Manuscripts and archives
Manuscripts and archives generally consist of unpublished primary resource material gathered by an individual or an organisation. Personal and family papers can include diaries, journals, letters, notebooks, typescripts and scrapbooks. Records of organisations can include minute books, correspondence, ledgers and subject files.
Manuscript and archives collections range in size from a single letter to hundreds of boxes. Photographs, printed material, video and sound recordings are sometimes found in them.
Access to the manuscripts and archives collections at Auckland City Libraries
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The New Zealand Manuscripts catalogue is now available online. Search.
Other manuscript collections (such as Sir George Grey's Manuscripts) are described briefly in the library catalogue.
Many finding aids (indexes, inventories, printed catalogues, databases) are available only in the Special Collections Reading Room.
You are welcome to send us questions regarding our collections via email.
Sketch of property at Okiato, Bay of Islands, c.1831.
Clendon, James Reddy. Papers. NZMS 849
New Zealand manuscripts
A collection of about 1.5 linear kilometres of manuscripts and archives relating to New Zealand and particularly the Auckland and Northland region, from the early nineteenth century to the present. Current collecting concentrates on the performing arts, social action and community groups, music, literary papers, women's organisations, Māori collections, and personal papers and diaries.
Manuscripts Online provides an access point for searching the New Zealand Manuscripts collection. Some manuscript descriptions are very brief. Others include detailed inventories.
Search Manuscripts Online.
Grey New Zealand manuscripts and Grey manuscripts
This collection consists of manuscripts either collected or produced by Sir George Grey relating mainly to his political career in New Zealand (1845 - 1890s), but also to his colonial career outside New Zealand and his interest in languages. Included in this collection are manuscripts by Captain James Cook and Sir Joseph Banks, materials about Madagascar and writings by the satirist Peter Pindar.
Indexes to the Grey Manuscripts are not yet available online.
Grey Māori manuscripts and letters
Consists of manuscripts and letters in the Māori language reflecting Grey's philological and cultural interests as well as his political alliances.
See also: The Grey Māori manuscripts collection
 
Select image to see enlargement and caption.
Grey letters
About 3000 letters written mostly to Sir George Grey, but occasionally to other correspondents. There are a few letters written by Grey.
Select image to see enlargement and caption.
Medieval and eastern manuscripts
A collection of forty-six Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts from the twelfth to the seventeenth century, and nineteen Eastern manuscripts from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century.
View the digitised Rossdhu Book of Hours
  
Select image to see enlargement and caption.
Reed Dumas collection
Manuscripts by Alexandre Dumas père, Charles Glinel, R. S. Garnett, and F. W. Reed. Auckland City Libraries' exhibition Celebrating Dumas: His life & legacy showcased this collection. More about the Dumas collection.
Other manuscripts
These include a miscellaneous small collection of non-New Zealand manuscripts, mostly from the nineteenth century.
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