Our largest single Commonwealth collection. This major specialist collection includes some 7,000 volumes on all topics relating to New Zealand. The collection was presented in 1991 when the Government of New Zealand presented the historical volumes of the Library of the High Commission in London to the University of Edinburgh. The New Zealand House Library in London was the largest in New Zealand's overseas posts, and had been in existence for over a hundred years. Now known as the New Zealand Studies Collection, it consists of some 7,000 volumes, and included extensive sets of New Zealand official publications, especially Parliamentary series. It covers most aspects of New Zealand's life, history and development, with particular emphasis on history, exploration, literature, anthropology, and Maori studies. Most titles were published before 1975. The collection is available for standard loan; a card catalogue is still in use but a project to catalogue the whole collection online is underway. Some 200 books have been transferred to Special Collections, including numerous pre-1850 books and rare emigrants’ books, ornithological books and early travel guides. This article was published on 2024-08-21
