Heritage et AL

Cataloguing and preservation tasks can lead librarians working in heritage collections to come across items which may not have been accessed for some time. These encounters provide an opportunity to explore the lives of historical figures, both locally and internationally, who are connected to the objects. Ref: AWNS-19381005-50-2, portrait of Signor Mussolini, dictator of Italy, 1938, Sir George Grey Special Collections A recent 'rediscovery', which sparked a conversation in the  Sir George Grey Special Collections  workroom, was a telegram sent in 1933 under instructions from the Italian leader, Mussolini. Ref: AWNS-19350925-41-2, king of Italy with Signor Mussolini during the Bolzano maneuvers, 1935, Sir George Grey Special Collections

For many years it was assumed that this well known series of maps covering the Auckland area was just confined to the Auckland isthmus and the Birkenhead Point to Devonport area of the North Shore. However, Auckland Libraries has now received and made available additional sheets that dramatically extend the reach of this map series to the North, West, East and South. The maps are accessible through a link on the  Auckland Libraries heritage collections website Kura   by entering the terms 'Auckland and environs' into the keyword search box. Ref: NZ Map 7934, Sheet 12, part  of Takapuna Parish, vicinity Lake Pupuke/part Hauraki Gulf, 1930, Sir George Grey Special Collections These maps were compiled in the late 1920s and early 1930s and give a dramatic picture of the development of Auckland’s outer suburbs at that time.   Author:  David Verran, Central Auckland Research Centre