Source: Eastern Institute of Technology
27 seconds ago
After surviving Cyclone Gabrielle and more than two years in chilled, climate-controlled care, a rare and irreplaceable collection of books has returned to EIT’s Hawke’s Bay campus.
The 225 books, which include out-of-print and culturally significant works of Māori and New Zealand history, were removed from the library following the February 2023 floods to protect them from humidity and further damage.
With support from MTG Hawke’s Bay, the collection was packed into eight boxes and transferred into the museum’s chilled, climate-controlled archival facility.
Heather Pilbeam, EIT Library and Learning Support Manager, with a rare collection of books that have been in safe keeping at MTG.
Heather Pilbeam, EIT Library and Learning Support Manager, said the books are significant taonga that could not be replaced.
“They include important Ngāti Kahungunu histories and other titles that are out of print and incredibly hard to find. And they inform our postgraduate programmes.”
Many of the books were saved thanks to their position inside a cabinet, which kept them above the flood line as water and mud swept through the library.
“The bottom of the cabinet got wet, but the books inside stayed dry. We were incredibly lucky.”
Last week, the books were returned to the refurbished Tim Twist Building, formerly the Twist Library and now EIT’s central student hub Te Parongo.
The rare collection joins the other books from EIT’s wider physical library collection that have now been returned to the shelves.
In the months following the cyclone, staff packed the 30,000-book collection into boxes, stored them in apple bins, and moved them to dry storage at the far end of campus. Over three months, each book was unpacked, assessed, cleaned, scanned and repackaged.
Heather said 13.7 per cent of the books were damaged in some way.
“We thought there would be more damage after so long, but we were really lucky. I think it came down to the care we took in those early months.”
A second three-month phase of work earlier this year saw the collection re-sequenced and returned to the library shelves.
Heather acknowledged the many staff across campus who played a role in restoring and returning the books to the library, and thanked MTG Hawke’s Bay for stepping in when it was needed most.
Ondene van Dulm, Executive Director for Student and Academic Services, also expressed her appreciation for the work of those within and outside of EIT.
“The support from MTG in caring for these books while EIT facilities have gradually been rebuilt is a shining example of how community comes together in the face of adversity.
“Just as we have been welcoming staff and students back onto campus over the last 18 months, it’s now a huge pleasure to have this rare book collection back in its rightful home.”
While the majority of EIT’s library collection is now digital, Heather said print books still play an important role for students.
“The library has a much more significant online collection these days, with databases covering subjects like nursing, health sciences, computing, business and all of our degree programmes.
“But there are some titles that aren’t available as e-books, and some students simply prefer using print when they can.”
The team is now looking forward to welcoming students back for the start of the new semester.