www.worldcat.org - World Library Catalogue ...

World Library Catalogue -
a vast database of books in libraries around the world

Yesterday, I was inquiring (researching) into some different aspects of my writing, when I stumbled upon the World Library Catalogue website and started checking through to see where some of our books were placed in various libraries within NZ and overseas.

In an earlier blog, a couple of years ago, I came across this website and found it interesting to search through but didn't acquire a lot of information, however, this time I was quite intrigued by some of my findings.

As far as I am aware, the World Library Catalogue has a vast database of books that have been registered with their ISBN (International Standard Book Number) into their system in libraries around the world. You are then able to search for a particular book through their title/s etc. and see which libraries around the world that you are able to access them on. You are also able to find out how many kilometres/miles those libraries are away from your location.

It was a great pleasure to yesterday inform our Mana Mangere Writers Collective (we meet monthly) that our first book 'Mana Mangere Voices' (2017) had listings in various Auckland libraries, the University libraries of Auckland (of which I am an alumni of), University of Otago, MIT (Manukau Institute of Technology), the Alexander Turnbull National library in Wellington and the University of Hawaii at Manoa that I visited back in 2015.

For our second book 'Sense of belonging' (2018) copies were also found in Auckland libraries, The Universities of Auckland, Otago, Canterbury, as well as in Porirua (Wellington) public library, Alexander Turnbull and especially interesting was the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.

In viewing the other books that I had written i.e. the Pasifika plays; poetry and short stories collections; the bilingual picture books, it was quite a privilege and interesting to see that Universities had picked up our books, in various locations nationally and internationally in perhaps recognizing the academic or research qualities behind the books, particularly of relating to indigenous principles and values in giving a voice to our cultures, ancestral knowledge, cultural knowledge and values etc.

So much so, that I found our 'Pacific Hibiscus' poetry book listed in Zentralbibliothek Zurick library in Switzerland, the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the Auckland, Canterbury Universities as well as Christchurch, Auckland and Porirua public libraries. With one of my plays 'Su'e the lost son' listed in the University of Essex, at Colchester, in the U.K.

With more writing and books to come, you never know where you might find your favourite Pasifika books listed in libraries nationally and around the world...