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
Upcoming events
- Saturday 27 JanuaryHe Tohu kids' area
- Tuesday 6 FebruaryWaitangi Day at He Tohu: see the original Tiriti o Waitangi and enjoy a hāngī lunch
- Wednesday 7 February ‘I Shall Commit My Thoughts to Paper’: The First Edition of Shelley’s Frankenstein
- Thursday 15 FebruaryHe Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni: The Declaration of Independence of New Zealand
See events read more
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.
Access changes
Our lower ground entrance on Aitken St is out of action for the next few weeks as we replace one of the glass doors; we apologise for the inconvenience. Visitors to the library will need to use the main entrance on Molesworth St in the interim.
Unfolding the map
Uncover the history of New Zealand held in its maps
Visit to learn about New Zealand's maps, from Polynesian navigation and the charting and surveying of Aotearoa, to modern developments in topographics and digital mapping.
Where are you from?
The voices of Sir Apirana Ngata, Sir Peter (Te Rangihiroa) Buck, Bishop Frederick Augustus Bennett, and Te Puea Herangi.
Speeches at a farewell function to Sir Peter (Te Rangihiroa) Buck, 1949
A recently digitised gem from New Zealand’s musical past.
Music collections
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.
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
Interloan
Our books in your hands
Get National Library materials sent to your local library by making an interloan request.
Open data
Build new things
Data sets and API access to metadata for millions of records. Grab it and see what you can make!
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.