Helen Zwartz Scholarship

History and purpose

The late Helen Zwartz was a librarian who joined the National Library on Waitangi Day in 1956 (as Helen Pavitt). She went on to gain her library qualification at Ealing Technical College in London and returned to the Library until January 1965. Later, she returned to library work at Victoria University of Wellington and then the Commission (which became the Ministry) for the Environment until her retirement.

Helen brought to her library work a strong sense of social responsibility and service to the users of the libraries she worked in. During her career, Helen had the opportunity to spend time at the National Library of New Zealand, to further her professional development. She greatly benefited from the experience and in her memory, Helen’s husband David Zwartz, has funded this scholarship, to give other librarians the same professional opportunities that Helen enjoyed.

Residency opportunity at National Library Tāmaki

The 2024 Helen Zwartz Scholarship would suit recipients interested in collaborative library services to support education, children and young people. We will be awarding the scholarship to two recipients.

The residency will be based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. You will have an opportunity to work at the Literacy and Learning branch of the National Library and to receive mentoring from the Tāmaki National Library staff.

The week-long programme will explore the breadth of work undertaken by the Literacy and Learning team at the National Library to support education, reading and the curriculum. This includes support for school libraries, the national lending service for schools and the specialist collection for ākonga, digital learning resources for schools and kura, the Any Questions Service, and He Tohi Tāmaki learning programmes.

Criteria and eligibility

To apply, you must be a staff member working in a New Zealand public library that serves one of the smaller communities. Helen Zwartz, whose hometown was Nelson, came from a small community.

This year, the award would suit a recipient interested in collaborative library services to support education, children and young people.

The residency lasts for one week in early November 2024.

You will need to be based in Auckland for the duration of the residency.

Terms and conditions

The award of $3,000 covers travel, accommodation, and other expenses related to the residency at the National Library. In return for being awarded the scholarship, the recipient is required to either:

• produce a report on their time at the National Library, or

• present at a meeting or conference on a relevant topic.

Once the recipient is announced, the Library will provide details about payment timing and who they will work with.

Awarding the scholarship

A panel will assess the applications for the Helen Zwartz scholarship. Recommendations from the panel will be referred to the National Librarian for approval. The National Library may delegate approval authority to a committee or individuals from the National Library. The National Librarian will sign off the final recommendation for the award.

The National Librarian considers the donor’s main goals when deciding who will receive the scholarship. These goals were to help librarians working in small communities who might not have access to this type of professional development.

Read blogs of past Helen Zwarts scholars

Apply for the Helen Zwartz scholarship

Applications for the Helen Zwartz scholarship have closed.

If you have any questions or need help email Anne Morgan at anne.morgan@dia.govt.nz