17.1 Collection management policies
17.2 Adult fiction
17.3 Adult non-fiction
17.3.1 Lending non-fiction
17.3.2 Quick reference collections
17.3.3 Manuals collection
17.3.4 Standards collection
17.3.5 Directories and statistics collection
17.3.6 New Zealand government information
17.3.7 International Documents
17.4 Nga Matauranga Maori
17.5 Serials
17.5.1 Reference serials
17.5.2 Lending magazines
17.5.3 Newspapers
17.6 Digital collections
17.6.1 Subscription databases
17.6.2 ACL/TPK databases
17.6.3 E-books
17.6.4 E-journals
17.6.5 Website content
17.7 Children's
17.7.1 Children’s fiction
17.7.2 Children’s non-fiction
17.7.3 Children’s picture books
17.7.4 Children’s Easy to read
17.7.5 Children’s Audio-visual
17.7.6 Children’s Jigsaws
17.7.7 Children’s Literature Research collection
17.8 Teenage
17.8.1 Teenage fiction
17.8.2 Teen Visual collection
17.8.3 Teenage non-fiction
17.9 Large print
17.10 Adult literacy and language courses
17.10.1 Adult literacy collections
17.10.2 Language courses
17.11 Music scores
17.12 Audio-visual
17.12.1 Audio books
17.12.2 Music CDs
17.12.3 Videos, DVDs and CD-ROMs
17.13 High demand collections
17.14 Maps
17.15 Heritage collections
17.15.1 Special collections - Printed
17.15.2 Special collections - Manuscripts
17.15.3 Special collections - Photographs
17.15.4 Special collections - Maps
17.15.5 Special collections - Music
17.15.6 Special collections - Ephemera
17.15.7 Family history collection
17.15.8 Auckland Research Centre - Local history collection
17.15.9 Te Kohinga Matua
17.16 World languages
17.17 Great Barrier community collection
17.1 Collection management policies
The Collection Development Policy is an overall policy for the development of ACL/TPK’s collections. Collection management policies provide greater depth and detail for individual collections.
Collection management policies are informed by, and supplement the Collection Development Policy, the Collection Asset Plan and the 3-year Collection Development Plan.
The table below summarizes the broad collection groups. The following sections describe each group. The collection management policies for each collection are separate documents, in the form of the template for collection management policies in appendix one.
| Collection |
Description |
| Adult Fiction |
Wide range of best selling and popular novels as well as enduring works, works by new and local authors, award winning fiction and New Zealand fiction. |
| Adult Non- fiction |
Includes a selection of material across a range of subjects and interest levels. This includes reference/not-for-loan items. |
| Nga Matauranga Maori |
Works written about Maori, historic and contemporary in English and te reo. Material on general subjects is limited to those featuring a predominantly Maori (50% or more) content and/or approach. Some other formats are included such as CDs. |
| Serials |
Magazines, newspapers, directories, reports, updated publications and journals of both popular and specialist content according to the need of the local community. |
| Digital collections |
Digital access to e-journals, e-books, databases of research information of both international and local content, study support materials, internet sites. |
| Children's (Fiction and Non-fiction) |
Popular high demand, high interest fiction and picture books, critically acclaimed and/or award winning books, New Zealand and local books and enduring works of fiction, graded readers for supporting early literacy and audio-visual material. |
| Teenage (Fiction) |
Popular high demand, high interest fiction and graphic novels, critically acclaimed and/or award winning books, New Zealand and local books and enduring works of fiction. |
| Large Print Books |
Includes fiction and non-fiction. |
| Adult Literacy & Language courses |
Graded readers aimed at adult new readers and those learning English as a second language, both fiction and non- fiction, in print and non-print formats. Language courses are sets of books with Cassettes, CDs or CD-ROM, for learning English or other languages as a second language. |
| Audio Visual |
Audio-Books, CD-ROMs, DVDs, Videos, CDs, cassettes, LP records. |
| Music Scores |
Vocal scores of opera and musicals, orchestral sets, miniature/full scores, chamber music, songs, choral sets, popular music/collected songs, instrumental and folk music. |
| World Languages |
Languages other than English (LOTE). General library materials with an emphasis on recreational material in print and audio-visual format, including magazines and newspapers. |
| Maps |
Cartographic materials for both New Zealand and elsewhere. |
| Heritage |
Special Collections, Auckland Research Centre, Family History, Te Kohinga Matua. |
.aspx)
Back to top
17.2 Adult fiction
ACL/TPK’s fiction collections meet the Ki Mua role of the Book Library, supporting the joy of reading. The community library fiction collections have an emphasis on recently published very popular titles.
The larger Central City Library collection includes titles of more limited appeal such as non-mainstream foreign literature in translation.
The Central City Library also has a back catalogue fiction collection in a closed access area. Works of literary importance (classic titles, prize winners, representational works), those for which there is a small but steady demand and titles which are part of a series which it has been decided to keep whole or in part are transferred to this collection as part of lifecycle management. Only items in good condition are considered for transfer to the closed access area.
To make selection of a “good read” easier for the customers, popular fiction is sorted into specific genres. Genre fiction is defined as all popular fiction that can be considered to fit into a formula. A book's genre is identified on the computer catalogue and by a label on the spine of the book. Libraries with large fiction collections shelve their genre fiction separately from the rest of the fiction collection.
The genre categories are as follows:
Adventure, Crime, Fantasy, Graphic novels, Historical Romance, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction, Sea Stories, Western.
Back to top
17.3 Adult non-fiction
17.3.1 Lending non-fiction
Community libraries have primarily popular non-fiction to meet the role of “read and relax” or the Book Library. Cookery, travel writing, gardening, home improvement and health are examples of key topics provided. New Zealand popular non-fiction is duplicated heavily. The Central City Library has popular works and also works that cover topics in greater detail and for differing audience levels. All sites have a parenting collection, and some sites separate out Pacific materials.
There is also a back catalogue collection of older books, seminal works, and New Zealand books that will contribute to social history research in the Central City Library.
Back to top
17.3.2 Quick reference collections
Each site has a collection of resources intended for use as a quick source of information. Community libraries have a core list of reference resources. Information of this nature is increasingly being offered through the Digital Library.
Back to top
17.3.3 Manuals collection
A not for loan manuals collection is held at the Central City Library. The collection consists of workshop manuals in the following categories: car manuals, commercial vehicles, motorcycles, components, marine and small engines, appliances, entertainment, restoration, collective repair manuals.
The major areas of strength in the collection are cars, motorcycles, marine engines and restoration.
Customer groups using the collection include: customers undertaking their own repairs, enthusiasts renovating or maintaining old vehicles, enthusiasts renovating or maintaining old engines or appliances, staff of commercial repair companies and staff of commercial builders of classic or vintage vehicles. There are also small numbers of recently published lending manuals in the community library non-fiction collections.
Back to top
17.3.4 Standards collection
A standard is a published document that sets out the minimum requirements necessary to ensure that a material, structure, product, method or system will do the job it is intended to do.
The standards collection is held only at the Central City Library. Standards may be used in the library only if a library membership card is shown, with the exception of the ISO standards, which are received as a type of deposit collection from the National Library. ACL/TPK receives the New Zealand (NZ), Australian (AS) and International (ISO) standards on a standing order basis.
Back to top
17.3.5 Directories and statistics collection
The directories and statistics collection is held at the Central City Library. It is a collection of current publications which list contact details for people, organisations etc, and current statistical publications both New Zealand and international. These resources are not available for lending.
Back to top
17.3.6 New Zealand government information
ACL/TPK receives a selection of print New Zealand law materials through the government funded depository library scheme. This scheme is co-ordinated by the National Library in Wellington and includes major public libraries in New Zealand. The deposit items are housed in the Central City Library. All items received via this co-ordinated scheme are available to any member of the public to use within the library.
Items covered by the depository scheme include:
- New Zealand Statutes - current and superseded, local and private.
- Reprinted Statutes - complete set.
- Statutory Regulations - complete set.
- New Zealand Bills - 1906 on.
- Supplementary Order Papers - these are bound with their relevant bills.
- Tables of New Zealand Acts and Ordinances and Statutory Regulations in force –1977 on.
- Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) - 1854 on.
- Journals of the House of Representatives - 1854 on.
- Appendices to the journals of the House of Representatives 1860 on.
- Notice Papers - 1996 on.
- Order Papers - 1971 on.
While ACL/TPK will continue to retain printed deposit materials, access points for customers to the same information in its digital format will be increasingly highlighted.
Back to top
17.3.7 International Documents
ACL/TPK has a collection of International Documents from a variety of major international organisations. ACL/TPK is the main European Union depository library for New Zealand. This means that ACL/TPK receive an extensive range of material from the European Union. ACL/TPK also maintains smaller collections of United Nations (UN), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) material. All items received via the depository scheme are freely available to any member of the public for use within the library. These are donated to ACL/TPK, but have conditions around access, retention and disposal.
Back to top
17.4 Nga Matauranga Maori
The Nga Matauranga Maori collection provides a lending collection of Maori materials for the Central City Library and lending and reference collections of Maori materials for the community libraries. It is provided as a separate Maori collection within each library based on the specific community the library serves, and the identified customer need for Maori specific information, as indicated by the presence of local kohanga reo, kura kaupapa and marae.
Appropriate materials in Te Reo are purchased as well as appropriate resources in English. The collection scope covers all books written about Maori, historic or contemporary. Items for the collection are selected on the basis of their content and subject matter and whether the item adds to the existing pool of knowledge relevant to current issues facing Maori. Material on general subjects is limited to those featuring a predominantly Maori (50% or more) content and/or approach.
Formats other than books may be included if they are consistent with the selection criteria. Children’s and teens material is excluded from these collections, and forms part of the part of the children’s and teens collections.
A core list of titles to be included has been developed and will be kept current by the Pou Arahi Taonga.
Back to top
17.5 Serials
Serials are defined as publications issued in successive parts, either regularly or irregularly with the intent of continuing indefinitely. Serials may be published in any format and include journals, magazines, newsletters, periodicals, newspapers, annuals, directories and indexing/abstracting services.
Back to top
17.5.1 Reference serials
Reference serials are collected to support customer demand for in-depth and current information. Back copies are retained for research purposes. The priority is to collect reference serials where indexes (either published or in-house) are available.
Major New Zealand titles, and serials and newsletters published in the Auckland region which are deemed to have increasing or enduring historical value are collected.
Retention is either permanent or for a limited period, and permanently retained titles may be bound.
Back to top
17.5.2 Lending magazines
The lending magazine collection aims to fulfil the recreational, informational and educational needs of the community. The emphasis is on current popular titles, particularly in the community libraries.
The most recent copy of many of the lending serials may be kept on display for in-house customer use. Lending magazines are discarded after a specified period, depending on their frequency of publication.
Children’s and Teens also have collections of lending magazines.
A small number of titles are included in the High Demand collection and attract a lending charge.
Back to top
17.5.3 Newspapers
The aim of the newspaper collection held at the Central City Library is to provide all major New Zealand dailies, a comprehensive selection of provincial titles and a selection of international titles covering major regions of the world.
Overseas newspapers are generally discarded after a short period (in 2004 -3 months). Some overseas titles are acquired using same day print-on-demand technology. New Zealand newspapers other than those from Auckland are retained for 6 months, with the exception of the Dominion, the Press and the Otago Daily Times, which are retained for 12 months.
Archival hard-copy sets of the New Zealand Herald, Sunday Star Times, Daily News and Auckland City community papers are retained permanently.
There are three groups of newspapers in the Central City Library newspaper collection: display and short-term retention items (in the Newspaper Room), microfilm and hard copy bound or boxed sets (in the Auckland Research Centre), and pre-1900 newspaper titles or rare or fragile items (in Special Collections).
Community libraries receive copies of their local community newspapers and the New Zealand Herald.
Back to top
17.6 Digital collections
The Digital Library collection will include full text e-books and e-journals, subscription databases and original databases, digitized assets from special collections, and recommended websites selected, acquired or created, organized, de-selected, and preserved as outlined in the collection management policies for electronic resources. The Digital Library collections complement the print collections (and in some instances replace them) available at the Central City Library and community libraries. The digital collections support and enhance the Ki Mua role of ACL/TPK as Information Gateway, for both walk-in and remote users.
Back to top
17.6.1 Subscription databases
ACL/TPK subscribes both individually and through consortia to a wide subject range of full text and index databases. These are accessible at all libraries, and remotely through the website to ACL/TPK members.
Back to top
17.6.2 ACL/TPK databases
ACL/TPK’s digitization programme includes internally created information resources that are either born digital (exist in no other original format) or have been migrated from another format to a digital format. This can include e-texts, images, photos, indexes of primary source material held by ACL/TPK, finding aids and catalogues, essays and maps.
Back to top
17.6.3 E-books
The current collection of e-books is made up of study guides and business books - management, marketing, advertising, resumes and careers. Some more general titles such as biographies are also included.
Remote users are the customer group being targeted with this service. The main point of access is through the
website. Access to the eBooks is limited to ACL/TPK members and is controlled by the use of user authentication software. MARC records for the titles have been loaded into the library
catalogue.
Back to top
17.6.4 E-journals.
Print subscriptions will be analysed and electronic versions may be acquired in addition or as a replacement.
Back to top
17.6.5 Website content
Content may include subject essays, reviews, pathfinders produced by ACL/TPK staff, and evaluation and selection of links to related external websites, and pathfinders to ACL/TPK print, audiovisual and heritage collections. Content may be contributed by library staff or by customers.
Back to top
17.7 Children's
17.7.1 Children’s fiction
This collection is designed to provide a wide range of recreational reading aimed at the varying levels of reading maturity and interest. The collection will encourage children to enjoy reading, refine their levels of skill and stimulate creativity and imagination.
A strong emphasis on New Zealand authors, and some as emphasis on Australian authors, is necessary to reflect New Zealand culture. A wide range of international authors is also selected. High quality content is preferred with classic authors and award winners bought as needed.
Children’s fiction incorporates works at a range of levels to meet the developing reading skills and interests of the child, and to guide them through to the next reading level collections – teen and adult.
Back to top
17.7.2 Children’s non-fiction
The purpose of this collection is to provide informational, educational and recreational titles that will satisfy a child’s curiosity and stimulate their inner drive to learn.
Every effort is made to provide current and relevant materials which introduce and define subjects. A wide range of subjects is selected. This collection will support general inquiries and information at a popular level. Some materials will provide children with a further resource to satisfy curiosity generated by subjects studied at school and from children’s outside school interests.
Titles collected should have high quality content, format and expression. They must suit the varied developmental levels, reading abilities and subject interests of children (up to 12 years). Multiple copies of highly relevant, popular subjects may be purchased according to budget and community served. New Zealand content is given priority.
Titles should be accurate, attractive in layout, highly readable, current, dynamic and contain interactive elements. They must be appropriate without over simplification or generalization. Books are preferred which provide information access points, eg index, table of contents, glossary, as these aid in the development of information literacy.
Back to top
17.7.3 Children’s picture books
The purpose of this collection is to provide materials to meet the developmental needs of children from infancy to early primary school years in books usually read aloud to a child by an adult or older child.
The range of picture books will enable the sharing of stories, rhyme and information at levels appropriate to these age groups including board books for the very young. Titles must be visually appealing and well designed, giving equal emphasis to text and illustration. There is duplication as needed for demand.
A strong emphasis is given to New Zealand publications and significant emphasis is given to Australian publications.
Picture books must be written at a level appropriate to the age and developmental levels of the audience and incorporate a range of levels that lead children on to the next reading level/collection. A mix of award winners, quality titles and high appeal mass-market titles is bought.
Back to top
17.7.4 Children’s Easy to read
The purpose of this collection is to provide a range of recreational reading aimed at emergent readers, i.e. those children acquiring early reading skills and newly independent readers (those whose reading will become more confident through enjoyable and successful practice.
A range of attractive and dynamic series is purchased. Differing approaches to structure and a variety of levels are included in the collection. Series encountered at school as well as others are included to ensure that children will have some sense of familiarity as well as encountering new and exciting titles and formats.
An interactive literacy collection of videos, CD-ROMS and readers bundled together also supports this collection.
Back to top
17.7.5 Children’s Audio-visual
The audio collection is a popular recreational collection supporting children’s print collections. It also provides resources for children who are sight impaired or dyslexic. Some of the material is accompanied by print material to cater to children’s reading levels. Coverage includes fiction, rhymes, and music as well as a small number in languages other than English.
Formats include cassette, CD, Video and DVD.
Back to top
17.7.6 Children’s Jigsaws
Jigsaws are collected to foster learning, creativity, hand-eye coordination and spatial relationships in children. Jigsaws further develop the learning process and stimulate initial cognitive abilities which assist in the development of reading skills.
A wide range of puzzles is bought, for differing developmental levels. They reflect New Zealand culture where possible. Developmental needs are catered to with single piece, knobbed piece and multi-piece puzzles.
Back to top
17.7.7 Children’s Literature Research collection
This collection is housed at the Central City Library. It is a collection to support the study of children’s literature. It contains award winning children’s books (fiction, non-fiction, picture books, teenage literature), biographies of children’s authors and illustrators, bibliographies of books on particular topics, bibliographies of recommended books for children and teenagers, books by New Zealand authors and illustrators.
Award winning books included are winners of all New Zealand awards, ALA Newbery, Caldecott, Carnegie and Greenaway, and some Australian awards.
Back to top
17.8 TEENAGE
17.8.1 Teenage fiction
Teenage fiction is collected to provide a wide range of recreational reading aimed at the varying levels of reading maturity and interests of teenagers aged 13 to 16 years. The collection will fulfil the need for materials that reflect their concerns and will empower them.
A strong emphasis on New Zealand and Australian authors is necessary to reflect New Zealand culture. A wide range of international authors is also selected. All themes and genres as appropriate to the age group are included. High quality content is preferred with classic authors and award winners bought as needed. High interest ‘popular’ material and series titles will be bought. A range of formats is included.
A range of paperback and hardback titles is chosen, while acknowledging that paperback is the preferred format for these users. Abridged, illustrated formats are bought according to budget and community requirements.
The collection incorporates a range of levels to encourage movement into the adult collections.
Back to top
17.8.2 Teen Visual collection
A collection of graphic novels suitable for the 13 to16 age group. Some picture books with sophisticated content are also included.
Back to top
17.8.3 Teenage non-fiction
There is no longer a separate teenage non-fiction collection. Books purchased are placed either in the children’s or adult non-fiction collections, depending on the audience level of the publication.
Back to top
17.9 Large print
The purpose of the large print collection is to provide customers who are unable to read standard print with a range of books to meet their recreational and informational needs.
The large print collection is mainly fiction with a smaller percentage of non-fiction works. Almost all of the large print collection is acquired on standing order. Abridged titles are not collected.
Back to top
17.10 Adult literacy and language courses
17.10.1 Adult literacy collections
Adult literacy collections are core collections found at all libraries. They consist of specialized graded readers aimed at adult new readers and those learning English as a second language. The majority of these titles are fiction, with some non-fiction also produced. Many of these titles have an accompanying version of the story on cassette or CD and as many of these sets are purchased as possible. Limited numbers of these counted vocabulary readers are published so all titles available are bought. Because of the small numbers, these collections are floated in order to refresh each site’s collection. They fit into the Learning Centre role of Ki Mua.
Back to top
17.10.2 Language courses
All ACL/TPK libraries have collections of language courses. These are sets of books with cassette tapes, compact discs or CD-ROMs. Courses for languages other than English are usually basic teach yourself guides.
English language courses are available at a variety of levels: elementary, intermediate and advanced. The heaviest demand is for IELTS material (International English Language Teaching System).
Most English and Maori language courses are available free to loan as they fit the Learning Centre role of Ki Mua. All other language courses attract a charge. High demand, current English courses (e.g. the latest IELTS course) may be included in the High demand collection.
Back to top
17.11 Music scores
The purpose of the music scores collection is to provide a lending service of musical scores of all forms. The music score collection is used by the practical musician and student, ensemble players and soloists, the amateur and the professional.
The historical nature of the collection has been to stress classical music and this emphasis continues, especially as customers have very few local alternative suppliers. The main areas of the music score collection are vocal scores of opera and musicals, orchestral sets, miniature/full scores, chamber music, solo songs, choral sets, popular music/collected songs, instrumental and folk music.
Orchestral sets and choral sets are no longer purchased but the existing collection has wide coverage.
Non-classical music of every kind is also bought, e.g. rock music, jazz, country, folk etc. Some children’s songbooks, musicals and activities books are purchased.
Tutors for a wide variety of instruments are purchased although only a small amount of beginner’s material is acquired. Most works are of an intermediate or advanced level.
ACL/TPK aims to comprehensively collect New Zealand, Maori and Pacific music, building on the existing strong collections.
The music scores collection is held at the Central City Library, with a small collection of basic popular music such as Christmas carols, wedding music and fake books in the community library non-fiction collections.
Back to top
17.12 AUDIO-VISUAL
17.12.1 Audio books
The Audio books collection provides customers of ACL/TPK with recreational and informational material in an audio format.
The Audio books collection is a popular recreational collection. The content is primarily fiction, with non-fiction actively sought and purchased. Print disabled customers (customers who have a disability which would prevent them reading or using standard printed material) are entitled to special loan privileges.
The format is both cassette and CD, with a greater emphasis on the latter. Cassettes will continue to be bought when no CD version exists, and to meet customers’ desire for a choice of formats. In 2003 the collection was 82% fiction and 18% non-fiction.
Back to top
17.12.2 Music CDs
The Music CD collection is extensive in size, age and breadth creating a cultural depth that complements the sheet music collection. Contemporary music CDs are a draw card for youth. Popular music has been extended to all community libraries and the community library collections are rotated to refresh the collections at each site.
All areas of music are collected as well as sound effects CDs. Chinese CDs are also collected.
There are some cassettes and LP records remaining in the Central City Library but these are no longer purchased. An archive collection of New Zealand recordings is available for listening only.
Back to top
17.12.3 Videos, DVDs and CD-ROMs
CD-ROM, video and DVD collections are delivered on a three-tier basis with current, popular items that customers are prepared to pay a premium for included in the High Demand collection. Back catalogue CD-ROMs, videos and DVDs will be available at a lesser fee. Items in these formats with a purely informational or educational aim will be free to loan and placed with the books in the non-fiction sequences.
As well as providing popular entertainment, the video and DVD collections are intended to fill a niche market for items that are not readily available elsewhere. The videos and DVDs cover a wide subject area, including art and craft, business, computing, children’s videos, dance, documentary, film, music, opera, sport, and teach yourself. DVD is rapidly overtaking video as the prevalent format and new purchases reflect this.
The CD-ROM collection contains interactive multimedia CD-ROM resources for both adults and children. Recreational and creative CD-ROMs are purchased for the collection with an emphasis on games for adults, teens and children.
Back to top
17.13 High demand collections
High Demand collections consist of a mixture of formats including books, audio-visual formats, language courses and magazines. These feature the most current in-demand items and may have higher prices and or shorter loan periods. The collection includes languages other than English resources.
Most print items in this collection will be duplicated in the “free to loan” collection.
Back to top
17.14 Maps
The purpose of the Map and Atlas collection is to provide Auckland City Libraries’ customers with a core reference collection of cartographic materials for New Zealand and internationally. The goal is to complement the travel guide collection and current affairs material in range and scope by ensuring there is a current map of all major cities and countries of the world in sheet, atlas, or other format.
The main areas collected are:
- New Zealand, including atlases, topographical maps, nautical maps, political maps, street maps, especially for Auckland City and environs. There is an increasing emphasis on tourism related maps such as those produced for trampers and walkers.
- Pacific Islands maps.
- Topographical and political maps/atlases of major international countries and street maps/atlases of major international cities.
There is also a historical map collection as part of the Heritage collections with a concentration on the upper half of the North Island.
Back to top
17.15 Heritage collections
ACL/TPK is unique in the size, depth and diversity of its documentary heritage collections as a public library. The heritage collections include items of national and international significance.
Special Collections encompass ACL/TPK’s magnificent collections of New Zealand and European rare and historic books, manuscripts, photographs, maps, music and ephemera.
Back to top
17.15.1 Special collections - Printed
Printed collections are collections of rare books and printed material that date back to 1468.
The key collections are:
- Incunabula (dated 1468-1501) – 106 items including Ars Moriendi, Canterbury Tales (Chaucer), and books printed by William Caxton.
- Printed collections – 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th century publications.
- Colson Children’s Historical – representative collection of the best and the popular in children’s literature pre and post 1900. Includes works transferred from the Children’s Literature Research Collection.
- Private Press – representative collection of private press and limited edition publications from British, American, Australian, and New Zealand private presses.
- International Illustrated – representative collection of illustrated books from the 19th century onwards. The collection includes woodcuts, pochoir and engravings, and includes works of well-known illustrators such as Heath Robinson, Arthur Rackman, and Rockwell Kent.
- Reed Dumas Collection – includes original manuscripts, first editions of plays, novels, newspapers, and memoirs by and about French author Alexandre Dumas.
- Quaker Historical Collection – publications gifted by the Quaker Society of Friends.
- Stacpoole Powell Collection – first editions and related works by and about the English novelist Anthony Powell.
- Grey New Zealand Collection – New Zealand and Pacific printed material that was part of Sir George Grey’s collections.
- Printed Maori Collections – material published in Maori Language, including material collected by Sir George Grey.
- New Zealand Printed Material – New Zealand books printed before 1901 and rare items published after 1901.
- Special Collections Reading Room Reference Collection.
Back to top
17.15.2 Special collections - Manuscripts
The Manuscript Collection includes:
Forty six medieval manuscripts.
Seventeen 17th to 19th century Eastern manuscripts.
The New Zealand Manuscript collection – 19th century letters, journals and diaries, 20th century literary manuscripts, records of cultural and social action organisations and personal papers. The collection primarily relates to the Auckland Region.
The Grey Manuscript collection is an extensive bequest collection of national and international significance. The collections consists of unpublished papers in the following series:
New Zealand manuscripts produced as a result of Sir George Grey’s political career and influence as Governor of New Zealand.
Letters and manuscripts written in the Maori language.
Letters by prominent 19th century Europeans, including Charles Darwin, David Livingstone, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Robert Louis Stevenson.
Letters written to Grey by New Zealanders.
Manuscripts collected by Grey, including the diaries of Rev Richard Taylor, Joseph Bank’s papers and journal, a letter by James Cook.
Back to top
17.15.3 Special collections - Photographs
The Photograph Collections contain around 500,000 New Zealand images dated from the 1840s to the 1990s. The collection has a particular focus on the Auckland Region.
The photograph collections are in a variety of formats. The key formats include glass plate negatives, lantern slides, film negatives, 33mm slides, cartes-de-visite, postcards, original prints, copy prints, albums, and CD-ROM. Key photographers’ collections include: the Henry Winkelmann Collection, the Clifton Firth Collection, the Hermann Schmidt Portrait Collection, the James Richardson Collection, the Frederick Radcliffe Collection, and the Ernest Binns Collection.
Back to top
17.15.4 Special collections - Maps
The Historic Map collection consists of 5,233 items. The collection is of national significance and includes rare maps and unique cartographic material relating to the Auckland Region. The collection of Auckland and Upper North Island maps is considered to the best held in any New Zealand library.
The Historic Map collection includes:
- World, Pacific and Australia maps – atlases, 19th century, and World War 1 battlefield maps.
- Auckland Province maps – early Auckland Province maps, Church Map collection of real estate maps of early Auckland, and the rolled maps.
- Maps of the Rest of New Zealand – Maps in Series, New Zealand atlases, New Zealand Mapping Service (NZMS), Oceanographic, New Zealand Hydrographic, Geological maps.
Back to top
17.15.5 Special collections - Music
The Heritage Music collection includes videos, compact discs, cassettes, records, and music scores of New Zealand music. The collection has 3,878 items.
Back to top
17.15.6 Special collections - Ephemera
Ephemera are printed material intended for short-term use. Examples of Ephemera include cards, programmes, wine labels, travel brochures, theatre programmes, and tram tickets. The material is usually less than five pages in length.
The Ephemera Collection consists of four separate series and contains 27,878 individual
items. The series are:
- Old Colonists Museum (OCM) ephemera – Ephemera dated pre-1900.
- New Zealand Ephemera.
- the Freida Dickens programme collection.
- the Music Programme collection.
Back to top
17.15.7 Family history collection
This major specialist family history collection is located in the Auckland Research Centre. It includes published family histories, indexes to births deaths and marriages in New Zealand shipping records, census records, guides and other biographical sources. Church of Latter Day Saints
Back to top
17.15.8 Auckland Research Centre - Local history collection
Located in the Auckland Research Centre, this collection is designed for research and study on New Zealand and Pacific history with special reference to the greater Auckland region. It contains a large collection of published work including military histories and 19th and 20th century journals, and unique indexes and resources.
Back to top
17.15.9 Te Kohinga Matua
The Te Kohinga Matua Maori collection includes tribal histories, whakapapa information, books with a strong Maori kaupapa, and books in the Maori language. The Te Kohinga Matua Maori collection is based in the Auckland Research Centre. Material in Te Reo is purchased as well as appropriate resources in English.
The collection scope covers all books written about Maori, historic or contemporary. Items for the collection are selected on the basis of their content and subject matter and whether the item adds to the existing pool of knowledge relevant to current issues facing Maori.
Material on general subjects is limited to those featuring a predominately Maori (50% or more) content and/or approach. Formats included are books, videos, CDs, CD-ROMs, DVDs and cassettes.
Back to top
17.16 World languages
This collection contains primarily books and magazines in a range of world languages. Its purpose is to provide mostly recreational reading, light and literary, with the emphasis on fiction rather than non-fiction. The collection is designed to provide customers from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds with material in their mother tongues, thereby giving them continued access to literature in their first language, and providing an on-going link with their culture. Languages chosen are based on the size of the ethnic community populations in Auckland City, and customer demand for materials in their language.
The emphasis is on recreational reading rather than providing a collection of ‘classic’ works in each language. These may be included, but only when there is active demand.
A secondary purpose is to assist those in learning a language reach real fluency, and providing materials for those fluent in more than one language wishing to retain that fluency. It provides access to some important authors (e.g. Gabriel Marcia Marquez) in their original language as well as in translation.
Items in other formats are included in other collections, for example Chinese CDs are included in the music CD collection, and foreign language videos are kept as part of the video collection. Some newspapers in languages other than English are collected as part of the Newspaper Room collections. Children’s material in other languages is currently shelved in the children’s non-fiction collections at the DDC number for the language they are published in.
Back to top
17.17 Great Barrier community collection
There is a small collection of books held at the Claris Service Centre for borrowing by Great Barrier Island residents. It is primarily recreational reading, mostly fiction with some non-fiction targeted to special interests on the island such as small farming and fishing in the Hauraki Gulf. There are some recreational magazines. The collection is supplemented by loans from the Central City Library collection. While these items appear on the on-line catalogue showing a Great Barrier location, there is no on-line circulation access, and items are borrowed using a manual system.
Back to top