Use the Library
Researchers
Start your research at the Alexander Turnbull Library
Librarians
Use Te Puna and National Library services
Publishers & Authors
Get an ISBN, a record, and advice about Legal Deposit
Schools
Support for school libraries and learning
Business
The information you need, quickly and easily
Image search
Browse and search half a million digital images
Papers Past
Millions of pages of historic NZ newspapers
Subscription e-resources
Search electronic resources from around the world
PublicationsNZ
Search everything published in New Zealand
Donate to the collections
Donate items to the Library collections
Borrowing for an exhibition
You can borrow items to use in public exhibitions.
Upcoming events
Wednesday 24 2019
Dead Letters, Great War Stories
Friday 26 2019
The Allusionist Live
Monday 29 2019
Inquiry learning: The role of resources to inspire and inform
Wednesday 01 2019
Politics of hate in the age of the internet
Wednesday 01 2019
The hidden women of the public stage: women in New Zealand orchestras at the turn of the twentieth century
See events
Flickr Commons
Free to download and use
Download high-res collection images and use them however you want.
Get advice
Become an oral historian
Oral history advice and workshops to get you started, or hone your skills.
Easter hours
Over the Easter and ANZAC break the Library will be open on Saturday from 9am to 1pm. We are closed on the public holidays.
Please order collection items by 4pm Thursday if you would like them available on Saturday.
Have a happy and safe break.
Lilies
Performed by Irene Ainsley, New Zealand contralto, with piano.
A recently digitised gem from New Zealand’s musical past.
Music collections
Smart Alex
Creative writing competition for secondary school students
Enter the Smart Alex competition and win great cash prizes.
Preservation advice
Look after special items
Learn how to take care of your precious photographs, books, and digital documents with advice from the National Preservation Office.
Interloan
Our books in your hands
Get National Library materials sent to your local library by making an interloan request. And more.
Our strategic directions
Turning knowledge into value: this is the National Library's strategic direction to 2030.
See how we're aiming for big changes in taonga, knowledge, and reading.
Read the strategy
T is for Tumblr
Turnbull Ephemera
Beautiful and unique posters, prints, and other materials from daily life.
Turnbull Rare Books
Gorgeous manuscripts, intricate fine printing, and other wonderful objects.
Open data
Build new things
Data sets and API access to metadata for millions of records. Grab it and see what you can make!
