Overseas Published Collections — collection management project

We are nearing the end of a project to review and rehome up to 600,000 books from our Overseas Published Collections. Find out about the project. We update this page regularly with information about the project.

On this page

Page updated 31 October 2022

Latest update from Te Pouhuaki National Librarian

Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa National Library is about to start the process of developing a new policy for removing and disposing of collection items. This policy will sit alongside other important policies that guide our activities.

This policy work will specifically inform how we make decisions about items to be removed from collections and how we dispose of deaccessioned items. This will include decisions on whether we donate, export, or securely destroy them, or any other method that is developed as part of the policy process.

The library is planning stakeholder engagement around this mahi. We will first form an advisory group to provide advice and input into a draft removal and disposal policy. Then, we will invite stakeholders to be involved in conversations about this initial draft in the new year.

Decisions around disposal of items from our General Collection to date, such as donating to other libraries, have been guided by our Principles for retention or deselection of the Overseas Published Collections held by the National Library of New Zealand 2019.

The National Library has three distinct collections, created and maintained for distinct purposes. These are the research collections (including the Alexander Turnbull Library collections), the General Collection and the Schools Collection.

The research strength of the National Library is in the Alexander Turnbull Library collection, which is owned by the Crown and kept in perpetuity. The National Library’s Schools Collection has its own policy for removal and disposal of items and, as such, is not within the scope of this work.

We will continue to collect overseas published books where they support the functions of the National Library. We are committed to working with researchers and with other libraries to ensure rich collections of research materials are accessible for New Zealanders now and in the future.

— 31 October 2022

What we are doing with the Overseas Published Collections

Since 2018, we have been reviewing and rehoming titles from our Overseas Published Collections (OPC), which were part of our General Collection.

This is so we can make room to continue to grow our Māori, Pacific and New Zealand collections and to build well-managed coherent collections that support the National Library’s functions, in line with our legislated mandate and Collections Policy.

Overseas Published Collections titles have been reviewed with input from our stakeholders, including librarians, students and researchers. The National Library listened to the views of the public and staff who were concerned about losing access to the knowledge contained in the books.

Principles for retention or deselection of the Overseas Published Collections

The Principles for retention or deselection of the Overseas Published Collections held by the National Library of New Zealand 2019 document was created to ensure that due diligence has been applied to the distribution of the Overseas Published Collections.

The document provided visibility to National Library stakeholders and staff directly involved on the distribution/process work and any other interested parties, on the principles to be applied when distributing the Overseas Published Collections.

As this collection had not been reviewed for many years, this exercise was a significant undertaking and principles were developed to ensure that the publications out of scope for remaining in the collection were handled in an appropriate manner.

Following Principle One, our process was to first offer deselected books to New Zealand and Pacific libraries, then to other organisations and lastly to individuals.

By applying principle one of our Principles, some of the books have been transferred to the Alexander Turnbull Library’s research collections.

This document will be superseded by a new removal and disposal policy currently being developed.

Principles for retention or deselection of the Overseas Published Collections held by the National Library of New Zealand 2019 (pdf, 170KB)

Mandate for the review of Overseas Published Collections

The National Library signalled the beginning of the review process in 2015 when the Library’s Collections Policy was widely consulted with the whole of New Zealand’s library sector. Successive Ministers have supported this work and the National Library has been keeping our current Minister briefed on the progress and next steps.

As required by the National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa) Act 2003, Ministerial approval had been given for the removal of these books from the National Library.

The Overseas Published Collections project is supported by the library sector including the Council of New Zealand University Librarians (CONZUL), Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) and the Library Information Advisory Committee (LIAC), which advises the Minister of Internal Affairs.

No items from the Alexander Turnbull collections affected

The items being considered for rehoming are from the National Library General Collections. No items from the Alexander Turnbull collections will be part of this initiative.

The research strength of the National Library lies in the Alexander Turnbull Library which holds an outstanding research collection of published and unpublished New Zealand resources, together with collections of international renown based on the original collecting interests of Alexander Turnbull in areas including rare books, John Milton and voyages of discovery.

The Alexander Turnbull Library Collections, which continue to grow, are held as a separate collection in perpetuity.

Result of Overseas Published Collections review

As a result of the review process, a more focused collection of overseas publications, that meets our collection principles, is being retained in the National Library’s General Collections.

We reached out to libraries in New Zealand and the Pacific, offering them items in the collections. To date, we’ve received requests for just over 12,680 of the books from other libraries in the New Zealand and wider Library network.

We’ve distributed approximately half of these requested items and are working to get the rest to their new homes. Requests for books came from:

  • university libraries

  • national libraries

  • public libraries

  • government department libraries

  • law libraries, and

  • special libraries, such as the Lesbian & Gay Archives of New Zealand, and the Catholic Diocese of Auckland Library.

We are pleased that these books will be able to strengthen existing collections in organisations where there is an associated community of interest. These books remain accessible to researchers, and the public, through the inter-loan system.

Disposal of remaining deaccessioned items will be informed by a new removal and disposal policy, currently being developed.

National Library collections

The National Library has three main collections, the Alexander Turnbull Collection, the General Collection and the Schools Collection.

Alexander Turnbull Library Collection

The Alexander Turnbull Library Collection is the collection that safeguards our documentary heritage and taonga and it is entirely out of scope in this project. This collection is held in perpetuity and includes a wealth of material that represent the broad perspective of New Zealand’s heritage gathered by all its peoples.

Just under half of the National Library’s four million published items are in the Alexander Turnbull Library. This includes many overseas published items such as books by Jane Austen (29 including four different editions of Sense and Sensibility), Shakespeare and Cervantes books (including Don Quixote in Spanish and English), and books about overseas figures such as Mao Tse-Tung (Mao Zedong) including an annotated bibliography of all of his works, selections of poetry and Rewi Alley’s books.

The General Collection

The General Collection is a working collection that has its origins in the Country Library Service before it became part of the new National Library in 1965. Those books were important for supplementing the work of libraries across the country.

The General Collection contains one copy of our legal deposit material for the purposes of lending to other libraries. Legal deposit books are not in scope for this project. It also contains books purchased to support current research interests in the Alexander Turnbull Library.

The books in the General Collection that are deaccessioned have served their purpose and are no longer needed. They are not considered as documentary heritage or taonga.

The Schools Collection

Books in the National Library Schools Collection are fully depreciated after five years as a high-use hardworking collection used in schools up and down the country. They are not considered as documentary heritage or taonga.

Overseas Published Collections — future collecting

The Overseas Published Collections are part of the General Collection, which began in 1939. They are not one single collection but are made up of an assortment of books from a variety of sources including some material that had been withdrawn from other libraries. Until recently, these books hadn’t been carefully curated for any purpose and approximately 80% of them have not been issued for 20 to 30 years. Less than 1% of these books were used last year.

Local supply from well-stocked libraries, new offerings of large back-catalogues of e-books and audiobooks for the New Zealand reading public have largely replaced the need for some of our overseas published books.

We are not rehoming all the overseas published material. The National Library collections still contain books published overseas. We are committed to ensuring that New Zealanders can access the books that are relevant and of interest to them.

That means a portion of our collection will always be made up of overseas published material. We continue to buy overseas books to provide the lending collection that New Zealanders need. This is especially important given the work with schools on the value and contribution of print collections (both New Zealand and overseas) for reading engagement and literacy of young people.

The National Library acquires between 80,000 to 90,000 electronic and print publications a year that consist of New Zealand, Pacific and overseas material.

The areas of the Overseas Published Collections where we have collection strengths are:

  • library and information science

  • music

  • reference works

  • children’s literature

  • family history, and

  • print disabilities.

We will retain titles in these areas.

Collections policy and collection plans

National Library of New Zealand Collections Policy

National Library makes more room for New Zealand and Pacific stories — Media release

Some common questions answered

Have a look at answers to some questions we've been asked a number of times during the project.

Rehoming 600,000 books from the New Zealand National Library — some common questions answered

More information about what we are doing

Thank you and get in touch

Thank you for your feedback and participation in the Overseas Published Collections project.

If you have any questions email opcmanagement@dia.govt.nz