How to use Auckland Libraries (and borrow Korean books)

Auckland Libraries is one of the best-value things you get as an Auckland resident: free membership, dozens of branches, a large catalogue including Korean-language books, and eBooks and audiobooks you can borrow from your phone. This is a plain, step-by-step guide for Korean families — how to join, search, reserve, and pick up, and where to find the Korean titles.

Join the library (free)

Membership is free for anyone who lives in or owns property in Auckland. You confirm this yourself when you sign up (you tick that you live or own property in Auckland) — there’s no utility bill or tenancy paperwork to bring. What you do need is photo ID: a driver licence, passport, Kiwi Access (18+) card, or RealMe verified identity.

There are two ways to start:

• Join online — the fastest option. You can register in a few minutes and immediately use eBooks, audiobooks, and online resources. To borrow physical books, visit any Auckland Council library with your photo ID to collect your library card.
• Join in person — bring your photo ID to any branch and a staff member will set you up on the spot.

Children can be enrolled too; a parent or caregiver signs them up.

Find a book: the catalogue and the app

Everything the libraries hold is searchable in one place — the online catalogue and the Auckland Libraries app (the same account works across both). Search by title, author, or subject, and each result shows which branches hold a copy and whether it’s on the shelf now.

The app is the easiest way to manage everything on your phone: search, place holds, see what’s ready to collect, and track your due dates in one screen.

Borrowing Korean books

Auckland Libraries holds a Korean-language collection. In the catalogue you can filter or search by language to see Korean titles specifically, and branches in areas with more Korean residents — the North Shore especially — tend to carry more Korean stock on the shelf.

Our Korean books shelf

Scattered across dozens of branches, the Korean collection can be hard to browse. So we’ve done the digging for you: our Korean books shelf gathers Korean-language titles that are held at Auckland Libraries into one place you can actually read through. Every book links straight to its borrow page in the catalogue, so once you’ve found something you like, you’re one click from placing a hold. You’ll find a live selection at the bottom of this guide.

A few ways it helps:

• Curated picks — hand-chosen titles worth reading, not a raw dump of everything.
• Trending in Korea — books that are popular in Korea right now and available to borrow here, so you can keep up from Auckland.
• Browse by genre — filter fiction, essays, self-development, children’s books, and more.
• Straight to the shelf — each title carries a direct link to borrow it at Auckland Libraries.

Looking for something to read in Korean? Start on our Korean books shelf — then use the reserve-and-pickup steps below to have it sent to your nearest branch.

Reserve and pick up (place a hold)

You don’t have to travel to whichever branch has the book — you request it and collect it where it suits you:

1. Find the title in the catalogue or app and choose Request (place a hold).
2. Pick the library branch you want to collect it from.
3. When it arrives, you get an email telling you it’s ready.
4. Go to that branch’s holds pick-up area and find your item on the numbered shelf shown in the email.
5. Collect it by the date in the email (usually about a week), then borrow it at the self-checkout or the desk.

This is the single most useful habit for Korean readers: a title that’s only on the shelf at a North Shore branch can be sent to your local library to collect.

Renew, limits, and returning

• Limits: most items are free to borrow and you can have a large number out at once (up to 35 at the time of writing — check the current limits on the official page).
• Renew: if no one else has requested the item, you can usually renew it in the app or online to keep it longer.
• Return: drop items at any Auckland Council library, not only the one you borrowed from — many branches also have an after-hours returns slot.

Loan periods and any charges can change, so confirm the current details on the official site rather than relying on a fixed number here.

eBooks and audiobooks

If you’d rather read on a screen, Auckland Libraries lends eBooks and audiobooks through the Libby / OverDrive app. Sign in with your library card, borrow with a tap, and read or listen on your phone or tablet — there’s nothing to physically return, and holds work the same way. The collection includes Korean-language titles.

Sources

This guide is based on the official Auckland Libraries pages: Join the library, Borrowing and requesting items, and the Libby / OverDrive collection. Membership rules, loan limits, and loan periods are set by Auckland Council and can change — always confirm the current details on the official site.

Browse our directory: find your nearest Korean services in Auckland and on the North Shore, and see our curated Korean books shelf. Run a Korean business we’ve missed? Submit a listing. It’s free.

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한국어: 오클랜드 도서관은 오클랜드 거주자가 누릴 수 있는 가장 가성비 좋은 혜택 중 하나입니다. 회원가입은 무료이며, 온라인으로 몇 분 만에 가입하면 전자책·오디오북을 바로 이용할 수 있고, 실물 책 대출은 신분증(사진 ID)을 가지고 지점을 방문해 카드를 받으면 됩니다. 원하는 책은 카탈로그나 앱에서 검색해 예약(hold)을 걸고, 픽업할 지점을 골라 두면 준비되었을 때 이메일로 알려줍니다 — 책은 해당 지점 예약 선반의 번호 자리에 놓입니다(보통 약 일주일 내 픽업). 한국어 책은 카탈로그에서 언어별로 검색할 수 있고, 한인이 많은 노스쇼어 지점에 더 많습니다. 대출 가능한 한국책은 우리 한국어 책 페이지에서 골라 바로 연결하세요. 전자책·오디오북은 Libby / OverDrive 앱에서 도서관 카드로 로그인해 빌릴 수 있습니다. 대출 한도·기간은 바뀔 수 있으니 최신 정보는 오클랜드 도서관 공식 사이트에서 확인하세요.