Home-educators — how to borrow our books

A child reading a picture book.

All rights reserved

Home educators (families who homeschool their children) can borrow books and resources from our collections to help develop inquiry skills and to encourage their students to read.

Explore our free, online teaching and learning resources too

Our Topic Explorer tool and other teaching and learning resources can also help inspire student inquiry and develop a love of reading:

Teaching and learning resources

  • Who can borrow, what you can borrow

    You can borrow books and resources from us for your students if:

    • the only child you're homeschooling is 5 years old, or
    • you have a current Certificate of Exemption from Enrolment at a Registered School from the Ministry of Education for students 6–18 years old.

    Ministry of Education information about home education

    What you can borrow

    Home educators can order a loan from us 4 times a year to align with school terms. You can borrow up to 21 items per family each term.

    You can borrow:

    • fiction and non-fiction books
    • picture books, and graphic novels
    • Māori and Pasifika resources
    • DVDs and CDs.

    You may also borrow fiction and non-fiction audiobooks and eBooks from our Print Disabilities Collection if your student has difficulty using our print resources. The collection is available for borrowing through National Library's Print Disabilities Service.

    Audiobooks and eBooks for students with dyslexia or other print disability has more.

  • The lending process — how to register and borrow

    Register first

    Each calendar year you need to register with us before you can borrow our books and resources.

    Home educator registration form (docx, 111KB)

    Attach current copies of each student's:

    • certificate of exemption, or
    • birth certificate (5-year-old students only).

    How to borrow books

    To order a loan from the National Library:

    If you don't have access to a computer, contact Services to Schools:

    • North Island: 0800 356 000
    • South Island: 0800 928 000.

    Attach a certificate of exemption or birth certificate for any new student

    For new students you have started homeschooling since you registered with us, attach a copy of the certificate of exemption (or a birth certificate for a 5-year-old) to the loan request form.

  • How to complete the loan order form

    You can make 3 types of book requests:

    • inquiry — to help develop inquiry learning skills
    • reading engagement — to encourage reading for pleasure
    • specific titles — specific resources you may want to borrow from our Schools Lending Collection, or from National Library's Wellington, Overseas Non-fiction Collection or Wellington, New Zealand and Pacific Collection.

    1. Inquiry requests

    Inquiry resources are a mixture of high-quality non-fiction and fiction books designed to provide inspiration, and avenues for exploring, research, and reflecting.

    • You can select up to 4 learning area and strand options from the New Zealand Curriculum for your inquiry request.
    • Tell us what your inquiry focus will be for each option and then give the reading age and year level you need for the resources. If you are not using the New Zealand Curriculum, select the learning area and strand that best suits your topic from the following table.

    Our librarians will choose 2 books for each of your options, so you'll receive up to 8 books in the inquiry part of your loan.

    Curriculum learning area and strand Curriculum learning area and strand
    Cross-curricular — the Arts Cross-curricular — Health & PE
    The Arts — Dance Health & PE — Personal Health & Physical Development
    The Arts — Drama Health & PE — Movements Concepts & Motor Concepts
    The Arts — Music Health & PE — Relationships with Other People
    The Arts — Visual Arts Health & PE — Healthy Communities & Environments
    Cross-curricular — English Cross-curricular — Maths & Statistics
    English — Listening, Reading, Viewing Maths & Statistics — Number and Algebra
    English — Speaking, Writing, Presenting Maths & Statistics — Geometry and Measurement
    Cross-curricular — Science Maths & Statistics — Statistics
    Science — Living World Cross-curricular — Social Sciences
    Science — Planet Earth & Beyond Social Sciences — Identity Culture and Organisation
    Science — Physical World Social Sciences — Place and Environment
    Science — Material World Social Sciences — Continuity and Change
    Cross-curricular — Technology Social Sciences — Economic World
    Technology — Technological Practice
    Technology — Technological Knowledge
    Technology — Nature of Technology

    2. Reading engagement

    Reading engagement resources are a mixture of high-quality fiction and non-fiction items designed to support students in their reading for pleasure. We can tailor the books we send to meet a particular literacy focus (e.g. 'develop reading for pleasure').

    • You can select up to 4 reading engagement options.
    • For each option, tell us the reading age, format, genre, year level, and literary focus.

    Our librarians will choose 2 books for each of your options, so you'll receive up to 8 books in the reading engagement part of your loan.

    Formats you can request

    Format options Format options Format options
    General Fiction Poetry
    Early chapter books Picture books Young-adult fiction
    Non-fiction Short stories Sophisticated picture books
    Graphic novels Te reo

    Genres you can request

    Genre options Genre options Genre options Genre options
    General Science fiction Humour Horror
    Mystery Dystopia Biography Real life
    Adventure Historical Autobiography Fairy tales
    Romance Classics Myths and legends Fantasy

    3. Specific titles

    You can also select up to 5 books to include in your loan. The 2 collections you can borrow from are the Schools Lending Collection and National Library's Wellington General or Wellington New Zealand and Pacific Collections.

    Items from our Wellington collections have the following conditions:

    • The initial loan period is 5 weeks. You can renew your loan for 2 further periods of 4 weeks.
    • There's a replacement fee for lost books.
    • Return books to the National Library in Wellington.

  • Courier costs and returning books to us

    National Library pays the cost of sending books to you, but you pay the return cost.

    Please return all books by the due date (provided on a printout with your books) to the appropriate National Library centre. Return books by dropping them off in person or use a postal/courier service.

    Address to return Schools Lending Collection items

    • Auckland: 8 Stanley Street, Parnell, Auckland 1010
    • Christchurch: Unit 7/150 Cavendish Road, Christchurch 1380

    Address to return books from our Wellington collections

    Return books from National Library's Wellington, Overseas Non-fiction Collection or Wellington, New Zealand Pacific Collection to:

    • Collection Delivery, National Library of New Zealand, Dockway 1, Aitken Street, Wellington 6011

  • Contact us if you need help

    Phone or email us:

Who can borrow, what you can borrow

You can borrow books and resources from us for your students if:

  • the only child you're homeschooling is 5 years old, or
  • you have a current Certificate of Exemption from Enrolment at a Registered School from the Ministry of Education for students 6–18 years old.

Ministry of Education information about home education

What you can borrow

Home educators can order a loan from us 4 times a year to align with school terms. You can borrow up to 21 items per family each term.

You can borrow:

  • fiction and non-fiction books
  • picture books, and graphic novels
  • Māori and Pasifika resources
  • DVDs and CDs.

You may also borrow fiction and non-fiction audiobooks and eBooks from our Print Disabilities Collection if your student has difficulty using our print resources. The collection is available for borrowing through National Library's Print Disabilities Service.

Audiobooks and eBooks for students with dyslexia or other print disability has more.

The lending process — how to register and borrow

Register first

Each calendar year you need to register with us before you can borrow our books and resources.

Home educator registration form (docx, 111KB)

Attach current copies of each student's:

  • certificate of exemption, or
  • birth certificate (5-year-old students only).

How to borrow books

To order a loan from the National Library:

If you don't have access to a computer, contact Services to Schools:

  • North Island: 0800 356 000
  • South Island: 0800 928 000.

Attach a certificate of exemption or birth certificate for any new student

For new students you have started homeschooling since you registered with us, attach a copy of the certificate of exemption (or a birth certificate for a 5-year-old) to the loan request form.

How to complete the loan order form

You can make 3 types of book requests:

  • inquiry — to help develop inquiry learning skills
  • reading engagement — to encourage reading for pleasure
  • specific titles — specific resources you may want to borrow from our Schools Lending Collection, or from National Library's Wellington, Overseas Non-fiction Collection or Wellington, New Zealand and Pacific Collection.

1. Inquiry requests

Inquiry resources are a mixture of high-quality non-fiction and fiction books designed to provide inspiration, and avenues for exploring, research, and reflecting.

  • You can select up to 4 learning area and strand options from the New Zealand Curriculum for your inquiry request.
  • Tell us what your inquiry focus will be for each option and then give the reading age and year level you need for the resources. If you are not using the New Zealand Curriculum, select the learning area and strand that best suits your topic from the following table.

Our librarians will choose 2 books for each of your options, so you'll receive up to 8 books in the inquiry part of your loan.

Curriculum learning area and strand Curriculum learning area and strand
Cross-curricular — the Arts Cross-curricular — Health & PE
The Arts — Dance Health & PE — Personal Health & Physical Development
The Arts — Drama Health & PE — Movements Concepts & Motor Concepts
The Arts — Music Health & PE — Relationships with Other People
The Arts — Visual Arts Health & PE — Healthy Communities & Environments
Cross-curricular — English Cross-curricular — Maths & Statistics
English — Listening, Reading, Viewing Maths & Statistics — Number and Algebra
English — Speaking, Writing, Presenting Maths & Statistics — Geometry and Measurement
Cross-curricular — Science Maths & Statistics — Statistics
Science — Living World Cross-curricular — Social Sciences
Science — Planet Earth & Beyond Social Sciences — Identity Culture and Organisation
Science — Physical World Social Sciences — Place and Environment
Science — Material World Social Sciences — Continuity and Change
Cross-curricular — Technology Social Sciences — Economic World
Technology — Technological Practice
Technology — Technological Knowledge
Technology — Nature of Technology

2. Reading engagement

Reading engagement resources are a mixture of high-quality fiction and non-fiction items designed to support students in their reading for pleasure. We can tailor the books we send to meet a particular literacy focus (e.g. 'develop reading for pleasure').

  • You can select up to 4 reading engagement options.
  • For each option, tell us the reading age, format, genre, year level, and literary focus.

Our librarians will choose 2 books for each of your options, so you'll receive up to 8 books in the reading engagement part of your loan.

Formats you can request

Format options Format options Format options
General Fiction Poetry
Early chapter books Picture books Young-adult fiction
Non-fiction Short stories Sophisticated picture books
Graphic novels Te reo

Genres you can request

Genre options Genre options Genre options Genre options
General Science fiction Humour Horror
Mystery Dystopia Biography Real life
Adventure Historical Autobiography Fairy tales
Romance Classics Myths and legends Fantasy

3. Specific titles

You can also select up to 5 books to include in your loan. The 2 collections you can borrow from are the Schools Lending Collection and National Library's Wellington General or Wellington New Zealand and Pacific Collections.

Items from our Wellington collections have the following conditions:

  • The initial loan period is 5 weeks. You can renew your loan for 2 further periods of 4 weeks.
  • There's a replacement fee for lost books.
  • Return books to the National Library in Wellington.

Courier costs and returning books to us

National Library pays the cost of sending books to you, but you pay the return cost.

Please return all books by the due date (provided on a printout with your books) to the appropriate National Library centre. Return books by dropping them off in person or use a postal/courier service.

Address to return Schools Lending Collection items

  • Auckland: 8 Stanley Street, Parnell, Auckland 1010
  • Christchurch: Unit 7/150 Cavendish Road, Christchurch 1380

Address to return books from our Wellington collections

Return books from National Library's Wellington, Overseas Non-fiction Collection or Wellington, New Zealand Pacific Collection to:

  • Collection Delivery, National Library of New Zealand, Dockway 1, Aitken Street, Wellington 6011

Contact us if you need help

Phone or email us: