The National Library of New Zealand is a principal participant in the New Zealand library system. Its role is to ensure equitable access to information and recorded knowledge and to collect, preserve and make available documentary heritage of New Zealand. Its major functions are co-operative arrangements with other libraries, library agency activities, bibliographic work and the heritage preservation and research functions performed by the Alexander Turn-bull Library. In recent years government emphasis on accountability, funding restrictions, a move towards less centralized government activity and a more user-oriented approach have changed the National Library. A newly opened building has allowed the library to develop its community focus and this, along with a deepening sense of national history and identity, has increased the demands on all services. Current areas of development include services to the Maori people, support services for school library development, contract arrangements to assist local public library development, New Zealand database provision, information brokering and library consultancy, and national collection building. The National Library's future depends on responding to user needs appropriately, as a facilitator of library service development.