National Library of New Zealand, provides free access to digitised newspapers, magazines, journals, letters, diaries, and parliamentary papers from the 19th and 20th centuries. It was launched in 2001. In 2014 it included an estimated 3.3 million digitised pages. Since 12 September 2024 a correctable text feature has been added, allowing users to correct automatically generated text.

Index New Zealand

Index New Zealand (INNZ) is a freely accessible online index of articles from journals, magazines and newspapers covering New Zealand and the South Pacific, with some links to the full text of articles. Updating of the Index ceased on 21 June 2024, though the historic entries will remain available.

Aotearoa People's Network Kaharoa

Established in 2007, the Aotearoa People's Network Kaharoa (APNK) provides internet access to the public through local libraries in New Zealand. Funding is provided by the

New Zealand Government The New Zealand Government () is the central government through which political authority is exercised in New Zealand. As in most other parliamentary democracies, the term "Government" refers chiefly to the executive branch, and more specifica ...

by way of the Community Partnership Fund and the National Library of New Zealand. The service is based in the

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

office of the National Library and supplies and maintains

desktop computers A desktop computer, often abbreviated as desktop, is a personal computer designed for regular use at a stationary location on or near a desk (as opposed to a portable computer) due to its size and power requirements. The most common configurati ...

and

WiFi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...

equipment at around 120 partner libraries, and provides them with filtered

internet access Internet access is a facility or service that provides connectivity for a computer, a computer network, or other network device to the Internet, and for individuals or organizations to access or use applications such as email and the World Wide ...

in conjunction with

internet service provider An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides a myriad of services related to accessing, using, managing, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, no ...

Snap. , all partner libraries receive the equipment and access at no cost, although the APNK governance group periodically reviews funding arrangements. In October 2009, Aotearoa People's Network Kaharoa won the 3M Award for Innovation in Libraries. In October 2010, Aotearoa People's Network Kaharoa won "Best Access Initiative 2010" from the Australia and New Zealand Internet Best Practice Awards.

National librarians

* Geoff Alley, 1964–1968 * Hector M. Macaskill,1969–1972 * David C. McIntosh, 1972–1975 *

, 1976–1981 * Peter G. Scott, 1982–1997 * Christopher Blake, 1997–2002 *

Penny Carnaby Penny Carnaby (born 1949) is a New Zealand librarian and Professor of Digital Knowledge Systems, and is professor emerita at Lincoln University. She is a former National Librarian of New Zealand, and has also worked at Christchurch Polytechnic ...

, 2003–2010 *

Bill Macnaught William John Macnaught (born 1951) was New Zealand's National Librarian from 2011 to 2020. Before becoming National Librarian he was manager of Puke Ariki in New Plymouth, New Zealand, and Head of Cultural Development at Gateshead Council in En ...

, 2011–2020 *

Rachel Esson Rachel Margaret Esson (born 1965) is the National Librarian Te Pouhuaki of New Zealand. Before moving into that role in 2020, she served in several positions at the Victoria University of Wellington library and the National Library of New Zealan ...

, 2020–present

References

External links

Publishers Association of New Zealand protectors of publisher rights regarding digitisation

New Zealand Society of Authors, protectors of author copyright regarding digitisation of works

Book Guardians group including researchers and public figures opposed to NZ National Library policy of mass depletions whether of public domain works or of those still within copyright

Creative Sector opponents of NZ National Library mass depletions whether of public domain works or of those still within copyright

Friends of the Turnbull Library
* *
Papers Past: 19th century New Zealand papers online
*
Index New Zealand
*
Services to Schools
*
History of Parliamentary Library building

Video of protest against National Library of New Zealand's donation of its international library to Internet Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Library Of New Zealand Buildings and structures in Wellington City Government agencies of New Zealand Libraries in New Zealand

1965 establishments in New Zealand Archives in New Zealand Libraries established in 1965 Education in the Wellington Region Deposit libraries Libraries in Wellington