Alexander Turnbull Library collections
New Zealand’s national documentary heritage collections, including both published and unpublished items, are held in the Alexander Turnbull Library.
Kei Te Wharepukapuka o Alexander Turnbull ngā tūemi kohikohinga taonga ā-pepamana kua tāngia kāore anō rānei.
The Alexander Turnbull Library is a 'library within a library'. Established in 1920 after Alexander Horsburgh Turnbull gifted his collection to the nation in 1918, its collections and services are now housed within the National Library building.
The Turnbull Library collections are based on Turnbull's personal collection of books, manuscripts, photographs, paintings and sketches.
Over time the collections have been built through donation, bequest, legal deposit, and targeted purchasing to contain millions of items.
More about donations and bequests
Published research collections
Published collections of the Turnbull Library contain books, magazines and journals, pamphlets, newspapers, maps, music, websites, and other items that are published.
Cartographic Collection (maps)
New Zealand and Pacific Book Collection
New Zealand Serials Collection
New Zealand Music, Sound, Audio-visual
Printed Ephemera Collection (posters, advertisements, programmes etc)
Rare Books and Fine Printing Collection
Unpublished research collections
Collections of unpublished items, like original manuscripts, oral histories, photographs, paintings, drawings, prints, and cartoons, are organised by format.
Drawings, Paintings and Prints
Get help
The catalogues do not list all of the items in the Alexander Turnbull Library but you can get help from staff to find out what else we hold.