A Century of Library Life in Aotearoa

A Century of Library Life in Aotearoa: Te Rau Herenga

By Julia Millen

To celebrate 100 years of the New Zealand Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa, author and historian Julia Millen has traced the organisation from its inception in 1910 in Dunedin to its current status as a vibrant and professional voice in the new millennium.

In the decades after the formation of the then New Zealand Library Association (NZLA) it pioneered developments in the library profession including inter-library loan systems, nationwide library standardisation, Country and School library services and the introduction of perennial publications such as the New Zealand National Bibliography.

Soon after WW2 the NZLA was recognised as a major cultural force in New Zealand. During this period the NZLA set up New Zealand’s first ever training course for librarians including training in correct usage of the Dewey decimal system – leading one library school lecturer and poet, Denis Glover, to memorably exclaim “Phooey to Dewey!”

The NZLA also lobbied for a National Library of New Zealand, leading to the National Library Act of 1965. Former All Black, Geoffrey Alley, became New Zealand’s first National Librarian.

For more than a decade the National Library was spread out over 16 buildings in Wellington with varying degrees of dilapidation. Then, in 1979, placard-waving librarians started a petition demanding government action. The government responded by building the National Library on Molesworth Street, Wellington, which was opened in 1987.

In the early 1990s the Association suffered two financial crises: a failed building project and, more darkly, the embezzlement of funds. The Association was threatened with extinction so librarians turned to sleuthing to unmask the thief. LIANZA survived and in 1995 forged a ground- breaking partnership with Te Roopu Whakahau, the Maori Library and Information Workers Association, promoting bicultural resources and information.

Since the 1970s LIANZA has grown from strength to strength and celebrated Mary Ronnie as the first female National Librarian in 1976. While promoting new digital resources and building expertise in the multimedia and new information world, LIANZA continues to provide relevant and responsive library services and looks forward to another 100 years.

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