The University Library

Tēnā koutou katoa and welcome to the University of Waikato Library. Our library strives to be inclusive for all.  Whether you’re on campus or on the other side of the world, we have resources and services to empower you on your academic journey.

In support of the University’s ambition to be the first anti-racist institution in Aotearoa, we have six Māori and Pacific focused roles.  These awesome colleagues help us to integrate kaupapa and mātauranga Māori in our policies, processes and services.

Our physical spaces

Our Hamilton campus has Central Library and Teaching Resources Library and we provide a distance library service to Tauranga campus.

During our open hours anyone can enjoy our physical spaces and consult our physical collections.  Borrowing physical items and using electronic resources is restricted to Library members - current staff, students, associates and alumni. After hours access is restricted to current staff and students. In Hamilton, we have a bookable whānau study room for students accompanied by under 14’s.

Our 24/7 spaces have a kitchenette, snack machines, computers, individual and group study areas, accessible toilets, showers, and equipment to serve accessibility requirements.  Members can borrow Chromebooks, headphones, as well as audiovisual equipment.

Help to find what you need

Whether you contact us online, or in person, you will receive a friendly “kia ora” from one of our friendly staff. Your query may then lead you to one of our specialised library teams.

We can help you navigate the scholarly environment to locate, evaluate and cite resources for study and research.   We offer self-paced online workshops and partner with teaching staff to deliver information literacy sessions for a particular class or cohort.

Making research open

We are the first university in Aotearoa to state our position on making research as open (and freely available to all) as possible (and as closed as necessary) for the benefit of society.  We partner with researchers to achieve these goals, and provide advice and support around Open Access, indigenous data sovereignty, research data management, strategic publishing, research profiles, and research impact. Our work supports the University’s Open Research Statement and efforts globally to increase the visibility and availability of research.

Our collections

Our online, print and multimedia collections cover all of the disciplines taught at the University.  While many of our resources are online, some are available only in print.

  • Physical items in the general collection are located on Level 3.
  • Level 4 houses the physical items of the Mātangireia collection with many more items available online. This collection contains contemporary and historical Māori, Pacific, Aotearoa and Indigenous resources and services and is underpinned by kaupapa Māori values.  Mātangireia includes iwi histories, Māori Land Court Minute Books, the Michael King Collection, and Mahi Mareikura – home to the taonga and works of Dr. Pei te Hurinui Jones, expert in Māori language revival and Māori cultural knowledge.
  • Complementing Mātangireia is O Neherā,  a digitial collection of historical materials including images, documents, and firsthand accounts which provide unique local insights into Waikato and Aotearoa. Information about our physical archival collections is also available.
  • Level 4 also holds our physical Law Library of primary and secondary material designed to support Te Piringa Faculty of Law.  This collection has a particular emphasis on New Zealand and other key Commonwealth jurisdictions and provides community access to primary legal resources in physical form.
  • Our Teaching Resources Library is located within the Division of Education with materials to assist students with teaching in primary and secondary schools and early childhood centres.  We have picture books, school journals, readers and literature for children and young adults in a variety of languages. All staff and students may use these resources.

Art Collection

The artworks enriching our campuses are from the University of Waikato Art Collection, of which the Library are kaitiaki (custodians). We hold over 600 works of national significance by contemporary Māori, Pacific and New Zealand artists. Our Poutiaki Taonga (Art Curator) works alongside academics and students to create exhibitions for display on campus.

Getting in touch

There are a range of ways to reach us:
Library@waikato.ac.nz 
Phone 07 838 4051
Library Chat
Ask Me Anything Zoom drop ins 9 – 10 (M-F)
In person at Te Manawa – Student Centre

In Trimester A & B we are open seven days, except for public holidays.  In summer (Trimesters G & H) we are closed on Sundays.
We look forward to working with you and helping you to succeed as you progress through your academic journey.
For more details, please visit the library website.