Auckland Libraries blog

This year is the centenary of Katherine Mansfield (1888–1923). A founding and influential writer of the modernist movement, Mansfield grew up in Aotearoa and many of her much-loved short stories explore this setting. To celebrate Mansfield’s legacy in 2023, we’re sharing a selection of works by or about her from the Auckland Council Libraries collections. Read our brief introduction to her life and work, and explore the reading suggestions below for a chance to dip into the world of Mansfield. A brief introduction Katherine Mansfield was born in Wellington in 1888 and spent much of her childhood in the suburb of Karori. The city and its surroundings form the backdrop of many of her well-known stories, such as “Prelude” (1918), “At the Bay” (1922) and “The Doll’s House” (1922).   In 1908, Mansfield moved to London and became involved with the influential Bloomsbury Group of modernist writers, artists and intellectuals. She began contributing to literary magazines and her writing quickly

In the July school holidays, we ran the Ngā Tamariki o Matariki challenge for tamariki and rangatahi on Auckland Libraries Beanstack . 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 894 days of reading over two weeks! Read on for details about our prize winners! Ngā Tamariki o Matariki 2023 reading challenge prize pack winners We’re pleased to announce the two winners in the kids’ category and one winner of the youth category! Tanzeel (8) from Botany Library, Matthew (7) from Glenfield Library and Pala (13) of Tupu Youth Library each won a Kaupapa boardgame .  Kaupapa boardgames are produced by Kura Rēhia and provide hours of fun while building your reo! Top Reader bonus draw winners All readers who logged 10 or more days of reading out of a possible 12 were entered into o

As part of our annual festival of reading and writing, We Read Auckland / Ka Pānui Tātau i Tāmaki Makaurau 2023, Auckland Libraries launched our new Bestie collection. Making it easier to access the best popular reads at our libraries, we featured 10 books by Auckland authors for our first Bestie selection. Find out how Bestie works But the fun doesn’t stop there. If you’ve missed getting your hands on a copy so far, or loved a Bestie so much you didn’t want it to end, our expert team have recommended ‘read-alikes’ for each book in the collection. Check out the full list below. Plus, tune in to our podcast interviews with three of the Bestie authors!  Listen on SoundCloud Find your next reading match Go beyond the local bestsellers in our first Bestie collection with our curated selection of similar reads! You can find and borrow them in the library catalogue as usual.  Read-alikes: 'The Doctor’s Wife' by Fiona Sussman  If you loved Sussman’s medical murder mystery, try these g

Re-opening update We are pleased to announce that St Heliers Library will re-open in its original location on  Tuesday 15 August 2023  at 10am. The temporary library location at Tāmaki Ex-Services Association Hall will close from Sunday 6 August at 4pm.  While both locations are closed (7-14 August 2023), you can access library services nearby in  Glen Innes ,  Panmure  and  Remuera  or at any of our other  library locations .  We can't wait to welcome you back to the library!  Read more on Our Auckland. 21 July 2022 announcement  From 1 August 2022, St Heliers Library is undergoing works for earthquake strengthening, a new roof and internal refurbishment. While these works are underway, most library services are available at Tāmaki Ex-Services Association Hall on the corner of Polygon Road and Turua Street, St Heliers.  The work on the St Heliers Library building is supported by Ōrākei Local Board. Read more on Our Auckland . Temporary location operating hours and services Operat

 Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa / Samoa Language Week, 28 May - 3 June 2023 The theme for Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa 2023 is ‘Mitamita i lau gagana, maua’a lou fa’asinomaga’ which means ‘Be proud of your language and grounded in your identity’. Here at Auckland Council Libraries, we are delighted to announce the upcoming launch of a new bilingual book in Samoan and English and share reading recommendations curated by Veronica Ligaliga, Senior Librarian Pacific Content, in celebration of Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa! The overarching theme for Pacific Language Weeks 2023 is sustainability, to help keep our Pacific languages, cultures and identities thriving in Aotearoa. Learn more about Pacific Language Weeks from the Ministry for Pacific Peoples . We are also proud to share a new video about village life in the Pacific Islands from the Auckland Libraries YouTube channel . And we encourage you to stay connected with Pasifika news and upcoming events on the Auckland Libraries Talanoa Facebook page !

Love is Love display at Central Library We celebrated the fabulous  Auckland Pride Festival  from 1 - 26 February and Valentine’s Day on 14 February with a fun Auckland Libraries promotion. Customers were encouraged to borrow three or more romances from our shelves or via Libby/OverDrive over February for a chance to win a Love is Love prize pack. Love is Love: Take 3 Romances competition winners 🎀 Teresa from Botany Library was the lucky winner of our romantic picnic hamper valued at $200, and runner-up Kate from Whangaparāoa Library won a $50 ‘shop and munch’ gift card from Bunnings Warehouse.  Our Love is Love romantic picnic prize pack Find your perfect book match 💞 It’s never too late to swipe right on these hot tips for finding your next romance read!  Browse books labelled ‘Romance’ on our shelves or in our  library catalogue . Libby/OverDrive is open 24/7 for sweet and steamy romance on-demand! Check out what’s available right now in our  Romance eBook collections  and listen

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