Hocken Collections (, formerly the Hocken Library) is a
research library
A research library is a library which contains an in-depth collection of material on one or several subjects.(Young, 1983; p. 188) A research library will generally include an in-depth selection of materials on a particular topic or set of to ...
, historical
archive
An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located.
Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...
, and
art gallery based in
Dunedin
Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
, New Zealand. Its library collection, which is of national significance, is administered by the
University of Otago
, image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = University clock tower
, motto = la, Sapere aude
, mottoeng = Dare to be wise
, established = 1869; 152 years ago
, type = Public research collegiate ...
.
The Collections' specialist areas include items relating to the history of New Zealand and the Pacific, with specific emphasis on the
Otago and
Southland Southland may refer to:
Places Canada
* Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia
New Zealand
* Southland Region, a region of New Zealand
* Southland County, a former New Zealand county
* Southland District, part of the wider Southland Re ...
Regions. Open to the general public, the library is one of the country's most important historical research facilities.
History
Hocken Collections is the result of the philanthropy of avid collector
Dr. Thomas Hocken, who donated his
private collection
A private collection is a privately owned collection of works (usually artworks) or valuable items. In a museum or art gallery context, the term signifies that a certain work is not owned by that institution, but is on loan from an individu ...
to the university in trust for the New Zealand public. Hocken first made public his intention to offer his library to the people of New Zealand in 1897. A deed of gift was signed on 3 September 1907 but it was not until 1910 that it became generally accessible in a purpose built wing of the
Otago Museum.
Dr. Thomas Hocken was too ill to attend the official opening on 23 March 1910 (the 62nd anniversary of the founding of Dunedin), and died just two months later.
Until 1965 the library was entirely housed in the Otago Museum. From that time its pictures collection and increasingly more of its other holdings were housed on other sites around the University of Otago's campus, the pictures being at the Central Library. In 1980 the collections were again brought together under one roof in the new Hocken Building (now renamed the Richardson Building), designed by
E.J. McCoy. It soon outgrew that site and additional accommodation was secured at another site in Leith Street. It was reconsolidated on another site in 1998 in the former Otago Co-operative Dairy Company factory on Anzac Avenue, east of the main campus.
In 2005, its name was changed to Hocken Collections.
Collections
Hocken Collections holds the largest collection of manuscripts, maps, and early photographs relating to the history of the Otago Region, as well as several notable collections relating to the country as a whole. The latter include the letters and journals of
Samuel Marsden
Samuel Marsden (25 June 1765 – 12 May 1838) was an English-born priest of the Church of England in Australia and a prominent member of the Church Missionary Society, believed to have introduced Christianity to New Zealand. Marsden was a prom ...
and New Zealand records of the
Church Missionary Society
The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...
. The personal and public papers of many important Otago people are also present in the library's collections, including those of the writers
James K. Baxter and
R. A. K. Mason, as well as the political writings of many of the community's leaders. The library's collection also includes a substantial body of photographic work by the
Burton Brothers.
The library also has an extensive collection of
New Zealand music recordings and sheet music—including much related to Dunedin's
rock-music scene—and a substantial collection of
New Zealand art; the upper floor of the library includes a gallery which is regularly used for shows of art both from the library's collection and from visiting and resident University of Otago artists.
Collection Highlights
The following Hocken Collection's holdings have been recognized as items of recorded heritage which have national significance by UNESCO Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand.
*
Charles Brasch Literary and Personal Papers
* Dr Hocken’s
Church Missionary Society
The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...
Records
*
Pickerill Papers on Plastic Surgery
*
Lance Richdale Papers
* Salmond Anderson Architects Records
*
Herries Beattie Papers (1848–1972)
* Dr Muriel Bell Papers
*
Colin and Anne McCahon Papers
References
External links
*
, Hocken Collections' online catalogue
{{University of Otago
Research libraries
Libraries in Dunedin
History of Dunedin
Archives in New Zealand
Tourist attractions in Dunedin
Art Deco architecture in New Zealand
Buildings and structures of the University of Otago
Libraries in New Zealand
Museums in Dunedin
Art collections in New Zealand
Special collections libraries
Buckland family
Art museums and galleries in New Zealand
Art museums and galleries in Dunedin