An Aspect of the Infinite: New Zealand Talks

Fresh encounters with Māori treasures first seen by the author at the Metropolitan Museum in 1984 revealed the concentrated power of these objects and the importance of their presence among the beliefs and continuities of their makers’ culture. A masterwork viewed in a museum may evoke a strong and sometimes inarticulate response. We might say the inability to articulate reflects a larger dimension—an aspect of the infinite—residing in the object. Museum objects return us to the human culture and knowledge we carry with us; they stimulate reflective impulses essential to the shared threads of democracy. They allow us to locate ourselves and each other, and our shared horizons.     

Scholarly journal publishing in New Zealand

Learned societies and other non‐profit organizations in New Zealand publish scholarly journals in a number of disciplines, many of them subjects in which New Zealand has a particular economic interest. Although most of the journals are small, a surprising number of them have paid, rather than voluntary academic, editors. Some have launched electronic versions, but only one has experimented with open access (OA). In a number of cases this lack of interest in OA is because the society cannot see a business model that would render the society as a whole economically viable. Some of the smallest journals, published only annually, may have the most assured future because their operation is entirely voluntary.     

(1) International resource sharing: A New Zealand view

Abstract

The Australian public sector, like that in many other countries, has been undergoing substantial reform for more than a decade. The changes, which have been introduced as ways of improving efficiency, effectiveness and accountability, have affected all areas of government operations. The methods for achieving the improvements have involved substantial change in respect of financial management, goal setting and evaluation, structural change and human resource management policies. Occurring concurrently with change within the public sector, the Australian Commonwealth and various state governments have been pursuing substantial change programs in other areas, such as industrial relations, which have had many similar aims to those of the government reform programs, a major one being the improvement of efficiency and effectiveness in the workplace. Libraries have felt, and will continue to feel, the impacts of these reforms as new management requirements and methods are introduced. This paper briefly describes a number of aspects of the various reform programs highlighting their impacts to date and some of their likely future impacts on the librarian and the library workplace.     

Democracy online: an assessment of New Zealand government web sites

This study assesses the effectiveness of New Zealand government Web sites in providing equitable and appropriate access to government information to all citizens. A range of government Web sites was evaluated, and visitors to approximately half of these sites were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the effectiveness of the sites. Results show that there are several key issues for the government to address in formulating effective policy for government Web sites. These include the need for: a clear statement of purpose; good meta-data; good contacts for feedback and update of information; clear statements and adequate provision for confidentiality and privacy of personal data, liability, and copyright; access for disabled users; availability of publications in both electronic and print formats. Key issues to emerge from the user survey focus on the need for better search engines, indexes, and site maps to help people find out quickly if the information they are wanting is likely to be there, and to locate it. Users also need to be assured that the information on government Web sites is accurate and up-to-date. The authors concluded that there is a major gap in government policy emerging from this research that needs urgently to be addressed.     

Imperatives for regular collection inventories: A New Zealand university library's experience

This paper describes three imperatives for collection inventory work at the University of Canterbury (UC) Library. Learning experiences from UC Library's first full inventory in 2005 were used to develop a regular and sustainable method of conducting future inventories. The first need for inventory arose as a result of an organized crime ring that targeted valuable books in libraries throughout New Zealand. Findings from library customer surveys in 2003 and 2005 gave rise to a second imperative which was to take prompt, proactive action regarding items missing from the shelves. As UC Library begins moving items to offsite storage, a third imperative arose for correctly accounting for what UC Library actually holds. As pressure comes on staffing resources this additional and significant collection management task has had to be achieved without extra staff. Good communication, clarity of responsibilities and breaking down the work into manageable amounts all became vital to the overall success of managing inventory work.     

Youth Radio Listening in New Zealand: More Choice,More Listening

This study found that in the 1O years since the near total deregulation of the New Zealand radio environment, the number of available youth- oriented radio choices has increased in three of the four markets examined, while the variety of choice increased in all markets. Results also showed that 10-17 year old 7ime Spent Listening (TSL) had increased significantly, contrary to trends in overseas markets, but growth was restricted to areas where the number of outlets had increased. It was evident that at least two of the promised benefits of deregulation (increased listener choice and increased listening) were justified. However, it did appear that there was an order of impact as a function of market size, with listeners in larger markets benefiting before those living in smaller, less revenue rich areas. Such growth was dependent on the financial success of commercial operators. It was concluded that the full effects of deregulation take time, particularly with reference to less commercially desirable markets, but there were warning signs that the impact could be selective and restricted to markets that can assist operators in achieving financial growth and profitability. It was suggested that countries considering changes to broadcast policy could learn from the New Zealand experience.     

Community attitudes towards broadcasting standards in New Zealand

In this article we report on the findings of a 1999 research project conducted by New Zealand's Broadcasting Standards Authority (the Authority). The project was designed to survey the attitudes of New Zealand adults to several aspects of broadcasting standards, such as offensive language, screen violence, the portrayal of sex and nudity, discrimination and privacy issues. This article will examine the background to the research, the principal empirical findings, and in conclusion will identify five cluster profiles which emerged from a statistical analysis of the data.     

Developing Inquiring Minds: Public Library Programming for Babies in Aotearoa New Zealand

This article presents selected results of research exploring public library programming for very young children in Aotearoa New Zealand. We suggest that programming incorporating “active movement” principles and activities is expanding due to a growing understanding of the benefits that positive, interactive movement opportunities bring for babies’ development and future learning. A survey of public library services in Aotearoa New Zealand found that that there is widespread provision of active movement programming for the 0–2 age group, and that respondents were aware of neuroscience research and how the public library service can support young children’s development through appropriate community-based programming.     

New Zealand University libraries effectivenss project: Dimensions and concepts of organizational effectiveness

The two stages of the New Zealand University Libraries Effectiveness Study explore Cameron's models of organizational effectiveness. In the second stage (reported here) the objective was to identify dimensions of effectiveness in New Zealand university libraries, and to examine parallels with dimensions of effectiveness revealed in a similar study of New Zealand public libraries. All library staff in all New Zealand university libraries were asked to rate their library's performance against 99 indicators of effectiveness. They rated performance highest in areas where library staff performance was under question, lowest where resource inputs and organizational support affected library performance. Factor analysis was used to derive 13 dimensions of performance. Six of the dimensions closely paralleled dimensions revealed in the New Zealand Pubic Libraries Effectiveness Study. The 13 dimensions were seen to reflect four models of organizational effectiveness, and to provide parallels with some U.S. studies.