Collaboration keeps heritage collections safe

Joint Media Release

Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga
National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa

10 August 2009

Collaboration keeps heritage collections safe and accessible

Archives New Zealand and the National Library are working together to ensure a safe environment for some of the Library’s most precious collections, during the Library’s upcoming building redevelopment.

Greg Goulding, Archives New Zealand Acting Chief Executive and Penny Carnaby, National Library Chief Executive, said the joint project demonstrated the strong working relationship between the two organisations and represented practical kiwi collaboration by ensuring the collections would remain available to customers.

From early next year Archives New Zealand’s Wellington repository will temporarily house the majority of the Alexander Turnbull Library’s manuscript collections.

These collections include diaries, letters, journals and scrapbooks, as well as a selection of maps and photographs. The Turnbull’s acclaimed special printed collections of rare and early books will also be housed at Archives New Zealand, as well as the National Library’s Dorothy Neal White Collection of pre-1940 children’s books.

“This initiative means researchers will continue to have onsite access to heritage collections through a jointly-operated reading room, while the material is stored in a safe and secure place,” said Penny Carnaby.

Archives New Zealand and the National Library have purpose-built almost 10 kilometres of shelving to accommodate the collections.

“We are delighted to open our doors to the library and provide joint services to our customers,” Greg Goulding said. “This is a practical and cost-effective approach, demonstrating the strong working relationship between our two organisations. When the Library returns to its redeveloped building, the shelving will serve Archives New Zealand’s own expanding holdings.”

The move also means the heritage collections do not have far to travel, as the two institutions are less than a hundred metres apart. “To make sure the collections are safe at all times, a heritage collection protection expert will assess our moving plans and packing arrangements,” Penny Carnaby said. “The Library’s conservators and curators will also be involved in the careful preparation, moving and unpacking of the heritage material.”

The National Library’s $52 million redevelopment will address critical issues with failing plant and infrastructure and collection storage, and requires collections and staff to move into temporary locations. Timelines and details of the relocation are expected to be confirmed shortly.

Background information: National Library

Collection access through the National Library’s relocation period

The National Library building in Wellington is being redeveloped to address critical issues with failing plant and infrastructure and collection storage.

It is necessary to relocate our people, services and collections while the building redevelopment takes place. This means there will be collection access changes – some collections will stay open and be accessible in temporary locations, and some will close for the duration of the building redevelopment.

What will be accessible at Archives New Zealand?

During the relocation period, the most highly used and valuable Alexander Turnbull Library collections will be housed at Archives New Zealand in Wellington. These collections will be easily accessible to researchers and customers.

They are the Manuscripts Collection, the Special Printed Collections of rare and early books, and a collection of items that researchers have requested to be available to them through the redevelopment period. The National Library’s Dorothy Neal White Collection of pre-1940 children’s books will also be accessible through Archives New Zealand.

The National Library and Archives New Zealand are working together to finalise the details of how people can access the collections, and the services that will be provided.

The collections will be housed in a secure and safe environment, separate from Archives New Zealand’s collections. When the redevelopment programme is complete, the collections will be moved back into the National Library.

What will be accessible elsewhere?

The National Library’s General Collections will be available through a location on Thorndon Quay. This includes the Family History Collection, New Zealand, Maori and Pacific reference materials, serials and general music.

At this site there will be reading rooms available, copying services provided, and Library experts on hand to help with customer and research enquiries.

What about the collections that will close – where will they go?

Some collections will be unavailable through the relocation period, including collections that require very specialised storage, embargoed materials, and low-use collections.

To find locations that best meet our requirements for collection safety, security, and specialised environments, we are considering locations throughout New Zealand.

We expect to be able to confirm all of the collection locations shortly.

When will collections close, and moves take place?

We’re now planning the detail of what will happen when – we expect to have finalised the details of the moves shortly.

We will keep all of the collections open for as long as we possibly can, and give at least one month’s notice of any collection closures.

We are encouraging researchers to come into the Library and use the collections now, while all of them are still open.

For full details on what will be available throughout the relocation period, and what will be closed, go to http://www.natlib.govt.nz/about-us/building/collections.

What does the move mean for the collections?

The care, protection and security of the collections is critical to us, and we have a collection protection framework in place that ensures proper processes are followed. We have also engaged an independent heritage collection protection expert to review the moving plans.

Library conservators and curators will be involved in the careful preparation, moving and unpacking of the collections. At all times, the collections will be stored in locations that suit the environments required to house heritage materials.

The relocation also gives the Library the opportunity to carry out necessary work on the collections, such as preservation activities, creating electronic records for collection items and re-housing collection items into new packaging.

The relocation will also allow us to greatly increase our digitisation activity – meaning that more and more collection items will be made available online over the next few years.

What about donations?

We will continue to accept donations to the heritage collections through the relocation period.

How will I find out about collection access changes?

Sign up to Wellspring, our e-newsletter to keep you up to date with the latest Library news
http://www.natlib.govt.nz/about-us/news/e-newsletter. Or, keep an eye on our website.

About the National Library

The National Library collects, preserves, and makes accessible New Zealand’s documentary heritage, including words, pictures and sound, for all New Zealanders.

The National Library’s holdings are vast and include the collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library, which are worth almost $1 billion. Altogether, the collections include around 4.5 million photographs and negatives, 2.9 million books, 100,000 paintings, drawings, prints and cartoons, the most extensive collection of Māori documentary material in New Zealand and enough manuscripts to form a stack about nine kilometres high.

About the National Library building redevelopment

The existing Library building was designed between 1971 and 1975, and completed in 1987. The growing size of New Zealand’s heritage collections means that existing storage space will be full by 2010. Extra space to store collections is critical, and building plant and machinery is in urgent need of upgrading and replacement.

In April 2009 the Government confirmed redevelopment costs of $52 million, which will include $35 million in capital spending and $17 million in operational spending over the next four years.

ENDS

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