Kiwis in the Collection: The New Zealand Presence in the Published Record

#oclcresearch #nzreport

An OCLC Research Report by:

Brian Lavoie

Key highlights:

• New Zealand’s presence in the published record accounts for nearly one million distinct publications
• The most globally popular New Zealanders in published record are Mahy, Cowley, Marsh, Partridge and Eden
• The most globally popular New Zealand musician in published record is Keith Urban
• The most popular works set in New Zealand are Whale Rider, Teacher, The Bone People, Hunter, The Piano
• The New Zealand presence in the published record accounts for 7.4 million library holdings worldwide
• The New Zealand presence in the published record includes publications in a wide range of Pacific Rim languages
• Partridge’s Dictionary of Slang & Unconventional English is the most globally prominent New Zealand work in the published record

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Abstract

This report characterizes the size and scope of the New Zealand presence in the published record, highlights some of its salient characteristics, and describes its diffusion around the world. The New Zealand presence in the published record is defined as the collection of materials (books, sound recordings, films, and so on) that are published in New Zealand; are created by individuals born in New Zealand; or are about or set in New Zealand.

Characterizing a national presence as the materials published in a country, by a country’s native-born citizens, or about the country, parallels the approach taken by many national libraries in scoping their collecting responsibilities for the national cultural heritage, and as such, is a useful way of providing a general overview of a nation’s creative tradition.

In addition to those with a general interest in New Zealand and its creative tradition, this report may also be of interest to those responsible for the stewardship of a nation’s cultural heritage, as it is expressed in the published record.

This work is an output of our activity, Scope and Diffusion of National Presence in the Published Record.