ArchivesSpace, our online collection management tool for our archival collections, just got bigger and better.
You can now search for archives that are held with Christchurch City Libraries, Christchurch City Council, and the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū all in one place. ArchivesSpace has been making Library archival material more searchable since it launched in 2020 but the bulk of Council and Art Gallery material was not accessible online. With this expansion information on their holdings is now much easier to find.
If you're new to using ArchivesSpace for research we’ve created a guide.
Christchurch City Libraries Archives
Want to learn more about what we hold? Christchurch City Libraries has a wide range of unpublished records and images of Christchurch businesses, organisations, and individuals.
Notable collections include the Margaret Mahy archive (CCL Archive 0429) where you can find diaries, manuscripts, and photographs that belonged to Margaret Mahy. You can find diaries from World War I and World War II that show the perspective of soldiers from Christchurch, such as Herbert Harold Stephens World War I diary (CCL Archive 0211). If you’d like to learn more about the collection you can come into Tūranga and have a chat or you can read more about our Archives.
Christchurch City Council Archives
The Christchurch City Council Archive collection dates back to the beginning of the Council in 1862 and is a rich source of information on the history and development of Christchurch.
Discover some of the earliest records (CCC/ARC/S110) which help tell the story of building the city or explore architectural plans from a range of notable Christchurch buildings such as the Municipal Council Chambers, New Regent Street shops, central city theatres and more (CCC/ARC/S68).
Learn more about the Christchurch City Council Archives.
Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū Archives
The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū archive collections are a treasure trove of material about Canterbury art and artists. Sketches, drawings, letters and diaries all help to tell the story of artists’ lives and how, where and with whom they worked.
Highlights include Bill Sutton’s palettes and early art (CAG Archive 125), Olivia Spencer Bower’s photo albums (CAG Archive 4) and the 90 rejected designs for the Gallery building itself. These all have stories to tell and answer some good questions: what sort of paint did he use? Where did she travel in Italy in the 1920? Why does the Gallery look the way it does?
Read more about the Gallery archives.
