New Zealand Digital Library (original) (raw)

User contributed collections

Humanitarian and UN collections

Greenstone documentation collections

Demonstration collections

Documented Example collections

The New Zealand Digital Library Project

The New Zealand Digital Library project is a research programme at The University of Waikato whose aim is to develop the underlying technology for digital libraries and make it available publicly so that others can use it to create their own collections.

The Greenstone software
Greenstone Facts Greenstone Wiki	The Greenstone Digital Library software provides a way of organizing information and making it available over the Internet or on removable media such as DVD or USB thumb drive. It is open-source software, available under the terms of the Gnu public license. A digital library is made up of a set of collections. Each collection of information comprises several (typically several thousand, or even several million) documents, which share a uniform searching and browsing interface. Collections can be organized in many different ways while retaining a strong family resemblance. More...
Our research
Research People Projects Publications	The goal of our research program is to explore the potential of internet-based digital libraries. Our vision is to develop systems that automatically impose structure on anarchic, uncatalogued, distributed repositories of information, thereby providing information consumers with effective tools to locate what they need and to peruse it conveniently and comfortably. Project members are actively working on techniques for creating, managing, and maintaining collections; extracting metadata from legacy documents; analysing library usage and user needs; Maori, Arabic and Chinese language systems; internationalising the library interface; music information retrieval; novel interfaces for formulating queries and visualising results; novel interfaces for browsing metadata; text mining for keyphrases, acronyms, and other metadata; keyphrase extraction and phrase-based browsing; and other research topics. More...
Our affiliates
	Human Info NGOis a registered charity responsible for the provision of universal low-cost information access through co-operation between UN Agencies, universities and NGOs. Human Info NGO collaborates extensively with the NZDL project, and use the Greenstone software.
	United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The dissemination of educational, scientific and cultural information throughout the world, and particularly its availability in developing countries, is central to UNESCO's goals as pursued within its intergovernmental Information for All Programme, and appropriate, accessible information and communication technology is seen as an important tool in this context.

Kia papapounamu te moana kia hora te marino,kia tere te karohirohi,kia papapounamu te moanamay peace and calmness surround you,may you reside in the warmth of a summer's haze,may the ocean of your travels be as smooth as the polished greenstone.

Greenstone is a semi-precious stone that (like this software) is sourced in New Zealand. In traditional Maori society it was the most highly prized and sought after of all substances. It can absorb and hold wairua, which is a spirit or life force, and is endowed with traditional virtues that make it an appropriate emblem for a public-domain digital library project. Its lustre shows charity; its translucence, honesty; its toughness, courage; and the sharp edge it can take, justice.

Toki Pou Hinengaro

'The adze that shapes the excellence of thought'

In November 2000, a toki pou tangata (greenstone adze) was presented to the New Zealand Digital Library by Māori, to acknowledge the important work being done on taonga (treasure) such as the Niupepa Collection. The toki was carved by Bernard Makoare of Ngāti Whātua and Te Rarawa descent.

The toki is to symbolize the significance of pounamu (greenstone). It is to inspire the work that is being done here with qualities of mana, authority and leadership. It is a tough stone, a connection to be made. It is to be used to carve out and guide the excellence of thought that is harvested in the New Zealand Digital Library.

Haramai te toki, haumi e, hui e, tāiki e!

New Zealand Digital Library Project
Department of Computer Science, University of Waikato, New Zealand