New Zealand National Documentary Heritage Collections Alexander Turnbull Library

History and Founding

The Alexander Turnbull Library (ATL) takes its name from Alexander Horsburgh Turnbull (1868–1918), a Wellington merchant and bibliophile who spent decades assembling what became the largest private library in New Zealand. In a codicil to his will signed shortly before his death on 28 June 1918, Turnbull bequeathed his collection — comprising approximately 55,000 volumes of books, pamphlets, periodicals, newspapers, maps, paintings, drawings, prints, and manuscripts — to the King, to form a national reference library in Wellington. His gift was described by the New Zealand Times as the most generous bequest to the people of New Zealand ever made. The library opened its doors to the public on 28 June 1920, exactly two years after Turnbull's death.

Since 1965, the ATL has formed part of the National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa), which itself became part of the Department of Internal Affairs in 2011. The library's collections are housed in the National Library building on the corner of Molesworth and Aitken Streets in Thorndon, Wellington, constructed in 1987.

Collections and Holdings

The ATL holds New Zealand's national documentary heritage collections, comprising millions of items built up through Turnbull's original bequest, legal deposit, donation, bequest, and targeted purchase. Core collection areas include:

• New Zealand and Pacific history, culture, and literature — the original focus of Turnbull's collecting
• Māori language materials, oral histories, and taonga
• English literature, with one of the world's major Milton collections
• Early printed books and illuminated manuscripts
• Maps, photographs, paintings, and drawings
• Records of New Zealand women's organisations, trade unions, political parties, and arts bodies
• The Archive of New Zealand Music (established 1974)
• Oral history recordings

Several ATL collections have been inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World register, including the Katherine Mansfield literary papers, the World War I official photographs archive, and the Overture Aotearoa manuscript score.

Journalism and Media Materials

The ATL holds extensive newspaper and periodical holdings acquired through legal deposit, including historical New Zealand newspapers accessible through the Papers Past digitisation programme. The Ian F. Grant Cartoon Research Collection and related press illustration holdings support research into New Zealand's media history. The library also holds records of broadcasting and journalism organisations.

Access and Usage

The reading room is open to all. Researchers may request materials through the library's online catalogue and the Papers Past digital archive. Trained research staff are available to assist. Address: Level 2, National Library of New Zealand, Corner of Molesworth and Aitken Streets, Thorndon, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.