Media release

7 November 2005

Celebrating 125 years of good books and great times

2005 marks the celebration of 125 years of library service to Auckland residents by Auckland City Council.

The city’s first public library was opened at the Mechanics Institute on the corner of Chancery Street and Courthouse Lane on 7 September 1880.

Two years later the Sir George Grey collection of 14,000 manuscripts and books was donated, providing the basis for the foremost public library service in New Zealand today.

Today, Auckland City Libraries has 17 branches, a mobile library service operating since 1950, 140,000 members, and millions of visitors each year, in person or via the internet.

The thousands of books sit side-by-side with newspapers, magazines, DVDs, CDs, audio books and CD Roms. The vast online service includes databases of heritage images, historical indexes and student resources.

The latest libraries research indicates that 99% of Aucklanders think that libraries are an important or very important Auckland City Service.

The group manager of Auckland City Libraries, Allison Dobbie, says: “We are very proud to be celebrating the 125 year history of library service at our 17 community libraries.  If Auckland’s first librarian, Edward Shillington, were alive today he would be amazed at how far the service has come in the past century-and-a-quarter.” 

"I’d like to say thank-you to the public for their ongoing support of the library service and we look forward to welcoming them for many years to come.“

Auckland City Libraries is celebrating 125 years of free library services with a celebration at each of its 17 libraries on Friday, 11 November.

Library members are invited to visit their local library to hear guest speakers talk about the colourful, often varied history of Auckland City Libraries.

Details are as follows:

When: Friday, 11 November 2005
Time: 10.30am to 11.30am
Where: Your local community library. Visit www.aucklandcitylibraries.com for more details about library locations.

Ends

Fact sheet:

Key milestones and events throughout the past 125 years include:

• 18 December 1879: Auckland City Council took over the Mechanic's Institute Library to form the new Auckland Free Public Library.
• 7 September 1880:  the Auckland Free Public Library opened 125 years ago. It was free to enter and use the library's resources on the premises.   Edward Shillington became the first librarian, and held that position until 1913.
• 1882: Sir George Grey fulfilled his promise to donate his personal library of 14,000 volumes to the citizens of Auckland.
• 26 March 1887: the Auckland Free Library moved to new premises at the Corner of Wellesley Street East and Kitchener Street, where the Auckland City Art Gallery is now situated.
• 29 March 1905: Leys Institute Library opened.
• 11 September 1912: the Carnegie Foundation financed Onehunga Library building opened.
• 13 December 1913: The first Parnell branch opened.
• 2 October 1915: The design award winning Remuera branch opened.
• 27 August 1918: The Epsom branch opened.
• 16 October 1918: the Children’s section at Central City Library opened.
• 13 December 1924: Grey Lynn followed.
• 20 November 1926: Pt Chevalier opened.
• 13 June 1931: St Heliers opened and two weeks later the first Avondale branch.
• 28 June 1934: Children were allowed free borrowing.
• 3 January 1946: Head librarian John Barr achieved the removal of subscription payments for residents and ratepayers in Auckland City to allow for free borrowing.
• 31 January 1950: Mobile library services began.
• 1953: The Central Library received the bequest of Frank Reed’s Reed-Dumas collection of more than 4000 items related to Alexandre Dumas.
• 17 March 1966: Glen Innes commenced service.
• 1971: Central City Library opened on its present site in Lorne Street, CBD. 
• 1975: Mt Albert opened.
• 1977: Mt Roskill opened.
• 1982: The second half of the Central City Library was completed on the site that the old Embassy theatre had occupied.
• 1989: Local body amalgamation in this year brought in already existing libraries at Onehunga (dating from 1848), Otahuhu (opened in 1878), Panmure (dating from the 1950's) and Waiheke.
• 1991: The Auckland Library Heritage Trust was formed to support the preservation of the collections.
• 24 February 1995: Blockhouse Bay opened.
• 14 February 1997: The Heritage Floor of the Central Library was officially opened.
• 2003: Auckland Libraries website was redesigned incorporating an extensive collection of online resources included the popular Heritage Images Online.
• May 2005: John Stacpoole donated his Irish Collection to Special Collections, Central Library.
• October 2005: There are over 140,000 library members across all Auckland City libraries.
• 2006: A new café at the Central City Library will open on the corner of Wellesley and Lorne Streets.

For more information about the Auckland City Libraries, please contact:
Allison Dobbie, group manager, Auckland City Libraries
ph (09) 307 7734

For media assistance, please contact:
Felicity McGuiness, Central Library Manager
ph (09) 307 7767