Dunedin Public Libraries set to celebrate Love Your Library Week

Sarah Gallagher, Director Library Services says, “We hope this campaign will prompt more people to use our awesome libraries.

“Our libraries provide free membership, spaces, books, DVDs, CDs, wi-fi, access to technology, electronic resources, information and research help, programmes and events for all people of Dunedin to use and enjoy.

“We hope what we do makes life more enjoyable for everyone. In a survey last year, 90% of respondents said using our libraries increased feelings of happiness and wellbeing.”

Love Your Library Week has the theme “Read, Flourish, Connect, Learn" and follows a range of recent Dunedin Public Libraries initiatives.

These include a refresh of the Libraries app, which provides a gateway to books, audiobooks, eBooks, films, events and library-delivered public services.

Staff are also revamping He Purapura Marara Scattered Seeds Digital Archive, making it easier for people to contribute to and explore the stories, photographs, memories and historical treasures that capture the rich heritage of Ōtepoti Dunedin.

“Love Your Library Week” –  highlights:

Visions for Dunedin: Our Heritage, Our Future - The Rise and Fall of Seacliff

Speaker: Jonathan Howard (HNZPT Senior Project Advisor)

Seacliff Asylum, once the largest building in Aotearoa New Zealand, is no more. The Rise and the Fall of Seacliff sheds light on the functional evolution of the main building and how its design, siting, materials, and construction led inevitably to its almost complete destruction.

Wednesday 26 August, 5.30pm, Fourth Floor City Library, Koha welcome

An Evening with Donald S Murray

Donald S Murray is an award-winning novelist, poet, dramatist and non-fiction writer from the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. His debut novel, As the Women Lay Dreaming, won the Paul Torday Memorial Award in 2020. Donald is the holder of the 2026 Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies Writing Fellowship at the University of Otago. He will be in conversation with the University of Otago’s Professor of Scottish Studies, Liam McIlvanney, exploring his novels, creative process, and the stories behind his work.

Thursday 27 August, 5.30pm, Fourth Floor City Library, Free

Fast Hands, Sharp Minds: Speed Puzzling Live!

Watch NZ's fastest hands in action!

Adult Puzzling, Dunedin's national champion speed puzzling team (1st place NZ Nationals teams category), brings the competition puzzle back for a live demonstration, racing to beat their own record time.

Catch bonus pairs and solo speed runs from this podium-topping crew, chat with them, explore our Puzzle Swap or browse the Free Puzzle table, where everyone is welcome to take a puzzle home.

Saturday 29 August, 12pm, Ground Floor, City Library, Free.

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