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Libraries: your doorway to the world

5/3/2020

17 Comments

 
Picture
Photo credit Mark Beatty - National Library of New Zealand (CC by 4.0)
​The National Library of New Zealand is planning to re-home books from their overseas published collection to make more room for the growing collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library and our New Zealand and Pacific documentary heritage that they hold in perpetuity.
 
If you’ve been following the news about the weeding taking place at the National Library, you may have some questions about how you are going to access overseas published books. We had some questions in the LIANZA Office* too and we wanted to find out the facts. We teamed up with Public Libraries of New Zealand (PLNZ) to investigate.
This article was fact-checked by interloan specialists, tertiary library specialists and public librarians.

What is “weeding”?

​Weeding is the removal of resources from a library based on selected criteria. All libraries weed, it’s an important process that promotes accessibility. Weeding makes it easier for customers to find books and keeps collections relevant to the communities that libraries serve. Ideally, collections need to be weeded regularly, like a garden, to prevent the need to do a big blitz. But, weeding is a time-consuming business and, as any gardener knows, weeds can sometimes get away on us. Librarian Rebecca Hastie wrote well about weeding on the Spin Off recently.

What books are going?

​The selected books are from the National Library’s overseas published collection. Most of these books have not been issued for 20-30 years. This collection was established in 1939 to give New Zealanders access to books that they may not have been otherwise able to access. However, holding this largely unused collection is a huge cost to the taxpayer.
 
Local supply from well-stocked libraries, new offerings of large back-catalogues, eBooks and audiobooks for the reading public of New Zealand have largely displaced the need for a portion of the National Library’s overseas published books. There are still over 4 million items held in the National Library and they continue to grow their collection each year acquiring 80,000 to 90,000 print and electronic items a year.
 
The overseas published books aren't unique and are available via interloan from libraries in New Zealand or overseas. Some of the books are being re-homed in libraries in New Zealand. Some are being donated to Rotary and Lions to fund community projects
 
Remember – these books were never able to be borrowed directly from the National Library – they could be read in the reading room by people who could physically access the building in Wellington, but otherwise these books always had to be obtained by interloan (incurring a charge).

Does that mean all the overseas published books at the National Library are being removed? What about rare books?

Not all of the overseas published collection is being removed. The National Library are retaining books in the following areas: library and information science, music, reference works, children’s literature, family history and print disabilities. The rare book collection is also being retained. The reference collection and the schools collection will continue to be added to.

Why can’t we keep all the books forever? We might need them!

​Holding this largely unused collection is a huge cost to the taxpayer. Also, there is an amazing service called INTERLOAN! The library interloan system networks all sorts of libraries around the world, including national libraries from other countries, with their own collections that New Zealanders can borrow from. Independent researchers (and the general public) are able to keep sourcing more eclectic and historic titles through this method. 

​But what about all the books being burned?! 

​The National Library are not destroying any of these books.

Updated to add:
The initial the ministerial briefing did mention the possibility of books being destroyed. However they have since update their statement:
Since publishing our initial book lists we have received requests from more than 20 different libraries which include public and specialist libraries. As a result, these books will be retained in the New Zealand library network. We have received orders from prison libraries throughout the country.
We are also working with Rotary and Lions who have taken the remaining books from the first lists for book fairs they will run later in the year — further details to come next month.
When we undertook this project, we anticipated a low demand for these books and thought secure destruction might be the likely outcome.
We’re delighted that since releasing the lists to libraries first and then government and third-party organisations we’ve had a more positive interest in this collection than expected and more options to rehome these books. Rehoming rather than secure destruction is now the most likely outcome. 

Isn’t this all a conspiracy to downsize libraries so they can be closed?

​No! Librarians value books and they know New Zealanders do too. They are the kaitiaki of our memories. Libraries need to keep the right collections for New Zealanders. 

How do I access books in the National Library?

The reading rooms at National Library in Wellington are available for all kinds of research. The reference collections are on hand for easy use, and collection items are delivered to readers onsite throughout the day. Most of the collections are kept in storage, but books can be retrieved at your request. To request items you need to register as a reader with the library. If you don’t live Wellington and can’t get into the National Library reading rooms you can interloan books from them. You can read more about using the National Library collection here.

Tell me more about interloan?

​New Zealand has a national interloan service which you can access from your local public library. You can borrow books via interloan from other New Zealand libraries and around the world. Anyone can use the Te Puna search function to find available books. Or, you can ask your local library to help you search on it and then request them to order titles via the New Zealand interloan service. If you belong to a tertiary library, you can also use this interloan service. Interloan charges vary from library to library, your local library will be able to advise you of the exact costs involved. Tertiary libraries don’t usually charge unless the request is urgent.

The Search

Picture
Paraparaumu library. Photo credit: Nikki Shaw
​For many people, public libraries are the first port of call to find books and information. Public libraries are a doorway to the world and can connect anyone with collections around the globe.
 
Here at LIANZA, Helen Heath thought she’d look at a random selection of books that will be removed from the National Library’s overseas published collections and follow the process of accessing them via her local public library interloan service with the help of Kat Cuttriss, chair of PLNZ, to see what the experience is like.
Helen’s local public library in Kapiti can source interloans from New Zealand and Australian libraries for $15 and books take up to a week to arrive. Interloans from further afield can also be obtained but cost a little more. None of the books Helen searched for needed to come from outside New Zealand or Australia.
 
Helen wanted to see if she could find the following books and how much it might cost. The cost of purchasing online from a second-hand retailer has been included for the sake of comparison but you might like to search bricks-and-mortar second-hand bookshops to compare costs. This is what she found:
 
Book One: Pros & Cons a debater’s handbook. Michael Jacobson, 1987
My local library tells me this book is available from a New Zealand public library and can be interloaned for $15. I also searched for this book online and a second-hand copy is available for USD$3.00.
 
Book Two: The Social Sciences at a Turning Point? OECD, c1999
My local library can interloan this from three different New Zealand tertiary libraries for $15. It is also available second-hand online for USD$54.00.
 
Book Three: Global Crises and the Social Sciences: North American Perspectives, 1984
My local library can interloan this from multiple Australian libraries for $15. It is also available second-hand online from $USD17.00.
 
Book Four: Inside the Whale: Ten Personal Accounts of Social Research, 1978
My local library can interloan this from three different New Zealand tertiary libraries for $15. It is also available second-hand online for around USD$70.00.
 
Book Five: Collecting Autographs and Manuscripts, Charles Hamilton, 1961
My local library can interloan this from multiple Australian libraries for $15. It is also available second-hand online from $USD3.00.
 
Book Six: The Bermuda Triangle, Charles Berlitz, 1975
This is actually held at my local public library in Kapiti at no cost to me, easy-peasy! It is also available second-hand online from $USD2.00.

The Take-away

​Some of the books being removed from the overseas published collections are being re-homed in New Zealand libraries and the vast majority will be available to the public via the New Zealand interloan scheme. Most of these books have not been issued for 20-30 years. This change will have a limited impact on a small amount of people.
 
People outside of Wellington have been borrowing books from the National Library (and other libraries) via interloan for many years. Some more eclectic and historic titles may now have modest costs involved for Wellington-based researchers to obtain them from outside the National Library via interloan. Charges vary from library to library.
 
Many, many international titles are available via interloan through your public library. The majority should be available from New Zealand or Australian libraries for a limited cost. Some may need to be loaned from libraries further afield. Some books may be cheaper to purchase second-hand.
 
If you are a researcher affiliated with a university it may be even easier to interloan more eclectic and historic titles through your university library and it’s usually free unless you’ve requested an urgent interloan. If you are an independent researcher, you may want to think about paying to be affiliated to a tertiary institution. You should definitely be claiming any interloan costs as a business expense.
 
Helen is an alumnus of Victoria University of Wellington, so she can become an alumni member of their library. With that, she can get access to selected online resources and is able to borrow from their print collections for a fee of $100 per annum. That’s the average cost of 3-4 new books or 6-7 interloans. If you are serious about research this is a good option and can also be claimed as a business expense, check with your old university.
 
Do go and make use of your local public libraries, they really are your doorway to the world and your friendly librarians are there to help you find the information you need.

*Note: This article was written without the input of LIANZA President Rachel Esson, due to a conflict of interest.
Dr Helen Heath is the Communications Advisor for the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA). LIANZA was founded in 1910 and is the national organisation supporting institutions and professionals working in library and information services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. 
​
17 Comments
Adrian Beddows
5/3/2020 04:42:35 pm

The books were not borrowed because the books could not easily be borrowed. They were precious then they were rubbish. I have looked through the list of items and many are not available in other libraries in NZ. They may be available for sale online. and perhaps that is where these will go. To one person who can pay. And many will be binned. Perhaps there were just too many. and many of the books are dated. You don't know what you've got till its gone. except the public did not ever know what it had got. All the world;s original Anthroplogical Ethnographies. all the 327 spy books Writing about Communist China and Russia from 1930-1960. all the archaic occult religions. Madam Blavatcky. all the Virago and Pluto Press books. etc etc They will not be available to New Zealander's in 40 years time because of Storage space. and that's a shame.

Reply
Helen on Behalf of Bill Mcnaught
11/3/2020 04:08:22 pm

Kia ora Adrian,
These books were always catalogued and able to be accessed via the library interloan system and accessed in the National Library Wellington reading room. Every item from the Overseas Published Collections are fully catalogued and the holdings are on WorldCat.org. They are also available through the global library system and second hand book market.
Bill Mcnaught

Reply
Sylvia Kaa
5/3/2020 09:23:44 pm

1. The reason why many of these 600,000 items have not been borrowed via interloan is the fact that most of them have never been catalogued.
The do not exist, if the National Catalogue does not list them! Nobody could have ever borrowed them.
This fact was revealed when we requested to see the complete list of all items to be destroyed.
2. Interloans within NZ cost $16.-.
International interloans are difficult and from the Northern hemisphere mostly impossible, because those holding libraries do not wish to lend their resources for such a long time: up to a month to send them, 4 weeks borrowing time, another month to return it.
From my 11 years of regularly attempting international interloans, only some Australian university libraries supply and the cost is often almost as much as purchasing the item. Ergo the item is removed from the essential reading list or the - if budget allows - it will be purchased instead.
Who pays: often the taxpayer, if the research is done for the government. Would be much much cheaper to get the book from the National Library collection. Obviously it would need to be catalogued first and added as a holding to the NZ National Catalogue!
Universities will not do many international interloans, because the cost is prohibitive. The researcher will have to access enough funding to travel overseas for the research, simply to access the literature.

Reply
Helen on behalf of Bill Mcnaught
11/3/2020 04:14:47 pm

Kia ora Sylvia,
In answer to your first point, all items on the Overseas Published Collections that we’re looking to rehome have been catalogued and reported. We’re happy to offer more support if for some reason you are not able to access the books listed. Please email opcmanagement@dia.govt.nz.
To reply to your second point - $16 is not the cost for all library interloans - the cost for these vary .
Universities are the main requestors of overseas published interloans and very often they pass on the cost from the students and researchers to the universities.
Bill Mcnaught

Reply
Michael Pringle
5/3/2020 09:39:42 pm

Comment deleted

Reply
adrian beddows
6/3/2020 10:40:34 am

49,580 books that have already gone, according to the available lists. How many of those went to libraries we don't know, but Lions and Rotary have been given the rest. "The Rotary and Lions have taken them and plan to run a book fair later in the year" I think these should be distributed to book sales around the country,not just sold in Wellington. But they have gone regardless.

Reply
Helen on behalf of Bill Mcnaught
11/3/2020 04:18:16 pm

Kia ora Adrian,
We are giving libraries first option on the overseas published books we are looking to rehome. As stated on our Overseas Published Collections webpage:
“Since publishing our initial book lists we have received requests from more than 20 different libraries which include public and specialist libraries. As a result, these books will be retained in the New Zealand library network. We have received orders from prison libraries throughout the country.”
We donated the remainder of the books to Rotary and Lions who are running a large-scale book fair in July this year. This is a pilot and if the book fair is successful we hope to use book fairs nationwide to rehome those remaining books.
If you would like to be included in National Libraries Overseas Published Collections database to receive the most up-to-date news you can email opcmanagement@dia.govt.nz
Bill Mcnaught

Christopher Templeton
6/3/2020 04:31:07 am

I may not be a professional librarian but I use my fair share of libraries and archives in my career. And I can also recognise that there seems to be so much spin in this article that it makes a gyroscope look like an oil painting.
One of my areas of study is NZ ecclesiastical architecture, and obviously most of the background history of this subject is covered in overseas publications. (Funnily the Tractarian Society did not have a publications branch in New Zealand so there is almost no contemporary NZ books about that branch of church design). So when it comes to researching a building, it either means a trip to the relevant local library (if they hold a copy of the parish history) and then cross referencing the architect/builder and what background training they had and the influences in the building design. For that type of research the overseas published books are not held in general local public libraries. They are either the Kinder library in Auckland, a scattering of universities, or the National Library in Molesworth Street. And the last lot of inter loan books I had were reference books, so they could not leave my local library so I had to read them there after finishing work in the late afternoon and for the hours the library was open in the weekend. So between the cost of inter loans and the limited time to use the resources, I have found it easier to have a research holiday in Wellington and be able to devote several days solid research. So if the National Library is going to be ‘weeding’ out their collection, those books will not be available to use.
The claim that the National Library will re-home the 600,000 books would be laugh out loud if it wasn’t so misguided. There is talk of rehoming some of the books to other libraries in New Zealand. That is no comfort at all, because what will happen when those library decide to have a weeding - sorry cull, throw out, sale. Those books will be lost to New Zealand researchers.
As for the claim that local supply from well-stocked libraries have displaced the need for a portion [read 600,000 books] of the National Library’s overseas published books - that claim has little relationship to reality. For example, my local library has in the past few years culled and sold off well over 150 lineal metres of their stock (from a quick estimate of the number of tables in the community hall and boxes under them) and then less than two years ago got rid of almost all of their stack (including 19th century NZ works) to make room for a newspaper archive that is not open to the public.
My own private collection of woodworking and furniture books [another professional interest] is larger than is held by the local public library - in no small part because it consists of books purchased at the aforementioned sales. The techniques and methods, and designs mentioned in these books are not out of date but they were still deaccessioned. So if the National Library were to redistribute a fraction of what they want to biff, there is no guarantee that they will still survive in other collections.
As for the thinking that because a book hasn’t been issued in 20 -30 years the information it contains is now worthless is quite absurd. If that thinking were to be applied across the road in Mulgrave Street there would be nothing in the National Archives. Twenty to thirty years is less than a generation. Who is to say that what one generation has not used fully will not be picked up by the next generation.
The problem is not too many books but rather a lack of funding to look after what the National Library has been entrusted to care for. Instead of trying to convince the public that getting rid of well over half a million books is a wise move - why are the staff and proponents of this cull not jumping up and down screaming blue murder at the lack of proper funding for storage, and putting arguments to the public as to why the National Library’s funding should be increased.

Reply
Helen on behalf of Bill Mcnaught
11/3/2020 04:09:54 pm

Kia ora Christopher,
Before the OPC book lists are released National Library staff are carefully going through those lists and making recommendations of items to retain. We also wanted to let you know that we haven’t yet reached the architecture section of the overseas published books we are looking to rehome. Once the lists have been made public, if you see items on the lists you would like to keep you can work with your local library to make the request to retain those books.
We don’t believe that because something hasn’t been used it’s useless, but it is not the National Library’s role or job to keep an item just in case someone wants it, but it is our job to help people access that book if they request it.
The National Library’s role is to keep New Zealand and Pacific material and Alexander Turnbull Library material in perpetuity. This does not include overseas published material .
We wanted to also assure you that funding isn’t the key driver here, it’s about being good stewards and retaining a well-managed collection.
Bill Mcnaught

Reply
Sam A
10/3/2020 07:33:42 am

Is LIANZA truly independent of NLNZ?

If LIANZA wishes to allay perceptions that it is not, it should at the very least present an alternative perspective to that given here in another blog. Some members do not agree with the viewpoint given here.

Reply
Philip
10/3/2020 08:09:34 am

If only libraries had infinite storage space for infitinitely large collections, alas they don't.
NLNZ could very easily have done this by stealth through gradual deselection (if you donlt like the term weeding) but instead have taken a very transparent approach.
Thank you Helen for a fact based piece.

Reply
Maria
12/3/2020 09:27:59 am

Well said Philip!

Reply
Helen
10/3/2020 01:25:49 pm

Kia ora Sam, thanks for your comment. LIANZA wrote this article in partnership with Public Libraries NZ. We followed up on what the experience would be to find a random selection of books and presented the facts from our investigation. Nga mihi, Helen

Reply
J Spencer
17/6/2020 10:24:14 am

Hi, I am studying books by Robin O'Dell and Colin Wilson on Jack the Ripper around the 1980s, as well as Jack the Ripper books in general. If I could own them I would. Please tell me you have not destroyed those, also any Upton Sinclair Books.
Thank you.

Reply
Helen Heath
17/6/2020 02:20:10 pm

Here is the most up-to-date information and latest book lists on the Overseas Published Collections: https://natlib.govt.nz/about-us/strategy-and-policy/collections-policy/overseas-published-collection-management

You’ll find a directory at the top of the page where you’ll be guided to the book lists still available which you can download:

• Fiction titles (pdf, 5MB) Expressions of interest for fiction titles will close on 30 June 2020.

Reply
Richard
17/6/2020 12:35:21 pm

Can you publish a list of titles? Then anyone can ask for some of those books you wish to destroy. This would be better than dumping them - give them away to a good home please.

Reply
Helen Heath
17/6/2020 02:21:18 pm

The National library made these available a while back and some libraries have requested titles as per the article above. Here is the most up-to-date information and latest book lists on the Overseas Published Collections: https://natlib.govt.nz/about-us/strategy-and-policy/collections-policy/overseas-published-collection-management

You’ll find a directory at the top of the page where you’ll be guided to the book lists still available which you can download:

• Fiction titles (pdf, 5MB) Expressions of interest for fiction titles will close on 30 June 2020.

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