Auckland Libraries blog

Due to maintenance, our online library services will be unavailable on 6am to 7am Thursday 16 October. The outage will include searching for library items in the library catalogue, logging in and managing your account and paying online. The outages will also affect our eCollections platforms. Our apologies for the inconvenience.

From 1 October 2025, the Auckland Council Libraries website is moving to a new platform. This is to improve the overall functionality of our website and online service. Most of the site will appear the same, but some pages and forms may look or work differently for a short time while we work through these updates. Here’s what to expect, and where to go if you need help. What’s staying the same? You will still be able to access most library services as usual, including: Catalogue search – browse, borrow and renew as usual. Research resources – keep exploring our digital collections. Kura Heritage Collections Online – the digital index of heritage items will stay the same. Ask us to buy it – you can still request new titles for the library collection. Submit your request online or speak to staff in person at your local branch. Book a librarian – schedule a one-on-one session for support with research, CVs, digital skills, or other library services. Book online or in person. Create o...

Photo by Gino Demeer, Auckland Council. Looking for good books about planting and gardening in NZ? From raising fruits and vegetables to nurturing the soil beneath your feet, these guides celebrate the connection between people, land and kai. Our librarians – many of them keen gardeners themselves – have gathered NZ-centred books that work for Auckland’s climate and beyond, so you can grow with confidence. Librarian favourite gardening books 1. Homegrown happiness: a Kiwi guide to living off the suburban land by Elien Lewis Part growing guide, part recipe book, this beautiful hardback is perfect for both gardeners and cooks alike. Learn what to plant and when, in different climates across NZ – gain a palatable beginners’ overview of how to forage, harvest, compost and keep pests at bay.  This thoughtful guide also includes healthy homegrown recipes the whole whānau will love! Elien shares her favourite seasonal recipes that draw on the 'root to tip' philosophy, resulting in ...

Image: Central City Library's green roof. Photo by Auckland Council Libraries. Sharing stories, knowledge and resources has always been a core principle of libraries. In a world where climate change and overconsumption are global challenges, this idea matters more than ever. Your libraries are part of Auckland Council’s goal to create a zero-waste Tāmaki Makaurau by 2040. Across the region, libraries are finding practical ways to encourage our communities to tread lightly on the planet, from green buildings and paper reduction to running repair cafés and supporting local food gardens. Here’s a look at how libraries are helping communities live more sustainably, and how being a library member makes it easy to join in! Sharing instead of owning is at the heart of libraries Borrowing a book, magazine or movie means fewer new resources need to be produced, as a single copy can be enjoyed by hundreds of readers and viewers. Plus, with the rise in digital entertainment like eBooks, eMag...

Say hello to instant-access eBooks! Read free online books and audiobooks that are always available through the library with no waiting list.  Our ‘guaranteed available’ collections on OverDrive offer you immediate access to a curated selection of popular eBook and eAudiobook titles without waiting for another reader to return their copy. All these titles are available now until a new list is released in early April 2026. Book club favourites  Are you in a book club that reads the same book? Every member can borrow a copy at the same time!  See all book club favourites Browse by topic Click the links listed below or open the OverDrive website or Libby app. Use the navigation panel to browse ‘guaranteed available’ picks across various collections. You can also search for a topic and filter the results by ‘available now’. • Travel books   • New Zealand fiction and nonfiction • Young adult fiction and nonfiction • Classic literature   • Romance novels...

Gloomy weather is the perfect backdrop for moodier reads – and what moodier place to find them than the library’s thriller section?   If you’re looking for dark, atmospheric books that feel like winter, you’ve come to the right place. Subgenres like mystery, crime and horror hold endless potential for winter escapism. Hide yourself away with these thriller book suggestions that’ll keep your mind racing all winter. 1. Carved in blood by Michael Bennett The third book in this bestselling New Zealand crime trilogy unfolds during a chilly Auckland winter, as Matariki approaches – a time of celebration and new beginnings. Hana Westerman’s family is thriving, and life finally feels peaceful. But when Hana’s ex-husband Jaye is shot in what seems like a random crime, she’s drawn back into the world of police work. Her investigation leads to a suspect with links to a Chinese crime syndicate. That’s until a call warns they’ve got the wrong man. Could the shooting be tied to Jaye’s pa...