This week is Samoan language week and the theme for 2014 is Taofi mau i au measina: Hold fast to your treasures.

Here in the Central Auckland Research Centre, we do indeed hold fast to our treasures and what better motivation can you have to begin researching your Samoan family history research?

If you search our classic catalogue using the "call number" 3 SAM you will see have a large Samoan family history collection, consisting largely of microfilm - filled with information for the researcher.

Our resources for Samoa include what was formerly Western Samoa and also American Samoa.

The microfilms contain registers starting from around1852 and some going right up till 1993, with titles such as:

• Births within the district of the British Consulate at Samoa, 1852- 1915
• Delayed registrations of births for Western Samoa, 1948-1993
• Marriage licenses and certificates, 1900-1968
• Death certificates, 1900-1972

As well as births, deaths and marriages the records also cover wills and probates, genealogies and pedigrees, immigration records, and published family histories.

The records also cover Europeans as well as Samoans - and cover periods of German and British occupation, as well as New Zealand and American.

So please look at our catalogue - "call number" 3 SAM - to see what we have, or else pop in and see our friendly research librarians on the second floor of Central Library.

Happy hunting

Seonaid