Over five million dollars in grants to the library sector will support sustainable COVID recovery, Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti announced this week.

The New Zealand Libraries Partnership Programme (NZLPP) funding package was announced in May 2020 to retain and support librarians and library services to further help community recovery from COVID-19. National Library Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa is leading and supporting this work across New Zealand’s library system, with a funding package of $58.8 million.

“These grants will ensure that the impact of the core programme will extend well beyond the immediate recovery period of two to four years. The grants are a wonderful example of how the library sector can support community resilience,” Minister Tinetti said.

As part of the funding, the National Library invited nine organisations to submit proposals that would benefit New Zealand’s wider library sector in the long term. The Minister this week announced 11 Strategic Partnership Grants totalling $5.024m.

The funded projects range from mātauranga Māori training and coaching, to a misinformation education campaign aimed at school children. From co-ordinating national data collection, to upskilling the library sector.

The organisations invited to take part were: Library and Information Association New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA); Te Rōpū Whakahau; Public Libraries of New Zealand (PLNZ); School Library Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (SLANZA); Council of New Zealand University Librarians (CONZUL); Auckland Libraries, Te Puna Foundation, Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ); and Taituarā.

Successful grants involve seven collaborations, including five with other partners. Collaborators are across public libraries, school libraries, tertiary libraries and local government. Project partners include: Te Takarangi, New Zealand Book Awards Trust, Tohatoha, National Library’s Services to Schools, and the University of Canterbury.

The proposals were reviewed by members of the Library and Information Advisory Commission (LIAC) and decisions were informed by their recommendations.

“The future for the wellbeing of our people and our communities lies in collaborations like these – between families and communities, with cultural institutions, across government agencies, with private sector and with other governments,” Minister Tinetti said.

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