Draft:Robertson Library

The Robertson-Library in 2011.

The Robertson Library (formerly the Bill Robertson Library) is a shared library run by the University of Otago's College of Education and Otago Polytechnic in Dunedin, New Zealand. It is named after Bill Robertson, who taught at Otago Polytech and also chaired the College of Education Council and the Otago Education Board.

The Robertson Library also shares books and resources with Otago Polytechnic's Central Campus in Cromwell, Central Otago[1] and International Campus in Auckland.[2] (source 2 doesn't mention Robertson, source 3 added archive link from 2016 but probably better to replace with [3] if keeping this text)

History

The library began as the library of the Dunedin College of Education, with a library committee first formed in 1909. At this time the collections included 362 volumes, spread across scientific, educational and fiction.[4]: 48  In 1915 a tutor-librarian was appointed, and College records indicate that library space was already inadequate, with study space for only six students despite the College being built to accommodate 80 students.[4]: 55 

The Dunedin College of Education wooden buildings on Union Street burned down in September 1968. During the fire, around 23,000 books were removed from the library by teams of students and laid on the lawn for safety. Although 70% of the building was destroyed, the fire was extinguished before it reached the library and the books were afterwards returned to the shelves.[5]

In 1974, a temporary library hut with capacity for 50 students was established at the corner of Union and Forth Streets, but, just a year later, librarian Phyllis McDonald described the facility as cold, damp, small, insecure and expensive to heat.[6]: 178 

In 1976 the Dunedin College of Education and the University of Otago launched a joint Bachelor of Education degree, necessitating better library access for students. The Education Department insisted that any new library facilities be shared with the polytechnic.[6]: 181  Construction of a new library building began in 1980, on Union Street East, and it was opened in 1981 by the Minister of Education, Brian Talboys.[6]: 178–182  The library was extended in 1989, at which time it was renamed The Bill Robertson Library.[6]: 179  At some point in here, the library becomes shared between the Dunedin College of Education and the polytechnic!

In 2007, the University of Otago's Faculty of Education merged with the Dunedin College of Education, with the library managed by the university, under a service contract to Otago Polytechnic.[7]: 294  The library underwent a $10 million refurbishment between January and September 2010, with the help of a $6.25 million government grant.[8][9] At this point it was renamed the Robertson Library.[10] The architects for the refurbishment were McCoy and Wixon.[11] The refurbished building was the winner of 2011 Southern Architecture Award, Public architecture category. The judges said "The Architect has transformed an aging institutional structure into a building with contemporary functional uses which actively engages with the street. A very pleasant place to be in, the revitalised library provides an environment conducive to modern research use."[12]

Collections

what collections? mention art from children's writer fellows who are also illustrators

Bill Robertson

The library is named after William James Robertson (commonly known as Bill).[6]: 179  Robertson, who was born in Dunedin in 1923, was involved in many educational organisations in the city for more than thirty years.[13] He attended North East Valley School and King Edward Technical College, and was a mechanical engineer at Hillside Railway Workshops.[13] In 1941 he left the railway workshops to join the Royal New Zealand Air Force, where he was a flight mechanic.[13] After the end of the war, Robertson taught engineering at King Edward Technical College, and was appointed as Head of Engineering at the Otago Polytechnic in 1951.[13] He was nominated to the Otago Education Board in 1983, and served as Chairman from 1985.[6]: 44  He also served as Chairman of the Dunedin College Council from 1984 to 1988, and was a member of the Otago High Schools Board and the Director General of Education's representative on the Telford Farm Training Institute Board.[6]: 182 [13] Robertson also served on the University of Otago Council and the Otago Polytechnic Council.[13] In the 1987 New Year Honours, Robertson was awarded an OBE for services to education.[14] He died in Dunedin in December 1988.[13] (image of plaques, possibly, or of Bill if anyone has one)

Check LIANZA, architectural magazines, ODT for further sources

Images: new building lit up, needs license https://hocken.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/64481?lsk=9b5c9e6bbcdeed94b386a4e99a561936

c1980 construction image, needs license https://hocken.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/71805?lsk=9b5c9e6bbcdeed94b386a4e99a561936

Internal image/s?

References

  1. ^ "Facilities". Central Campus, Otago Polytechnic. Central Campus, Otago Polytechnic. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Campus Facilities". Auckland International Campus, Otago Polytechnic. Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  3. ^ "Our campus". auckland.op.ac.nz. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  4. ^ a b Carol Morton Johnston; Harry Morton (1976), Dunedin Teachers' College: The First Hundred Years, Dunedin: John McIndoe, Wikidata Q139584090
  5. ^ "College block burnt". The Press. 4 September 1968. p. 1. Retrieved 26 May 2026 – via Papers Past.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g David Keen (2001), In a Class of Its Own: A Dunedin College of Education Anniversary History, Dunedin: Dunedin College of Education, Wikidata Q139584085
  7. ^ Alison Clarke (2018). Otago : 150 years of New Zealand's first university (1st ed.). Dunedin: Otago University Press. ISBN 978-1-988531-33-5. OL 29404941M. Wikidata Q107426622.
  8. ^ Rudd, Allison (15 October 2008). "Upgrade nearer for shared library". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  9. ^ "Bill Robertson Library refurbishment". University of Otago. 4 November 2009. Archived from the original on 24 May 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  10. ^ Rudd, Allison (6 April 2011). "Library decision explained". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  11. ^ "The Robertson Library". Dunedin City of Literature. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  12. ^ "McCoy and Wixon Architects Ltd: Awards". New Zealand Institute of Architects. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g "William James Robertson dies: Concern for people". Otago Daily Times. 31 December 1988. p. 2.
  14. ^ "No. 50766". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 31 December 1986. pp. 33–37.

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