National Library of New Zealand facts for kids
Quick facts for kids National Library of New Zealand |
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| Established | 1965 |
| Location | Molesworth Street, Thorndon, Wellington, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 41°16′36″S 174°46′42″E / 41.276614°S 174.778372°E |
| Branch of | Department of Internal Affairs |
| Branches | n/a |
| Collection | |
| Size | 1,515,172 in General Collections 5,333,500 in Alexander Turnbull Library |
| Other information | |
| Budget | NZ$31,850,000 (2006) |
| Director | Rachel Esson (Te Pouhuaki National Librarian) |
The National Library of New Zealand (Māori: Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa) is New Zealand's main library. It is like a special guardian for all the books, newspapers, and other important documents created in New Zealand. Its job is to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand".
The library has several key duties. It keeps and protects its huge collections. It makes sure these collections are available for everyone in New Zealand. This includes old and new documents, especially those about New Zealand. The library also helps other libraries across the country. It works with libraries around the world too.
The library helps schools through its Services to Schools team. This team offers advice and resources to teachers and students. The library also handles special numbers for books (ISBNs) and magazines (ISSNs).
The main building of the National Library is in Wellington. It is located near the New Zealand Parliament and the New Zealand Court of Appeal.
Contents
History of the National Library
The National Library of New Zealand started in 1965. It was formed by bringing together three important libraries. These were the Alexander Turnbull Library, the General Assembly Library, and the National Library Service.
In 1987, a new main building for the library opened in Wellington. All the staff and collections from 14 different places moved into this new building. In 1988, the library became its own government department. It also received its Māori name, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa. This name means "the wellspring of knowledge, of New Zealand".
The library building was closed for two years from 2009 for upgrades. It reopened in June 2012. In 2010, the National Library joined the Department of Internal Affairs. This is another government department.
More recently, there have been discussions about some of the library's collections. In 2018, the library started a plan to reduce its collection of "overseas published" books. This means books not from New Zealand. This plan caused a lot of discussion in New Zealand and around the world. The library said it would offer these books to other local libraries and groups. Some people have challenged this decision. They believe many of these books are important for New Zealand's history.
He Tohu: Important Documents
The National Library is home to a special exhibition called He Tohu. This exhibition displays three very important documents for New Zealand. These documents are kept safe in a special room.
The documents are:
- Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi). This is the founding document of New Zealand.
- He Whakaputanga (the Declaration of the Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand). This document declared Māori independence.
- Women's Suffrage Petition (Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine). This petition helped women get the right to vote in New Zealand.
These precious documents were moved to the National Library in 2017. They came from Archives New Zealand under very strict security.
Library Collections
The National Library has many different collections. They are stored in the main building in Wellington and other places. The library has three main types of collections. These are the General Collections, the Schools Collection, and the Alexander Turnbull Library collections. You can access many of these collections online.
The General Collections help New Zealanders find information. They support individuals, schools, and researchers. The Schools Collection has books and other materials. These are used to help with teaching and learning in New Zealand schools.
Alexander Turnbull Library
The Alexander Turnbull Library is a very special part of the National Library. Its collections are kept safe in the Wellington building. This library is named after Alexander Turnbull. He was a passionate book collector. When he died in 1918, he left his huge collection of 55,000 books to the nation. This gift became the start of the Alexander Turnbull Library.
The library's job is to:
- Keep and protect its collections forever. These are important parts of New Zealand's history.
- Grow its research collections. This is especially true for books about New Zealand, the Pacific, and rare books.
- Collect and keep a full set of documents about New Zealand and its people.
The Alexander Turnbull Library has one of the best collections of works by the famous writer John Milton in the world.
Turnbull Library Collections
The Alexander Turnbull Library holds many unique collections. These include:
- Archive of New Zealand Music: Music and sound recordings.
- Cartographic Collection: Maps and charts.
- Drawings, Paintings and Prints: Artworks.
- Ephemera Collection: Small, everyday printed items like tickets or flyers.
- Manuscripts and Archives: Handwritten documents and historical records.
- National Newspaper Collection: Old and new newspapers.
- New Zealand and Pacific Book Collection: Books about New Zealand and the Pacific islands.
- New Zealand Cartoon Archive: Cartoons.
- Music, Sounds and Audio-visual Collection: More music, sounds, and videos.
- Serials Collection: Magazines and journals.
- New Zealand Web Archive: Archived websites.
- Oral History and Sound: Recorded interviews and spoken stories.
- Photographic Archive: Photographs.
- Rare Books and Fine Printing: Very old or special books.
- General Collection of Books relating to New Zealand and the Pacific.
- Turnbull Named Collections: Special collections named after their donors.
You can search for unpublished materials from the Turnbull Library using a tool called Tiaki.
Services to Schools
The National Library has helped schools since 1942. Today, this service operates from centres in Auckland and Christchurch. Services to Schools focuses on three main areas:
- Reading engagement: Helping students enjoy reading.
- School libraries: Supporting school libraries to be the best they can be.
- Digital literacy: Teaching students how to use digital tools and information wisely.
School libraries can get advice on how to manage their library. They can learn about budgeting, staffing, and organizing books. The team also helps with teaching and learning. They offer ideas for supporting children's reading. They also provide information about books for children and young adults. Digital literacy support helps school libraries teach students about using digital tools. It also helps with inquiry learning, where students learn by asking questions and finding answers.
Other services include:
- The Lending Service: Schools and home educators can borrow fiction and non-fiction books.
- Teaching and Learning Resources: This provides online databases and resources for teachers and students. AnyQuestions is an online help service for all New Zealand school students.
- Professional and Learning Support: This offers courses and events for school librarians and educators.
National Digital Heritage Archive
The National Digital Heritage Archive started in 2004. It is like a digital storehouse. Its job is to make sure that digital items are kept safe. This includes websites, digital images, CDs, and DVDs. These are all part of New Zealand's digital history. The archive makes sure these items can still be used in the future. This is important even as technology changes.
Papers Past
The Papers Past website is run by the National Library. It lets you read old newspapers, magazines, and other documents for free. These documents are from the 19th and 20th centuries. You can find letters, diaries, and even old government papers. The website first launched in 2001.
Index New Zealand
Index New Zealand (INNZ) is a free online tool. It helps you find articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers. These articles are about New Zealand and the South Pacific. Some links even take you to the full article.
Images for kids
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Writers Against NZ National Library Disposals opposition to reduction of National Library General Collections, November 2021
See also
In Spanish: Biblioteca Nacional de Nueva Zelanda para niños
