Children's and Teens' Services (0-18 yrs)

Waitakere Library and Information Services have a specialist Children's and Teen's Services Team - the Kidz Team. They can assist with advice on reading materials, provide homework help, and organise story times, holiday activities, special events, and preschool and school visits.

Click on the pictures below for the Preschoolers', Children's and Teens' pages


Littlies in the Library	Children's Services	Teens' services

Children's Services (0-12)

Library Lockdown is coming	Services to schools
School holiday storytimes	Homework help
Special story times and events	Any Questions service
Library Cards	Summer Reading Programme
Things for kids	Reading Advocacy Page
Contact Information

Library Lockdown is coming

3- 2- 1 Join us on a SPACE adventure at Library Lockdown

An evening of exciting activities and discovery at

Glen Eden Library on Saturday 21 August from 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm

This free event is suitable for 7 - 10 year olds.

Registrations open Monday 26 July.
Limited places! Registration essential!
To register or for more information phone (09) 836 8000 ext 7805 between 9am to 5pm.

Celebrate the NZ Post Children's Book Awards with Waitakere Libraries

Waitakere Library and Information Services are once again celebrating the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards with a variety of activities.

From 24 March each Waitakere Library branch will have a fun and exciting Scavenger Hunt to do in the library. The Scavenger Hunt is open for children up to the age of 13. There are some great prizes to be won so make sure you get hunting.

On Tuesday 11 May as part of our festival events, lucky students from Massey High School, St Dominic's College and Green Bay High School will enjoy an author visit from author Fleur Beale. Fleur Beale's book, End of the Alphabet , is a Young Adult Fiction Finalist in this year's awards. Fleur Beale has written over 30 books and has won a number of awards.

Once again Waitakere Library and Information Services are offering our Library Letterbox Lineup competition to Waitakere schools.

We want primary and intermediate aged children to create a letterbox for their school library based on one or more of the finalist books. The letterboxes can be as creative as possible but need to withstand a full day in WestCity mall followed by a prizegiving.

The competition is open to all schools and homeschool groups in the Waitakere region so if you would like to get involved check with your school librarian. Entries are only made through the school.

Letterbox registrations close on 31 March and letterbox entries must be received before 7 May.

Further information about the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards can be found on the website: www.nzpostbookawards.co.nz
For information about local Children's and Teens' Services contact us .

School Holiday story times

School Holiday storytimes Every school holidays Waitakere Library and Information Services are pleased to offer special themed story times in all our branches. Each story time is especially suitable for children aged 4-9 years, however all ages are welcome. The school holiday story times are interactive: featuring stories, songs and activities. Sometimes a costumed character may make an appearance.

Special Story times and events

Library Letterbox Lineup event at Waitakere Libraries Each year the Kidz Team host and attend special story times and events throughout Waitakere. These include special Halloween and Christmas story times; Te Raa Mokopuna Day in Massey; Storyfest; the Library Letterbox Lineup in the West City mall and many more.

Library Cards

Waitakere Library and Information Services have a number of library cards chosen especially for children and teens. These include dragons and dogs, as well as characters from stories such as Mr Muggs the library cat and Scott Pilgram. To find out how to join the library and choose your own library card click here.

Things for Kids

Waitakere Library and Information Services have a huge selection of items that can be borrowed from the library. These include:

A wide range of fiction and non-fiction titles
Graphic novels
Books in over 40 languages
Board books
"Easy readers" for beginner readers
Magazines
Puzzles
Study guides
Audio books (tape and cd)
Kitsets (book and tape/cd)
CD-Roms
PC, Xbox, Wii and PlayStation games ($5 for 7 days)
DVDs and videos ($2 for 7 days)
Music CDs ($1 for 7 days)

To begin browsing our collection simply visit your local library or explore our catalogue. You can also check out our featured material and latest arrivals.

Services to Schools

Upon request, the Children's and Teens' Services Librarians are available to provide a number of services to schools. These include library tours and class visits, library promotion and membership drives, book talks and story readings, topic-based school visits and library skills programmes and lessons.

For more information, please contact the Children's and Teens' Services Team on 09 839 2260.

Homework help

During term time after school, there is a Children's and Teens's Services Librarian present in each Waitakere Library branch to provide free homework help and advice on reading materials. They can also introduce and demonstrate Waitakere Library and Information Services eResources.

There is also a selection of suitable research websites recommended for children and young adults available at the Reference and Research page.

Any Questions Service

Any Questions Logo AnyQuestions.co.nz is a free online service which helps students find useful, accurate online information for their homework.

It is not a ‘quick answers service' - instead online librarians are trained to help students work out the sort of information they need, then begin searching with them.
Librarians from all over New Zealand are available each week day between 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm to help students search online. To use AnyQuestions.co.nz you have to be attending a New Zealand primary, intermediate, or secondary school or be home schooled.

AnyQuestions.co.nz also offers ManyAnswers.co.nz which contains the answers to many of the most popular questions asked on AnyQuestions.co.nz.

Summer Reading Programme

Every summer Waitakere Library and Information Services offer the Summer Reading Programme, a free incentive based reading programme. It encourages children to maintain and improve their reading habits over the summer holidays. It runs through December and January in all Waitakere Library branches and ends with a prize giving. Applications are open from late October to mid November. Children aged between five and 12 years of age are eligible to apply.

For more information about the Summer Reading Programme visit our Summer Reading Programme page.

Reading Advocacy

The Children's and Teens' Services Librarians have put together a wide selection of reading lists for all ages. These range from Books for Boys and Books for Girls to Excellent Reads for NCEA English. You can find them all on our Reading Advocacy page.

Contact information

If you would like to get in touch with your local Children's and Teens' Services Librarian please phone 09 839 2260 or email kidz@waitakere.govt.nz. .