Auckland Libraries blog

Dreading the drag of a long journey? Or love having the time to yourself? Public transport can be a great time to unwind or catch up on tasks.  Whether you're craving relaxation or want to make the most of your journey, here are some ideas to leverage your commute with the amazing resources available for free with your Auckland Council library card! Recharge on the go: library e-resources for relaxation  Sometimes, the best use of your commute is simply to de-stress. This time is yours. Sit back, relax; embrace the hum of the engine and the world passing you by.  Here are some ways your library card can help you unplug and unwind – just don’t miss your stop!  Immerse yourself in a story Pop on some comfy headphones and get lost in an eAudiobook . With your library card, you can access hundreds of free titles online, from captivating fiction to insightful non-fiction. Carve out some ‘me time’ by listening in peace to true crime, steamy romance or even self-help b...

  Together We Read NZ: 27 September - 11 October 2023 From 27 September to 11 October, book lovers from across Aotearoa are invited to join the country’s biggest online book club, Together We Read . This year, the chosen book is Remember Me by local author Charity Norman – a heartfelt, page-turning suspense novel.  For two weeks, readers can borrow Remember Me on the Libby by OverDrive app with no waitlist! All you need is your Auckland Council Libraries barcode number. And if you don’t have a free library membership, join the library online today ! The Together We Read digital book club is run by OverDrive and connects readers across New Zealand’s public libraries. During the programme, readers can participate in online discussions about the book and attend an online event with the author hosted by Auckland Libraries . How it works Find out how to take part in Together We Read NZ! You’ll need a free Auckland Council Libraries membership – join online or visit your local li...

  Did you know that you can access Auckland Council Libraries’ extensive eCollections without leaving the comfort of your whare? Libby is a free and easy-to-use app that gives you access to our massive selection of titles with no subscriptions, fees or monthly limits. Curated lists With over 200,000 titles, don’t be intimidated by the vast range  -   we can help you find the perfect page-turner. Go to OverDrive From celebrating rainbow communities, Lunar New Year, New Zealand authors and Book Club favourites, explore lists curated by our librarians, designed to help you find something great to read, as well as our popular Top 100 list, so you know what’s hot. What’s different about Libby? Libby makes borrowing books simple  -   the titles you borrow return themselves automatically when you reach the end of your loan period. Not finished reading or listening? Renew it or borrow it again  -  it’ll save your place so you can pick up where you le...

When our libraries are closed – don't worry! We have a world of online offerings you can access anytime, anywhere. Enjoy streaming films, online courses and browse the latest eCollections and podcasts all from the comfort of home. Read an eBook, learn a new skill, travel around the world (virtually) or simply curl up with an old classic.  Check out what we have to offer, it's all completely free with your library membership! Haven't got a library membership? Sign up for an Auckland Libraries eMembership ! It only takes a couple of easy steps and can be done entirely from home! Libby by OverDrive Download the Libby by OverDrive app , and you’ll be sorted for all of your eBook, eAudiobook and eMagazine needs! Browse a huge range of quality New Zealand and international fiction and nonfiction on your favourite device. ​eMagazines are now available on Overdrive and your Libby app! Read thousands of international and local magazines with no limits or waitlists. You...

With your library card you have immediate at-home access to thousands of 中文 Chinese eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, eNewspapers and more. Join Auckland Libraries Get immediate access to our thousands of online resources when you sign up for eMembership. To read our eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines and eNewspapers you need to be an Auckland Libraries member. Membership is free for all Aucklanders.  Join Auckland Libraries now . You don't need to visit a library to get started. Sign up now online. Libby by OverDrive Download the Libby by OverDrive app, and you’ll be sorted for all of your eBook and eAudiobook needs! Browse a huge range of Chinese titles on your favourite device. You can also browse OverDrive online on your computer or laptop. Browse featured Chinese eBook and eAudiobooks  including: eAudiobooks in Chinese Cooking eBooks in Chinese Popular fiction and classics in Chinese To read eBooks and access eAudiobooks on the Libby a...

What will you be reading this summer? These tips will have you fully prepared for a summer of rest and relaxation. Just for you After the year that we've had, it's time to read, relax and reset with our Summer reading, sorted programme.  Earn badges by logging your reading, completing activities and submitting reviews that put you into the draw to win fantastic prizes from Specsavers, Auckland's hottest attractions and more! All whilst you kick back and chill out with a good book! Download the Beanstack Tracker app on your device and register to be in to win. Find out more about Summer reading, sorted on our website. Fun for the whole whānau The fun doesn't stop there! Register your whole family for our summer reading programme and take on our reading missions as a team. Read to earn badges that put you and your readers into the draw to win great prizes from Specsavers, MOTAT, Snowplanet and many more!   Download the Beanstack Tracker on your device and register to be i...

These new features will make your eReading experience even faster and more enjoyable!  Helpful new features are now available on the  Libby by Overdrive and BorrowBox apps. Don't forget to update your apps on your device to get the full enhanced experience!  Libby now supports nine additional languages The Libby app now supports browsing in nine additional languages.  All of the helpful Libby information and guides can be updated to your preferred language! Libby will automatically use the language your device or web browser is currently using. eBooks and eAudiobooks remain in their original languages.  You can now browse collections, search for specific titles, get help and more in the following languages: • English • Spanish • French (Canada) • Simplified Chinese • Traditional Chinese • German • Italian • Japanese • Russian • Swedish If you'd like to use Libby in a different language than your device, go to the Libby menu, select Get Some...

With libraries closed and Aotearoa in lockdown over the last 8 weeks, many Aucklanders turned to our eCollections and online resources to read, watch and learn while staying safe at home. A whopping 498,287 eBooks and eAudiobooks were issued, and we welcomed 3,772 new members to the Auckland Libraries whānau. Our staff were also getting busy, making over 15,000 calls to members of Auckland's over 70s community and offering support in these difficult times.  Many of our heritage collections staff spent time transcribing nineteenth-century letters in the collections , making them more accessible for keyword searching. Our Stay Connected series on Instagram , Facebook and Twitter saw Aucklanders share with us (and each other!) their stories, whakapapa, lockdown lives and more. We also got creative and started offering our popular events and programmes online. With musical performances, craft activities, storytimes, webinars, virtual bookclubs and knitting groups, it’s been amazing...

Goodbye to eBook waitlists! Our ‘Guaranteed Available’ OverDrive collections offer you immediate access to the cream of the crop and a whole swathe of new titles. This service guarantees you immediate access to a selection of popular eBook titles - with no waiting for the reader ahead of you to return their copy! Just keep reading We have unlimited access to a selection of acclaimed novels and quality non-fiction. These lists will hold a special attraction for book clubs who read the same book, as it guarantees every member a copy at the same time! Check them out: Book club favourites 2020 - 2021 A selection of classics Classics for kids Listen to unlimited eAudiobooks Borrow selected unlimited eAudiobook titles from Borrowbox , thanks to Bolinda.

Hi. My name is Andrea, and my nine year old daughter and I have been immersed in all things Harry Potter lately.  This series by J. K. Rowling does not need an introduction - this book series has sold the most copies ever at 500 million sales. You can find Harry Potter in many languages and just about all its possible formats (hardback, graphic novel, audiobook, DVD, eBook, eAudiobook etc.) at Auckland Libraries , although it is currently most accessible from our OverDrive website . You can even find quite a few titles about the Harry Potter series! I remember when Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone first came out in 1997. I was working in a primary school library and thought the book looked good, but much too difficult to be of interest to most of the pupils. How wrong I was! As the hype began to set in, our only copy became incredibly popular - if only as a status symbol to be seen with. Ngā Pātaka Kōrero - Auckland Libraries · Two-minute reviews: Harry Pot...

There are great new updates to the Libby app now live! Libby by Overdrive is the best way to read and listen to Overdrive eBooks and eAudiobooks on your smartphone or device. To enjoy notifications and other app improvements, be sure to install the latest update for Libby from your device’s app store. Hold redelivery live 2 March 2020 Too many holds arriving at once? Hold redelivery will allow you to suspend a hold once it becomes available while maintaining your place on the wait list. Libby notifications will alert you when your holds become available. After receiving a notification that a hold is available, you can chose to do one of the following: Borrow the book within three days.  Choose to suspend the hold - this will pass the book to the next person in line. After the suspension period finishes, you will be able to borrow the book when the next copy is available. Choose to cancel the hold. If you take no action, your hold will automatically be suspended o...

Pressreader has expanded its collection, bringing you an array of brand new eMagazines and eNewspapers from around the globe. Architecture Australia, Popular Mechanics and Food Network Magzine (USA) are just some of the new titles that have been added to PressReader in recent months. Love all things fashion and lifestyle? You can now flip the digital pages of top magazines, like Cosmopolitan, Elle, Esquire, Men's Health and O. The Oprah Magazine.  New newspapers have been added too! Read Discover Sri Lanka, the Macau Daily Times, The Guardian (USA), Jornal da Madeira (Portugal) and more.  Keep up with the latest news from around the world with PressReader eNewspapers , with over 2400 newspapers you can browse by country, language or newspaper title. Download the app for Apple and Android devices or browse PressReader online .  Whether it's The Guardian, the New Zealand Herald or GQ, you can take a pocket-sized version with you wherever you go!

Checkouts from Auckland Libraries main digital reading platform, OverDrive, reached five million this month, making us some of the biggest digital library borrowers in the world! The lucky five millionth checkout was Spain and Portugal's best trips by Lonely Planet . Our library system is one of the fastest-growing in the world since launching in late 2007. Auckland Libraries have made especially great strides with our digital collection and have set records within the last two years. In 2016, we were one of 17 libraries worldwide and the only library system in the Southern Hemisphere that circulated one million digital books for the first time. We built on this success in 2017 with 30% circulation growth, remaining the only library system in the Southern Hemisphere to achieve one million checkouts annually. We are on pace to set another record in 2018, and have already contributed greatly to the one billion checkouts achieved across the OverDrive network earlier this y...

Goodbye to eBook waitlists! Auckland Libraries have just launched a new service which guarantees you immediate access to a selection of popular eBook titles - with no waiting for the reader ahead of you to return their copy! Perfect for book clubs Are you a member of a book club?  The Book Clubs eBook collection contains acclaimed novels and memoirs. It will hold a special attraction for book clubs who read the same book, as it guarantees every member a copy at the same time! Check out literary fiction guaranteed to be available now. Handy for travellers Travelling, preparing to travel - or just dreaming about it? Now you can borrow many of our fantastic Lonely Planet travel guides to top destinations, regardless of whether anyone else has already checked them out. Start packing: grab one of our Lonely Planet travel guides, guaranteed to be available now. Browse OverDrive online or download the Libby, by OverDrive app to your smartphone, tablet ...