Carnegie Libraries in New Zealand

Between 1901 and 1914, Andrew Carnegie helped to establish eighteen public libraries in New Zealand. These Carnegie libraries continue to flourish today and, as Joanna Woods, President of the National Library Society of New Zealand notes, the libraries have, “through their example, seeded public libraries throughout the country. They are funded by local town and city councils and all without exception keep faith with Andrew Carnegie’s fundamental principle: that they should be free to the public. They play a rich part in community life.”  Through the 1950s, as part of its Commonwealth Program, Carnegie Corporation of New York continued to provide support to libraries, librarians and library services in New Zealand (as well as other libraries in the former British Commonwealth) by providing grants for efforts such as  purchasing books, training librarians and creating library collections aimed at advancing adult education.