Whare pukapuka tūmatanui

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Public libraries

Today’s libraries go far beyond books. They’re community hubs, connections to the digital world and places that contribute to the wellbeing and social cohesion of our communities.

They foster networks, provide spaces for people to gather and share, and act as a vehicle for local and central government to deliver key services specific to community needs and wants.

With this in mind, we’re advocating for central government to better resource local government to provide services through libraries to their communities. We’re also advocating for councils to consider how they can better enable and resource public libraries to evolve their services.

Our work to date

The timeline below summarises activity to date.

January 2023

We released our report with FrankAdvice that unpacked the findings of our survey of 39 public libraries in New Zealand and provided insights into how libraries are evolving their services to enhance community wellbeing in Aotearoa and around the world.

Read the full report: Libraries as a vehicle for service delivery

Read a summary of the final report

September 2022

In 2022 we began working with FrankAdvice and councils to better understand the role of libraries and how they might provide a model for a more joined-up approach to service delivery that enhances community wellbeing.

Through the NZ Libraries Partnership Programme, funded through the Department of Internal Affairs, we also appointed a dedicated Libraries Advisor to engage with others and promote the value of councils investing in libraries, and the benefits they provide for communities’ wellbeing.