All Digital Resources

The 1921 Census of England & Wales is a population census taken in June 1921 and paints a picture of the population nearly 100 years ago. It holds information on every household, vessel, institution and overseas residencies that were part of England and Wales in 1921 plus the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

Available only in the Palmerston North City Libraries.

The link will only work if you use a library computer.

Ancestry Library Edition is a genealogy database that covers billions of records from census data to passenger lists, and photos to family trees.

This link will only work if you use a library computer or a device connected through the library wi-fi.

This database features a variety of magazines, journals, news and multimedia sources covering important issues and current events related to Australia and New Zealand.

Australia/NZ Reference Centre Plus from EBSCO is an extensive database collection of full text from leading regional and international magazines and newspapers.  Additional resources include reference books, biographies, newspapers and newswires, and more that 2 million images, photos, maps and flags. Titles include The Post and the Manawatu Standard.

The Australian and New Zealand Art Sales Digest is a database of over 420,000 works of art by more than 12,100 artists who are listed as having either lived or worked in Australia or New Zealand, over the last 30 years. View current and historical auction prices and details of forthcoming auctions. Search directories for galleries, auction houses and art consultants. Keep up with the latest news and opinion from the art world. This database is an indispensable tool for valuers, art consultants, auctioneers and collectors.

Please note that Lot Alerts are only available for individual subscribers not Library Users.

Beamafilm's  collection of award winning movies and festival favourites will inspire and entertain you.

Simply enter your Palmerston North City Library card number, and create an account by entering your name, email and a password.

There is an option to activate viewing restrictions to filter search results to G, PG or E rated titles or Kid's Films on a Beamafilm account.  Or limit to kid-friendly content by activating the Beamakids+ portal.

Stream from your TV, computer or device.
 

You need a Beamafilm account to access Beamakids+ and a parent or caregiver must create the account.  

Once you have signed into your Beamafilm account, click on the Enter kids+ button on the top right.   

You can set a unique password to ensure children stay within Beamakids+ through the Parental Control tab in your profile settings.  You also have the option to exclude PG-rated content if you prefer. 

Stream from your TV, computer or device. 

Beanstack is a digital platform that monitors and encourages reading. It rewards reading with virtual badges and achievements. Features include...

• Log reading books and minutes
• Monitor streaks of reading (consecutive days)
• Write book reviews
• Receive book recommendations of books in our catalogue
• Engage in challenges and activities

The whole family can share the same account, with each reader having their own profile.

Biography In Context offers authoritative reference content alongside magazine and journal articles, primary sources, videos, audio podcasts, and images. Covering a vast array of people from historically significant figures to present-day newsmakers, it’s continuously updated to ensure students have access to the latest information.

The BorrowBox collection includes a wide range of fiction and non-fiction eBooks and eAudiobooks for adults, young adults and children.

Log in with your library card, browse titles, checkout items and download to your device using the Borrowbox app. Listen to exclusive e-Audio content on the go!

Discover encyclopedia articles, journals and periodicals, multimedia, primary sources, atlas, dictionary and other resources that support research at all levels.

Offering online access to over 80 million pages of British and Irish newspapers dating from the 1700s to the early 2000s. The British Newspaper Archive is a fantastic resource for everyone interested in history and for family historians. Newspapers from the British Library’s vast collection are scanned daily, making it one of the largest online collections of newspapers anywhere in the world.

You need to create an account to access this resource.

Available only in the Palmerston North City Libraries.
 

The link will only work if you use a library computer.

Archives Central is a fully-searchable catalogue of Council Archives, including a growing collection of digitised archives, sourced from participating New Zealand local authorities.
The purpose of Archives Central is to make Council archives more accessible for the community and easier to use.
Click on the logos above to view your chosen council’s homepage and search their listings; or use the search box at the top right of this page to search over the whole site.

Learn all 43 sounds of English with Clear Pronunciation by Clarity English. Take a look at the sounds by themselves, in words, and in sentences — listen, practise, compare, and improve. Through audio and video clips, and activities, you will listen to speakers with a variety of accents.

Browse the Club Sandwich website for clubs that suit your taste, then contact a club through the site, or by using the contact details provided on a club’s profile. Clubs can register a club profile, manage and update their details on Club Sandwich for free.

Comics Plus Children's Library gives you unlimited access to comics, graphic novels, picture books and manga from a variety of popular publishers. All titles are available instantly with no holds, waitlists, or monthly borrowing limits.  From May 30 2025, Boom! titles will no longer be available. 

Comics Plus Children's Library includes content suitable for children up to 12 years.  

All Library card holders can access this collection. 

Comics Plus is easy to access, all you need is your Library Card number and pin. 

Download the Comics Plus app from your app store.  Click on Get Started and search for Palmerston North City Library NZ – Children’s Library. 

Enter your Library Card number and pin.

Comics Plus Teen Library gives you unlimited access to thousands of comics, graphic novels, picture books and manga from a variety of popular publishers.  All titles are available instantly with no holds, waitlists, or monthly borrowing limits.  From May 30 2025, Boom! titles will no longer be available. 

Comics Plus Teen Library gives you access to the Children’s Library, including content suitable for ages between 13 - 17 years.  

Young adult and adult card holders can access this collection. 

Comics Plus is easy to access, all you need is your Library Card number and pin. 

Download the Comics Plus app from your app store.  Click on Get Started and search for Palmerston North City Library NZ – Teen Library.  

Enter your Library Card number and pin.

Comics Plus Full Collection gives you unlimited access to thousands of comics, graphic novels, picture books and manga from a variety of popular publishers.  All titles are available instantly with no holds, waitlists, or monthly borrowing limits.  From May 30 2025, Boom! titles will no longer be available.    

Comics Plus Full Collection gives you access to the entire Comics Plus Collection, including mature content for ages 18 +.  

Access to this collection, will depend on your library card and age. For our adult library card holders only. 

Comics Plus is easy to access, all you need is your Library Card number and pin. 

Download the Comics Plus app from your app store.  Click on Get Started and search for Palmerston North City Library NZ – Full Collection Library. 

Enter your Library Card number and pin.

This database lists the Community Archives and Research Files that are held in the Ian Matheson City Archives. The Community Archives are records of local organisations, businesses, individuals and their families, and are generally primary documents. Research files are local history topic folders and mainly contain secondary sources of information.

This database includes more than 600 journals and periodicals, providing information on computer-related product introductions, news and reviews in areas such as hardware, software, electronics, engineering, communications, and the application of technology.

Enjoy unlimited access to thousands of online art and craft classes taught by renowned artists and creative experts. Since classes never expire, you can start and stop projects at your own pace. Download patterns, templates and recipes. New classes are added daily.

Create an account the first time you use Creativebug, by entering an email and password.

With the Creativebug app you can download your favourite class and take it on the go!

Find a variety of information from major cooking and nutrition magazines as well as key reference titles.

An easy to use general information resource aimed at primary school students which covers a wide range of topics such as animals, arts, geography, technology and more.  

Environmental Studies and Policy provides access to journals, magazines, and other reference sources covering environmental issues and policies. The database includes diverse perspectives from the scientific community, policymakers, and corporate interests.

A learn to code software program designed for ages 8 -18. Through fun and engaging tutorials and projects, Fiero Code teaches kids coding languages, such as HTML, Python and JavaScript that they can use to build their own websites, video games, apps and more. As they progress through the activities they’ll unlock gear that they can use to customize their own avatar.

Sign up, and create an account the first time you use Fiero Code.

Find My Past World Edition is a searchable online archive of over 13 billion records. Everything from parish and school records to censuses, and from migration records to military collections from across the globe.

Available only in the Palmerston North City Libraries.

The link will only work if you use a library computer.

Search millions of articles about drama, music, art history, and filmmaking. A diverse resource for fine arts students.

Books & Authors has expert book reviews, recommendations, author biographies and more. Let them help you find your next great read.

Coverage includes all aspects of starting and operating a business, including accounting, finance, human resources, management, marketing, tax, and more. Resources include; sample business plans, how to guides, articles, and websites.

This database helps patrons interested in planning and optimizing their businesses or nonprofits. Utilize development tools and a step-by-step process to build a business plan.

Create an account to access this resource.

This database allows users to easily view content of interest on the most popular and most-searched topics within several distinct categories, including news, current events, health, and computers and technology.

Gale Health and Wellness puts up-to-date information on health and wellness topics at your fingertips. Inside you’ll have access to thousands of full text medical journals, magazines, reference works, multimedia, and much more. Search for a full range of health related issues, from current disease and disorder information to in-depth coverage of alternative medical practices. Topics of Interest include COVID-19.

Gale Literary Index is a master index to the major literature products published by Gale. It combines and cross-references author names, including pseudonyms and variant names, and listings for titles of works into one source.

This database offers gardening hobbyists, biotechnologists, farmers and landscape architects access to millions of articles on the practical and scientific aspects of horticulture studies.

To assist with finding funding for school or tertiary study, arts, travel, cultural and sporting activities, personal or professional development.

You need to create a givMe account to use this database. Enter your name, email, a password and your Palmerston North City Library card number.
 

Login to your existing givMe account, with your email and password.

The Library does not subscribe to the givUS database.  If you are looking for funding for groups, community-led projects, activities or services,  please check the Palmerston North City Council website to view their full range of funds on the Council's community funding pages. 

Global Issues offers international viewpoints on a broad spectrum of global issues, topics, and current events. Featured are hundreds of continuously updated issue and country portals that bring together a variety of specially selected, relevant sources for analysis of these issues. Rich multimedia - including podcasts, video, and interactive graphs - enhance each portal.

Unlimited access to the world’s best car, motorcycle, marine and tractor repair manuals. Haynes Manuals AllAccess has over 980 online manuals covering detailed step by step information on repair and service tasks. Every manual includes colour pictures, video tutorials, wiring diagrams and fault finding tools.

This collection has more than 200 home improvement-focused titles for both hobbyists and professional carpenters . Many subject areas are covered.

Hoopla is a digital streaming service that allows you to borrow and enjoy audiobooks, eBooks, comics and manga,  movies and TV series,  music albums, magazines and more.   Titles are available instantly as there are no holds or waiting lists, and you can borrow up to 10 items per month.  These monthly borrows reset on the first day of the month.

You have 3 days to watch, 7 days to listen and 21 days to read. 

Activate the Hoopla Kids Mode, to ensure your kids stay within a kid friendly area.  Kids Mode contains content suitable for 12 years and younger.    

Create an account the first time you use Hoopla, by providing an email and password. Choose Palmerston North City Library from the list, and enter your library card number and PIN.

Download the Hoopla app from your app store, and sign up with your Palmerston North City Library card. 

Stream from your TV, computer or device. 

Hoopla Kids Mode helps parents and their children discover kid-friendly content.  All of the content – eBooks, audiobooks, comics and manga, music, movies, TV series have been curated and brought together in this one family-friendly place.  Titles are available instantly as there are no holds or waiting lists,  and you can borrow up to 10 items per month.  

You have 3 days to watch, 7 days to listen and 21 days to read.

Create an account the first time you use Hoopla, by providing an email and password. Choose Palmerston North City Library from the list, and enter your library card number and PIN. 

You need to turn the Kids Mode on,  by clicking  the KIDS button next to the search bar (once you have created an account) to see content recommended for kids 12 years and younger.

You can choose to create a 4 digit PIN to lock and unlock the Kids Mode.

Download the Hoopla app from your app store, and sign up with your Palmerston North City Library card. 

Stream from your TV, computer or device. 

The National Library of New Zealand's searchable database that contains abstracts and descriptions of articles from about 1000 New Zealand periodicals and newspapers, including some from earlier in the 20th century to the current day.

Kanopy offers quality, thoughtful entertainment. Stream movies, TV series, documentaries, foreign films, classic cinema, independent films and educational videos that inspire, enrich and entertain. Every month new titles are added.

Create an account to use Kanopy.

You have 45 tickets per month to watch films on Kanopy. With this latest update, you can see the number of tickets required and viewing period for each film next to the play button.

Stream from your TV, computer or device.

Kanopy Kids has a wide selection of educational and entertaining content that range across movies, TV Series, animated storybooks, live action and animated favourites for children of all ages.

You need a Kanopy account to access Kanopy Kids, and a parent or guardian must create the account.

Set up Parental Controls to ensure your kids stay within the dedicated Kanopy Kids area for age-appropriate content.

Kanopy Kids titles don't use tickets, so you can watch as many kid-friendly titles as you'd like.

Our OverDrive collection includes thousands of fiction and nonfiction digital books, audiobooks and magazines for adults, teens and children.

Login to your account, to access the digital magazines.

Browse titles, checkout items and download to your mobile device using the Libby app

LinkedIn Learning for Library, helps users learn business, software, technology and creative skills to achieve personal and professional goals. Library members have access to a video library of top-quality courses taught by recognized industry experts.

A LinkedIn profile is not required to access LinkedIn Learning for Library, only a library card and PIN. Your learning history is tied to your library card.

Download the LinkedIn Learning app from your app store. Click on Sign in, then click on Sign in with your library card to log in through our Library. You’ll be prompted to enter our Library’s ID, and then your library card number and pin.

Note: the Library ID is at the end of the LinkedIn Learning invitation link, and is palmerstonnorthcitylibrary (lower case and one word).

LOTE4Kids allows kids to enjoy the magic of books in LOTE (Languages Other Than English). Each story comes translated and narrated in English to help develop multilingual reading and listening skills.

Choose from thousands of digital books in 75+ world languages with new books and languages released each month. 
 

Download the LOTE4Kids app from your app store, find our Library then enter your library card.

Manawatū Heritage is a living heritage tool which encourages active participation from the community by accepting digital uploads and written articles from the public. By creating a log-in, you can upload your own stories and photographs to the repository as well as comment on individual items, share your findings via email and social media, and download low or high resolution copies of out of copyright materials.

Manawatū Heritage Tours App brings together community-initiated research, images and content from the award-winning Manawatū Heritage digital repository. Mobile technology helps people to explore Palmerston North's rich and often unknown history. Current tours include Women's Places, Military Tour (Walking), and Military Tour (Driving).

Mango utilises an engaging interface, and easy, intuitive interactive tools to deliver practical conversational skills and valuable cultural insight for new languages. Lessons include strategically placed memory-building exercises to help users remember what they are learning in addition to critical thinking exercises, which help them to intuitively understand the language and adapt it to similar conversations.

You need to create a profile, and then link to our Library with your library card for free access to all Mango lessons.

It’s aim is to be a base for the basics of Māori Language. It includes guides to alphabet, pronunciation, waiata, phrases and more.

MasterFILE Complete from EBSCO offers a large collection of popular full-text magazines, reference books and other highly regarded sources from the world's leading publishers. You will find information covering virtually every general interest subject area, including business, health, fitness, education, sports and leisure, personal finance, science, multicultural issues, DIY, fashion and more.

Search scholarly journals, magazines, and reports covering all aspects of past and present military affairs. The database offers content in key subject areas including governmental policies, the socioeconomic effects of war, the structure of the armed forces and more. Updated daily.

Includes the complete run of the magazine from 2009 to the present. Provides authoritative, age appropriate digital content suitable for younger readers.

National Geographic Virtual Library includes the complete archive of National Geographic magazines from 1888 to the present, National Geographic : People, Animals and the World and National Geographic Kids. Along with a cross-searchable collection of National Geographic books, maps, images and videos.

This full-text newspaper resource, provides access to more than 2,000 major world newspapers including Australian and New Zealand publications. Updated daily.

Ngā Taonga and Palmerston North City Library invite you to explore Aotearoa New Zealand's audiovisual history. Previously known as MediaNet, Ngā Taonga is Aotearoa New Zealand's audiovisual archive. Explore an ever-growing local collection of films, radio, television, sound recordings, props and documents spanning 120 years of Aotearoa New Zealand's sound and moving image history.

NoveList Plus is a comprehensive readers' advisory solution for fiction lovers. With an intuitive interface and extensive content, NoveList Plus answers the question: What should I read next?

Search the catalogue for items to borrow or place holds. View and renew items you have checked out. You can link accounts and keep track of the whole family's books. Access e-books and other online resources. Read the latest library news and see upcoming events. Connect with us on social media.

Papers Past provides access to digitised newspapers, periodicals, letters, diaries and parliamentary papers from all regions covering the years 1839 to 1945. Includes the Manawatu Standard from 1883 to 1945.

The Popular Culture Studies database offers useful information for researchers in social science, history, art or liberal arts courses.

This database provides a strong focus on current events, sports, science and health. Chosen by public library search results, titles are compiled by what our users are searching for most.

PressReader provides unlimited digital access to over 7000 newspapers and magazines from 120 countries (including New Zealand) in 60 languages on your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. As well as current issues, back issues spanning many years are available.

Stuff Ltd has restricted access to their magazine and newspaper titles through PressReader. Their titles which include The Post and the Manawatu Standard are not available to be read from home on a mobile device or on the PressReader App.  

They can be read through the PressReader link on our website, using a laptop or desktop computer. 

Road to IELTS by Clarity English is organised into four skill areas, one for each paper in IELTS. In each skill area learners can prepare effectively for their test by reading information about each paper, getting advice from IELTS experts on video, and practising specific question types using the interactive practice exercises and the mock papers.

Remain current with the latest scientific developments in the biological sciences, computing, engineering, technology and more. Updated daily.

This database provides access to the following collections from the Smithsonian, Evolution of flight 1784 - 1991, Trade Literature and Merchandising of Industry, World's Fairs and Expositions : Visions of Tomorrow, and the Smithsonian and Air & Space magazine archive.

Story Box Library gets kids excited about reading, inspires their imaginations and lets them have fun with stories, improving their language and literacy skills along the way. Activity time ideas are available for every story in the collection. With an ever-growing library, suitable for preschool and primary school aged children, it really is Storytime, Anytime!

To login, click on Library and then choose Palmerston North City Library from the menu. Enter your Library card  and PIN.

Download the Story Box app from your app store. Click "Log in with Library Access" then enter your Library card and PIN.

The Māori Language Commission was set up under the Māori Language Act 1987 and continued under Te Ture Reo Māori 2016 / Māori Language Act 2016 to promote the use of Māori as a living language and as an ordinary means of communication.

TumbleBooks are animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they'll love. TumbleBooks are created by taking existing picture books, adding animation, sound, music and narration to produce an electronic picture book which you can read, or have read to you. TumbleBooks also includes National Geographic videos and games.

World Book Online is a suite of online research tools that includes encyclopedia articles, primary source collections, educator tools, student activities, pictures, audio, and video, complemented by current periodicals and related websites.