Kōtui – a virtual library at your place
14 March 2012
Thousands more library users will have direct access to local and international collections when District libraries in three more regions link to Kōtui this month, National Librarian Bill Macnaught announced today.
“The National Library of New Zealand welcomes these libraries and their users to Kōtui, the shared library management service linking public library users to everything on their local bookshelves as well as e-books, and massive volumes of information in international catalogues and databases.
“It’s great the Waimakariri District Libraries in Rangiora, Kaiapoi and Oxford will join on 15 March. They lost their Kaiapoi library building in the earthquakes and I know some librarians lost their homes. It’s a credit to their professionalism that they are delivering Kōtui to the three townships.
“Kōtui will be available at four libraries and a mobile library in Wanganui District on 22 March and to Palmerston North City’s five libraries and their mobile library on 29 March. Kōtui is already available in Marlborough, Taupō, New Plymouth, Nelson and Tasman.
“The Library’s Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa (APNK) is providing public libraries with free access to broadband internet services. Kōtui now makes it possible for anyone with a library card, wherever they are, to search the catalogues, reserve anything on the local shelves, from books to DVDs and to download e-books from those libraries that have them.
“Most exciting is the access Kōtui users now have from their home, school or business computer to information in international databases. These include sources such as the Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre which holds Australasian magazines, newspapers, newswires and reference books plus Press Display which provides digital replicas of the current issues of the world’s newspapers in their original form.
“By the end of 2013, 15 districts and cities will be linked to Kōtui.”
Marlborough District Libraries linked to Kōtui in September 2011. Library Manager Glenn Webster says researchers have been excited by the Electronic Discovery Service which adds depth to the catalogue.
“In conjunction with moving to Kōtui, Marlborough District Libraries users have enjoyed receiving pre-due email notifications, especially parents of young children whose books sometimes mysteriously disappear,” Mr Webster said.
“They also appreciate being advised that they have already read a particular book – having their reading history kept is also a plus.”
ends
Additional information
Palmerston North City Library: http://citylibrary.pncc.govt.nz/
Central Library, Ashurst Library, Awapuni Library, Roslyn Library, Te Pātikitiki Library and Mobile Library
Wanganui District Library: http://www.wanganuilibrary.com/site/
Davis Central Library, Alexander Heritage Library, Gobville Café Library and Suzanne Aubert Library. Mobile Library
Waimakariri District Libraries: http://libraries.waimakariri.govt.nz/homepage.aspx
Oxford Library, Kaiapoi Library and Rangiora Library
Kōtui: http://www.kotui.org.nz/kotui-services
The word 'kōtui' in te reo Māori means to interlace or interweave.
The Kōtui shared service is the result of collaboration between a group of public libraries, the Association of Public Library Managers (APLM), Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) and the National Library of New Zealand. The service is available to all New Zealand public libraries on a subscription basis from the National Library.
This shared service provides New Zealand public libraries with an affordable, efficient option to help manage collections and includes leading edge functionality for library users that might otherwise have been unaffordable.
The three suppliers to Kōtui each have responsibility for different components of the service with SirsiDynix providing the core systems to manage the physical items held by libraries; EBSCO Publishing providing EBSCO Discovery Service, the service that allows combined discovery of both physical and electronic items held by the library, and Computer Concepts Ltd providing centralised hosting services from their Christchurch-based data centre.
For more information, contact Christine Seymour, Senior Communications Advisor, Department of Internal Affairs on 04 894 6086.
