Newcomers

Newcomers

Kia ora and welcome to Christchurch City Libraries. We have a good range of resources and services on offer for new residents. Christchurch City Libraries has a network of community libraries and a team of helpful librarians.

Join the library. It's free!

Kia ora and welcome to Christchurch City Libraries Ngā Kete Wānanga o Ōtautahi - join online now.

Join the library: information in community languages

Information on joining the library in community languages.

Code of Conduct: information in community languages

Read the library Code of Conduct in community languages.

Read (and listen) in your language

Read books, newspapers and magazines in languages from all over the world, and watch movies too.

We have online resources as well as titles to borrow and take home. For a full list of languages available see our World Languages Collections page.

World Languages Collection

Including Afrikaans, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Polish, Rarotongan and more...

eResources

Dragonsource - Chinese eMagazines

300种在线中文期刊, 支持简体和繁体, 提供原貌版, 文本版和语音版阅读!

Read in your language with OverDrive

OverDrive has eBooks in a range of languages including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog and Italian.

PressReader: Newspapers from around the world

Use your library to access online newspapers and magazines in 60 different languages including Chinese, French, German, Arabic and more.

LOTE4Kids

Storytime in your language! Kids can enjoy a digital collection of books in Languages Other Than English, including NZSL and te reo Māori.

Streaming Video, DVDs, and Music

Beamafilm

Beamafilm is a streaming platform that has a curated collection of international movies and documentaries, with a strong Australasian focus.

Enjoy world cinema with Kanopy

Watch films in 40 languages, including Spanish, German, French, Russian, Arabic and Japanese online with Kanopy.

Naxos Music Library World

Streaming over 10,000 world music albums, from legendary historical performances to contemporary world music.

Access Video - Simple English Series

Online video series of lessons in simple English. Topics covered include greetings, numbers, spelling, time, and language at work.

Events

Come along to events and activities at your library.

Events

Festivals, holidays, anniversaries, and special days

Annual festivals, holidays, anniversaries, and special days of the year in Christchurch.

Events: Find out what's on at the library

Storytimes, cultural celebrations, tech classes, book groups, exhibitions, author talks, hobbies and crafts, and more.

Wā Pēpi: Babytimes and Wā Kōrero: Storytimes

Wā Pēpi: Babytimes (for tamariki under 2) & Wā Kōrero: Storytimes (for over 2s) are on in libraries - find out where and when.

English Conversation Clubs & ESOL Book Discussion Groups

Join in group sessions to practise conversations in English, or read a short book for ESOL learners & talk about it at the library.

Services

Useful resources and information to help you get things done.

Services

Justices of the Peace (JPs)

Justices of the Peace are in regular attendance at some of our libraries. Find out where and when.

CINCH Community Information Christchurch

Visit CINCH, a one-stop online community directory with thousands of community organisations, clubs and continuing education providers.

Citizens Advice Bureau

Citizens Advice Bureau provides free and confidential advice to everyone. Talk to CAB for information, options and support.

Meeting rooms and bookable spaces in libraries

Looking for a meeting room or space for an event? Find out about rooms and bookable spaces in libraries.

Book clubs and reading groups

Want to talk about books and ideas? Join a book club or reading group!

Special interest book clubs and groups

Some book clubs and groups are tailored to a particular audience or subject. Check our events calendar for:

Book clubs in languages other than English

Learning English

Borrow English language courses, grammar titles, or books in simple English to help you learn or access online resources focused on improving your English skills.

Learning English eResources

Tense Buster

Improve your English with Tense Buster which helps learners with 33 key grammar areas at five levels.

Practical Writing

Practical Writing is for students who need to use written English both in their studies and in their personal life.

Active Reading

Improve your reading skills, Active Reading will help those learning English to read more efficiently and more confidently.

Clear Pronunciation 2 Speech

Learn to speak English clearly, after completing Clear Pronunciation 1 Sounds learn to put the sounds of English together for natural speech

Road to IELTS: General

Self-study preparation course to help you prepare for the globally recognised IELTS exam. Tests English proficiency at a general level.

Clear Pronunciation Sounds

Learn to speak English clearly, recognise and pronounce the 43 sounds of English through audio, video and interactive activities.

Mango Languages

Mango is an online language learning system that can help you learn the most popular languages in the world.

Road to IELTS: Academic

Self-study preparation course to help you prepare for the globally recognised IELTS exam. Tests English proficiency at an academic level.

In the catalogue: Learning English

English-Chinese Bilingual Family Literacy - School Starters

Chinese parents with school starters can use information and resources to build a bilingual literacy environment at home.

Learning to drive

The Road Code is the official guide for learning to drive in New Zealand. You can borrow a copy from the library, and most libraries have a copy available for reference. The Road Code is also available online for free.

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