Auckland Library

When the Auckland Free Public Library opened in 1880, the population of Auckland was 27000 people with a collection of approximately 7000 books.

Late 1800s: Auckland Free Public Library

In 1842, Auckland Mechanical College - an organization of local craftsmen and skilled workers - established library services for its members.

By the late 1870s, the research institute was facing financial difficulties. At its request, the Auckland City Council took over the library and opened the entrance to the Auckland Free Public Library on Chancery Street in 1880.

In 1887, Sir George Grey, Governor General of New Zealand, collected precious books, letters, photographs, mayflies, manuscripts, sketches, drawings, and maps in the library, now known as the Grey Collection.

Before Gray's collection began to move from his home on Kava Island, a beautiful new building was erected at the corner of Wellesley Street and Coburg (now Kitchener) Street to store generous donations. The estate of businessman Edward Costley helped provide funding.

Today, this building is completely occupied by the Auckland Art Gallery, but until 1971, it was still the location of the Auckland Public Library and the city's art collection.

The Auckland Free Public Library is' free 'as it is accessible to all citizens. It was not until 1889 that debt collection began, and from that day until January 1946, borrowers were required to pay annual subscription fees.

The Development of Libraries in the 20th Century

In 1918, the independent children's section of the Central Library was opened, and non fiction books were included in the Dewey decimal system. Opening branch offices:

Grafton (1913)

Parnell (1913)

Remura (1915)

Epson (1918)

Gray Lynn (1924)

Stitching Knights (1926)

Tamaki (now known as St Heliers) 1931

Evandale (1931).

In October 1944, the city council officially decided to cancel the subscription fees for residents and taxpayers in Auckland.

By 1953, the library had 313000 collections, distributed between the Central Library and suburban libraries. By the late 1960s, there were still town libraries and municipal libraries. The Auckland Public Library reached an agreement with Ellerslie Borough in October 1970 to provide mobile library services.

In 1967, a new Central Library building was constructed on a piece of land in the triangle area bordering Wellesley Street East, Rutland Street, and Lorne Street. However, due to delays, the completion of the first part was postponed until November 1971, when 350000 books and 70 employees were open

The Plessey barcode reader and automatic issuance system were launched in 1979.

In January 1985, Warehuia Hemara, the first Maori professional librarian, joined the team of the New Zealand and Pacific Department.

The emergence of Saturday shopping in the 1980s led to the opening of the Central Library and three community libraries on Saturday mornings - providing comprehensive borrowing services in 1987.

This Auckland Library Heritage Trust was established in 1991 as a charitable trust aimed at helping the then Auckland City Library protect, care for, and develop its heritage collections.

The establishment of Auckland Library

The Auckland Library is part of the Auckland City Council, which was merged in November 2010. This brings together the public library systems of seven former local councils and one regional council, making Auckland Library the largest public library system in Australia.

The Auckland Library now provides services through community libraries, from Wellsford in the north to Waiuku in the south.