Context
New Zealand productivity and export growth has not kept pace with other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Innovation can increase productivity and open new markets. The information that sparks innovation comes from not only staff, customers and suppliers, but also from books, journals, patent disclosures and the internet.1
Internet use is continuing to grow rapidly and may reach saturation levels in the next 15 years. Of the total New Zealand population in 2015 91% were internet users, while 99% of New Zealanders under 40 were internet users.2
In the year to June 2015, New Zealand public libraries had over 2 million registered users, making nearly 42 million loans against collections of nearly 12 million items and 400,000 e-books.3 Every local authority in New Zealand offers a public library service.
Approximately 14% of New Zealand published works (published by, for, or about New Zealand) are available online. Of these, many have barriers to access due to pay walls, broken links or the need to register.4
Horizon 1: Continuous improvement
Opportunities we see
Public, school and university libraries enjoy high levels of public trust and participation across the population, and they can leverage this influence to assist the digital publishing transition.
What success could look like
National contracts for licensing e-content and new systems to enable universal access through all public and school libraries.
Horizon 2: Next generation
Opportunities we see
One or more network solutions provided by the National Library are used by over 90% of New Zealand libraries to deliver access to their resources.
What success could look like
Local government and schools taking part in a New Zealand-wide shared library management system and membership registration, creating one library network.
Significantly scaled up digitisation of New Zealand content, including the metadata necessary to enable digital content to be easily discovered.
Redeveloped digital services including improved functionality and access to allow better interaction from the National Library and partner institutions.
Horizon 3: Exploration and transformation
Opportunities we see
New Zealand's population of 4.5 million provides us with the opportunity to innovate through open and collaborative networks, in the way that cities with populations similar to New Zealand can.
What success could look like
Partnership with publishers, copyright policy makers and rights management organisations to explore how all of New Zealand’s published output can be made digitally available to New Zealanders. The Norwegian approach is a good example of this type of partnership.5
Connection of the New Zealand library network linking digital content across the cultural, education, research and government sectors.
Read more about the strategy
One knowledge network: Transforming the way knowledge is shared to ensure New Zealanders have easy access to publicly held collections and research.
A nation of readers: Creating a nation of readers with the skills for a modern life, to build social cohesion, participation and well-being.
Words as taonga: New Zealanders will value the words, sounds and pictures created and collected as documentary heritage to learn from the past and inspire our future.
Questions: Your feedback is important to inform the choices we make about which initiatives are developed first and at what pace.
1. Statistics New Zealand, Business Operations Survey 2011 (Excel 1.28MB). Wellington: Statistics New Zealand, 2011; Shaun Hendy & Paul Callaghan,Get off the Grass: Kickstarting New Zealand’s Innovation Economy. Auckland: Auckland University Press, 2013
2. C. Crothers, P. Smith, P. W. B. Urale & A. Bell, The Internet in New Zealand 2015 (PDF 2.5MB). Auckland: Institute of Culture, Discourse & Communication, AUT University, 2016.
3. Public Library Statistics 2014-2015 (Excel 220KB). Wellington: Public Libraries of New Zealand, 2015
4. Data analysis based on Te Puna and WorldCat, June 2016
5. Marianne Takle, “The Norwegian National Digital Library”, Ariadne 60 (2009)