Auckland Libraries: Researching historic events

Local history research guide

Researching historic events

Are you looking for information about a historic event? Here are some sources to help you out.

Search the library catalogue

If you are researching a historic event, there is likely to be a variety of resources available in the library catalogue.

Auckland Libraries also provides access to a range of online databases. You can search for resources in these databases using our article search.

When using article search, you may see a ‘Research Starter’ for some historic events. This provides a short overview of the event and other resources to look up.

Browse online resources

When researching an event, try these online databases:

The Treaty of Waitangi Collection

Academic content on the Treaty including previously out-of-print works

Index Auckland: local history, arts and music

Local history references from Auckland newspapers and journals. These records are now under the Auckland People and Events collection in Kura Heritage Collections Online.

World history in context

Information on events, periods and cultural trends and other research topics

Ephemera Index

Cards, posters, tickets, programmes, brochures and flyers from all over Auckland from the 1840s to present.

Heritage Images

A rich and diverse database of historical images and maps.

Newspaper and magazine archives

To access digital archives, go to Family and local history online resources. Under 'All resources', select 'Newspapers'.

While some newspapers and magazines are digitised and can be found on Papers Past, those that aren't digitised can be viewed on microfilm at our research centres.

These include copies of the New Zealand Herald, Auckland Star, New Zealand Truth, Auckland Weekly News, and New Zealand Women's Weekly. Ask your local research librarian for assistance if you're unfamiliar with using microfilm.

Ask an expert

As your research progresses, you may need to:

contact a research librarian to ask a question
come and see one of our specialist research librarians at Research Central, Research South, Research North, Research West or Heritage Collections.

Each research centre has a unique collection and areas of speciality. They hold historical NZ Government publications, manuscripts, maps, ephemera and oral history resources.

Find out more about our research services.

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