If it’s been a few years since you’ve explored an Auckland Council Library, then you might be surprised by what you discover. The array of services and facilities in Tāmaki Makaurau’s 56 libraries stretches beyond the bookshelves, with various workshops, services, clubs and events available for the community.
The way we borrow books and the types of books we borrow have also changed and expanded, with ever increasing checkouts of eAudiobooks and eBooks, as well as the popular Bestie titles.
If you want to start a new chapter in library experience, here are six ways to start making the most of your local library.
1. Pick up a pen or meet your favourites
The We Read Auckland festival runs from 1-31 August, and it’s the perfect time to rediscover your local library. There’s a reason the festival, which celebrates Auckland’s readers and writers, has a 95 per cent approval rating from attendees. The programme is packed with free writing workshops and talks with popular fiction and non-fiction authors from across Tāmaki Makaurau. These talks include a chance to hear See How They Fall author Rachel Paris in a session chaired by Megan Nicol Reed at Glen Eden Library on 21 August, and a talk with personal finance author Mary Holm about her book Rich Enough?.
There are also ways for aspiring writers of all ages to put pen to paper, including a romance writing workshop with USA Today best-selling romance author Steff Green on 17 August at Avondale Library, and Pages & Possibilities, a creative writing workshop for teens by Anne Kayes, author of Tūī Street Tales.
More information on the full line up of events for We Read Auckland is available on the Auckland Libraries website.
2. Learn something new or hone your skills
Auckland Council Libraries are packed with books and e-books to help you learn new skills, but if you’d prefer to learn in person there are also many classes available. From sewing upcycling workshops at East Coast Bays Library to harakeke and korowai weaving at Tōia Library: Te Pātaka Kōrero o Ōtāhuhu (Ōtāhuhu Library), there are so many new skills to learn in libraries. You can also hone your crafty talents alongside friends in the Crochet Group at St Heliers Library or Glen Eden Library’s Crafternoon Sessions.
If you’d like to upskill your digital literacy, why not attend a digital workshop or a digital drop-in session where librarians can answer your tech queries? Look out for speciality technology classes such as Mandarin computer classes at Manukau Library, Canva workshops and STEM clubs for kids like the one at Albany Village library.
3. Connect with your culture or experience a new one
Tāmaki Makaurau is New Zealand’s most ethnically diverse city, and Auckland Council Libraries celebrate this with many cultural collections, activities and clubs. Explore the language collections covering books and resources in languages from Afrikaans to Urdu – some libraries have dedicated sections for languages which are prevalent in their communities.
There are also ways to meet other people who speak the same language as you, such as Korean Bookchat at Glenfield Library or the English-Mandarin Conversation Group at Avondale Library. The extensive range of Māori programmes is designed to build whanaungatanga (relationships) and whakatipu i te reo Māori (promote the Māori language). Littlies aren’t forgotten with Farsi storytime at Mt Roskill Library and French bilingual storytime at Albany Village Library.
4. Exercise your body or your mind
Did you know there are several exercise classes that take place in Auckland Council Libraries? On Monday mornings at Mt Albert library, tai chi enthusiasts quietly exercise among the shelves, and the Chinese martial art is also offered at several other libraries including Epsom and Birkenhead.
Libraries including Mt Albert and Howick Library also offer Steady As You Go, an exercise class designed for seniors and run by Age Concern NZ. If you’d like to get active outdoors why not try gardening – Mt Roskill Library has a seed library which allows the community to ‘borrow’ seeds to grow their own kai, and gardeners can bring back seeds after the harvest or once the plant has gone to flower.
BrainCharge is a popular weekly workshop designed for exercising your brain, and is offered at several libraries including Whangaparāoa Library.
5. Challenge your friends or check your mates
Roll the dice, take your turn or draw a card – board game borrowing has arrived at Auckland Council Libraries.
Ten libraries across the region have a collection of board games, such as Catan, Exploding Kittens and Root, which can be borrowed to play off-site. Customers can place a hold to collect their game from any chosen library.
Game lovers can also enjoy playful clubs such as the Chess Club at Onehunga Library and Avondale Library, or the Minecraft Club at Whangaparāoa Library.
6. Borrow your Bestie or load up your e-reader
Auckland Council Libraries’ Bestie collection has proven so popular that it’s being expanded, just in time for We Read Auckland. Books in the Bestie collection include popular titles by local and international authors that can be borrowed for two weeks, without holds or reserves, allowing you to skip the queue.
During the We Read festival last year, three books by Auckland authors made the Top 10 list of most-borrowed titles of 2024, including the most-borrowed title of 2024, The Girl From London by Olivia Spooner. Will another talent from Tāmaki Makaurau take the top spot again this year?
Besties are also available on the Libby app, so you can read your favourites on digital devices. Beyond Besties, there are also many instant-access e-books and audiobooks available on the digital borrowing service OverDrive’s guaranteed available list.
