Your family history
The Family History - Genealogy Collections are housed on Paparua - the second floor of Rotorua Library and are part of the Research & Heritage Collections.
Resources for researching your family's history
- Free access to Ancestry Library Edition. You can access this site on the library computers or bring in your own laptop and connect via the library's WIFI. For tips on using Ancestry, watch some short videos on our Niche Academy page.
- Family History Lending Collections: Our lending magazines and books contain guides to family and iwi history research. These can be found near the entrance to the Heritage area.
- Family History Reference Collections: Visit the Heritage area to research the Family History Reference collections. The reference collections are owned partly by the Rotorua Library and partly by the Rotorua Branch of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists (NZSG).
- Microfiche and Microfilm Records: We hold a number of records on microfiche and microfilm including historical births, deaths and marriages and local newspapers.
- Some of the sources you can also explore in the Library are local histories, shipping information, electoral rolls, war histories, cemetery databases, biographies, etc. Search on the catalogue or ask the Library staff to help you access material relevant to your family history.
We also have:
- Three computers that provide access to the library catalogue and online genealogy / library databases.
- A CD-ROM computer with genealogy databases, NZ Gazette archive
- Two microfiche readers, including one with a scanner which can print and email copies of microfiche and microfilm scans.
A recent Genealogy Beginner's Night at the Library which was hosted by the Rotorua Branch of the NZ Genealogists Society.
Family History Research Assistance
Volunteers from the Rotorua Branch of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists offer a drop-in service to people researching their family history. This is held on the 2nd floor of the Library
The last session for 2024 is on Wednesday 13 December 10am - 12pm and will resume again in 2025.
Whakapapa Drop-In
Two experienced staff offer a drop-in service to raise awareness of the research resources available either online or in the Don Stafford Room for those people researching their whakapapa.
2nd Wednesday of the month at 1 - 3pm (New days and times for 2024)
on the 2nd floor