Auckland City Council archives
Introduction
| Search the archives
| Family history
| About the archival system
| 1908 City of Auckland map |
War-related material | Visit our research room
| Other useful resources
Visit our research room
The research room is open to all members of the public who
wish to view archives.
Our friendly and knowledgeable staff are on hand to
advise on:
- the nature of the information they can expect to find
- the records
- research strategies to use to locate likely sources of information
- navigating the archives database.
We provide this service free of
charge.
Location
We are located in the basement of
the Auckland City Library, 42-46 Lorne Street, Auckland City.
Use the
entrance to the Academy Cinema and take the stairs two floors down. Ring the
bell on the door.
We advise people with restricted mobility to contact
us before their visit. We can make arrangements for alternative access through the main library and use the video intercom at the
entrance.
Opening hours
The research room is open to the public from 2pm to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
No material will be issued after 4.50pm to allow staff time to put away material before closing.
Access
The Public Records Act 2005 ensures public access to local
authority records that are older than 25 years.
Very few of the records we hold have access restrictions and you will need to
apply for permission to view such records.
Examples of restricted records
include:
- personnel files that are covered by the Privacy Act 1993, and
- the
confidential minutes of council that contain personal information on
identifiable individuals or commercially sensitive information.
The reference
archivist will advise you on the appropriate means of seeking and
obtaining permission.
Restrictions also apply to records that are too fragile.
In such instances, either the original will be prepared so that you
can view the item without handling it, or a copy of the original will be made
available.
Ordering
To order archives you must provide the correct
archives references. If you wish to order a record you must quote the archival
reference in full:
- agency code
- series/accession number
- box/item number
- record number
- part number, and
- the records description.
The reference archivist will
advise you on how to do this.
You can have a maximum of five items in the Research Room. You may order more
once you return items to the archivist.
Please be aware that not all archives are held on-site and
access to archives held off-site takes 24 hours.
Before you visit
Gather as much information as you can before you visit.
Specific names, dates and places can narrow down the search.
Most of the valuation and rating records do not have
indexes of individuals but are arranged geographically street by street.
If you are researching an area of the city, published local
histories and suburban newspapers can provide valuable information on the
development of the area and on places and people of interest. Long time
residents can also provide anecdotal evidence of people and events that may not
be recorded elsewhere, or can give a different perspective.
If you are researching a building or property you will need
the street address. Possession of the Certificate of Title (available from Land
Information New Zealand) can assist in identifying a property as street numbers
have often changed over time and, in the early history of the city, properties
did not have them.
Visitor rules
The Auckland City Council archives comprise the archives of the
Auckland City Council and its predecessor agencies.
Archival holdings are by their
nature unique. In order to assist you while also preserving the
holdings for future researchers, please follow the rules listed below:
- All researchers must complete an
enquiry/registration form.
- Bags must be put into the lockers provided.
- All material must be handled with care.
Archives are not to be marked or folded, nor is their order to be disturbed.
- Gloves must be worn when using photographs, maps
and plans
- Book cushions/supports are available and must be
used to prevent damage to spines of volumes.
- No food or beverages are allowed in the reading
room, and smoking is prohibited. Please ensure your hands are clean before using
documents.
- Only use pencils in the reading room
for making written notes. Do not rest notepads on any documents.
- You can use a laptop computer in the reading room.
- Only staff may copy or photograph documents - please refer to the
Imaging Services section for policy and charges
relating to copying.
- As the archives are composed of records made or
received by Auckland City Council or its predecessor agencies, ownership and copyright
rest with the council. Normal rules of 'fair use' apply but publication or
reproduction of an item or substantive part thereof requires prior approval.
- Researchers who use the archives as a substantive
source for books, articles, theses, are requested to deposit a copy of the
completed research with archives.
- You may not remove any material from the reading room.
Imaging services
We offer a reproduction service to those
requiring copies of archival records. This consists of photocopying, scanning
and photography. The following conditions apply:
Scanning and photocopying
We reserve the right not to photocopy or scan
material where reasons of fragility and/or format might result in physical harm
to the record.
The following records will not be photocopied or scanned:
- any nineteenth century record
- any volume which has damaged or fragile spine
and bindings
- any volume to which damage will occur to the
spine or binding as a consequence of photocopying or scanning
- any aerial photographs
- any plans to which damage may occur as a
consequence of photocopying or scanning, ie. larger than A3.
Photography
We reserve the right not to photograph material
where reasons of fragility and/or format might result in physical harm to the
record. All photography is to be completed in-house and use of personal cameras
is not permitted.
- Any brittle or rolled documents may require
restoration work, before photography is permitted.
- Only documents that are flat can be
photographed.
- To ensure clarity of the copy, items no larger
than A1 can be photographed.
- To ensure the details are preserved, some
sharpening and levels balance work may be required.
- Images will be sized appropriately (or to your
request).
- Please specify whether you would prefer Tiff
or Jpeg format.
- High resolution images will be at a print
resolution of 300 ppi.
- Low resolution images will be at a screen
resolution of 72 ppi.
Regardless of photocopying, photographing or scanning,
copyright remains with Auckland City Council. Normal rules of "fair use" apply but
publication or reproduction of an item or substantive part thereof requires
prior approval and Auckland City Council must be acknowledged as the source of the
original record.
Every endeavour is made to fulfil reproduction orders
promptly. However, due to limited staff resources and other commitments, there
may be delays for large orders.
The Reference Archivist will
advise when reproduction orders will be available.
Packing and handling charges
- for orders to be sent - $6.00.
Photocopying charges
- Black and white A4 - $0.50/page
- Clack and white A3 - $1.00/page
- Colour A4 - $1.00/page
- Colour A3 - $2.00/page
Scanning, printing, CD write and email
$3.00 per item. Allow up to 3 days turnaround for 20 items or more
Digital photography charges
72 hour turnaround. File format either Jpeg/Tiff. All items can be emailed or put onto CD (included in price).
- high resolution digital image on CD - $40.00
- screen resolution digital image on CD - $15.00
All charges are inclusive of GST. Cash and cheque accepted only.
Purchasing 1908 map images
In addition to the imaging services described above, images
of the 1908 City of Auckland Map are also available for purchase. The 1908 map
is a significant and unique record of Auckland City’s history and early
infrastructure and, as such, is one of Auckland City Council archives' most
treasured and valuable assets.
Full sets or individual images of the map sheets can be purchased directly
from Auckland City Council archives. Please click
here for further information.
Updated September 2009
