Auckland Libraries blog

Tuesday 7 March 2023 is Census Day  Ko te Rātū 7 Poutūterangi 2023 te Rā Tatauranga 2023 Census is our chance to represent ourselves, our families, whānau, communities, and cultures. When we all take part in the 2023 Census, all of us count - Tatau tātou.   What is the census? The census is a nationwide survey that happens every five years. Every person who is in the country on the night of Tuesday 7 March 2023 will need to do the census. By taking part in the census, you help create a better understanding of your community and what it needs. Your identity is kept private and confidential. Read more on the census website Doing the census Stats NZ will start delivering census forms and instructions in February 2023. You will be able to do the census online or on paper, in English or te reo Māori.  Depending on where you live, a census collector may visit, or you may get a census pack in your letterbox. Your census pack will contain:  a letter with an access code, which lets you do the c

Point Chevalier Library is temporarily relocating to the Annex at Point Chevalier Community Centre on Huia Road. The temporary location is set to open on Monday 20 February 2023. Check out  the library's Facebook page for the latest updates on their opening. Point Chevalier Library closed as a precautionary measure in October last year due to ongoing building issues. Read more on Our Auckland Since the library’s closure, some services have been operating out of our mobile library in Point Chevalier Square. Our new temporary library location will let us return to normal opening hours and offer more library services, such as collecting holds. We can’t wait to see you there! Finding the new location The Point Chevalier Community Centre is located at 18 Huia Road, around the corner from the closed library. The temporary library is situated in the Annex room, behind the community centre building pictured below.  Point Chevalier Community Centre from Huia Road (library entrance via pat

We’re feeling the love at Auckland Council Libraries this month as we celebrate the fabulous Auckland Pride Festival from 1 - 26 February and Valentine’s Day on 14 February. Love is Love competition: Take 3 romances Borrow three romance titles over February, and you’re automatically in the draw to win a Love is Love prize pack!  Fill your library card with romances for your chance to take home a romantic picnic hamper valued at $200 or a $50 ‘shop and munch’ gift card from Bunnings Warehouse . Swipe right on these hot tips Try out these hot tips to help you find your perfect book match and be in to win a date on us! Browse books labelled ‘Romance’ on our shelves, in our catalogue, and tagged ‘Romance’ in our Libby for OverDrive eBook and eAudiobook collections . Request our newest romance titles , along with the latest erotic fiction , historical romances , paranormal romances and romantic suspense reads . Check our website for curated romance reading lists by our expert librarians L

We've done the maths, and the results are in for our top checkouts for 2022! This year's most-borrowed titles show an enduring love and loyalty around favourite authors and series, whether local or international.  Explore our top checkouts and check them out yourself at your local library! Most-borrowed fiction 2022 Blue moon by Lee Child Grown ups by Marian Keyes The night fire by Michael Connelly Where the crawdads sing by Delia Owens Fair warning by Michael Connelly Most-borrowed fiction by Aotearoa New Zealand authors 2022 Before you knew my name by Jacqueline Bublitz Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason To Italy, with love  by Nicky Pellegrino Auē by Becky Manawatu The girl in the mirror by Rose Carlyle Most-borrowed non-fiction 2022 Veg by Jamie Oliver This much is true by Miriam Margolyes Vegful by Nadia Lim Atomic habits by James Clear The mirror book: a memoir by Charlotte Grimshaw Most-borrowed non-fiction by Aotearoa New Zealand authors 2022 Vegful by Nadia L

Do you need support with reading, writing and speaking in English? We’ve just added some new online resources that you can use for free with your library card. Provided by Clarity English, these online courses are great for those who have English as a second language (ESOL), those preparing for the IELTS and those who might need general literacy learning support. No matter your skill level, Clarity English Programs can help you. Active Reading The Active Reading courses help learners to develop their English reading skills.  With various text types and topics, you will learn a range of reading skills, including vocabulary strategies, skim reading techniques and more. But Active Reading does more than develop reading skills. You can also improve your listening skills by listening to texts in various accents and completing activities that test your abilities. Clear Pronunciation 1 Learn to recognise and pronounce the 43 distinct sounds of the English language. Clear Pronunciation 1 prese

As part of our We Read Auckland | Ka Pānui Tatau i Tāmaki Makaurau programme, we asked Auckland’s readers to join us on an all-ages reading adventure across Tāmaki Makaurau.  Open to readers of all ages, customers could read whatever they liked for as long as they wanted, with special encouragement to discover and read books by Auckland’s fabulous authors. For every 20 minutes of reading logged using the Auckland Libraries Beanstack platform , our readers collected digital badges depicting Tāmaki Makaurau landmarks. From South Auckland’s Hunua Ranges, readers 'travelled' across the Auckland region from East to West and then over the Harbour Bridge, ending their reading journey in the North at Okakari Point / Goat Island Marine Reserve. As they read their way across Auckland, discovering local authors and titles along the way, they also earned entries into draws to win prize packs of books by Auckland authors. Thank you to everyone who joined our reading road trip, and congratul

In the July school holidays, we ran the Ngā Tamariki o Matariki challenges on Auckland Libraries Beanstack for tamariki and rangatahi. Our young readers learned about Matariki, with reading suggestions for different ages and lots of activities to try. As they learned, they earned Ngā Tamariki o Matariki badges and entries into our prize draws. Together, our Ngā Tamariki o Matariki readers logged over 1637 days of reading over two weeks! Read on for details about our prize winners! Ngā Tamariki o Matariki reading challenge prize pack winners We’re pleased to announce the two winners in the kids’ category! Priya (8) from Rānui Library won a Creokit three-month subscription and a gift voucher to take family and friends to Auckland Zoo. Temilo (10), also at Rānui Library, won a Creokit three-month subscription and a gift voucher for a group outing to Jump Trampoline Park. Aamnah (14) of Blockhouse Bay Library won our youth prize pack – a JB Hi-Fi voucher and a gift voucher to take some ma