What Kōtui offers
Kōtui is a consortium of New Zealand public libraries, offering a modern shared library management and resource discovery service.
Kōtui — a unified library service
The word 'kōtui' in te reo Māori means to interlace or interweave, and represents the bringing together of library councils around the country for a unified service and network.
Kōtui’s goal is to make the work of running a library system easier and more cost-effective, by providing certainty in terms of both costs and service, simplifying planning and budgeting for councils. Kōtui is an affordable, efficient option to help libraries manage their collections, with leading-edge functionality for library users that would otherwise be unaffordable for many councils.
Kōtui has a thriving community of librarians around the country, with a shared passion for good library systems. The Kōtui network provides a platform enabling public libraries from across New Zealand to collaborate regardless of geographical location and allowing librarian expertise to be shared across the whole consortium.
Benefits of Kōtui
Kōtui has a wide range of benefits for councils, libraries and the public.
Benefits for councils and libraries
As part of the Kōtui consortium, library managers and staff benefit from access to reliable future-proofed systems, and the ability to easily build resource-sharing networks with other Kōtui public libraries for their physical resources. Furthermore, because Kōtui libraries no longer have to manage their library systems, this frees staff up to dedicate more time with their customers.
Competitive consortium pricing provides councils access to library management services at a price that would not be available outside of the consortium model. Other benefits of Kōtui membership include training opportunities, 7-day service desk support from a specialist team, and an active and supportive membership community.
Benefits for the public
The public using Kōtui libraries benefit from resource discovery tools at their fingertips, making it easy to find what they want in their library’s physical and electronic collections. Library users can search these resources in-library, at-home or on their smartphone devices, making the service convenient and adaptable to the wide variety of needs of the community.
"The new computer system is excellent!! Really powerful searching tools. Great to have access to full-text news articles, especially from overseas..."
— a Nelson library customer
Key components of the Kōtui service
Key components of the Kōtui service include:
- a system to manage a library’s physical items — Symphony from SirsiDynix
- a search facility across a library’s physical and electronic items — Enterprise from SirsiDynix
- a catalogue enrichment and readers’ advisory service — Syndetics Unbound from ProQuest
- a centralised data hosting service — provided by Computer Concepts Ltd
- the New Zealand-based support and administrative team for the Kōtui service — provided by The National Library
Some other notable features of the service are a public mobile app (BLUEcloud Mobile) to provide greater flexibility of access to your collections for customers, powerful systems for analytics and reporting, and a secure backup service and a 4G Failover contingency for business continuity and managing disaster recovery.
The Kōtui team offer support resources and online training opportunities, and 7-day service desk support via an 0800 number and an online service portal.
Beyond the core Kōtui offering, there is also a suite of additional service options available, with contract licenses at a reduced price as negotiated via the consortium.
Read more about the services available as part of the Kōtui consortium
Kōtui subscription model
The Kōtui service is available to all New Zealand district councils for their public libraries on a subscription basis from the National Library Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa (The National Library is mandated to supplement and further the work of other libraries in New Zealand).
The Kōtui consortium is self-funded by its member councils. New members pay a one-off fee for licensing and data migration; then, going forward there is an annual subscription operating fee, which is calculated based in part on the population of the specific council region.
For new members entering the consortium, a contract is signed between the Council and The National Library / Department of Internal Affairs for the provision of the services provided, which covers the terms of the arrangement.
Kōtui governance
A Kōtui Board is in place to help guide the development of the service. The Board has representatives from participating public libraries, the National Library, local government (LGNZ), the library managers association (PLNZ), and an independent consultant.
Board members hold 2 or 3–year terms, and any staff member from a Kōtui library is welcome to put forward their name for consideration to fill one of the two seats for Library Members.
A Kōtui Managers Executive Group is elected to represent the wider membership. Among their responsibilities is the task of organising the agenda for the annual Kōtui Managers Meeting.
Daily operational running of the service is managed by the Kōtui team, led by the Kōtui & Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa Business Development & Operations Manager.
Find out more
For more information about Kōtui, including how to become a member, contact the Kōtui team at kotui@dia.govt.nz.
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