World Languages Collection Policy

February 2026

Purpose

Christchurch City Libraries provides material in various languages to reflect, and appropriately resource, the increasing cultural diversity in our community, and to support our Ngā Aho Bicultural Strategy to provide access to collections in a culturally appropriate way.

The world languages collection supports cultural groups of significant size and/or need living in the local community by providing:

• first language resources for groups and individuals settling in the community
• recreational ‘own language’ resources for English language students
• resources for first or subsequent generation New Zealanders to retain or develop the languages of their ethnic communities
• lifelong learning and recreation resources in a variety of languages for general use

Scope

1. Collection scope

Format options are often influenced by availability in a particular language, customer preference, and potential usage. 

World language collections are located at designated library locations close to areas where significant numbers of a particular group live.  This enables comprehensive collections to be kept together and refreshed regularly, and for connections to be developed with relevant individuals and groups in the community.

Resources for both children and adults will be collected; each collection will be located appropriately within the library.

Note: Ngā Pounamu Māori collections are held in specific areas in all libraries. Separate Pasifika collections are held in some libraries.

2. Collection size

A minimum collection size is required for an effective and viable collection, this is usually 100 items, with a growth or maintenance level depending on usage and budget available. 

Factors considered in conjunction with this minimum size include:

• Availability of suitable material to establish/maintain the collection
• Availability of funds to establish/maintain the collection
• Availability of space in the library closest to where a significant portion of the community lives
• Size and predicted growth rate of the language community
• Availability of physical space in the designated library

Where a collection is held in more than one library, material will be swapped between libraries on a regular basis to provide collection refreshment. 

Collection management

1. Establishing a new World Language collection

Factors to be considered include:

• Population size - usually a minimum number of 1000 people identified through Census data as users of a language (is used as a guide)
• Numbers of speakers of a particular language
• Customer demand for resources in a particular language
• Availability of suitable material to establish/maintain the collection
• Meeting specific needs of the Christchurch community

2. Selection

Selection of items for the collection is facilitated through the development of collection profiles for each language community. Profiles consider:

• Usage patterns
• Format preferences
• Familiarity with technology
• Balance of recreational reading resources, lifelong learning resources, and other specific needs
• Literary tradition of the country of origin
• Oral or written tradition of the culture
• Religious or cultural practices
• Any other considerations relating to the specific language

Collection profiles are reviewed annually in consultation with library staff from different ethnicities and key community contacts.  Usage figures are also considered.

Some items may be acquired through donations.

3. Donations

Refer to the Libraries Donations Policy.

4. Accessibility

To facilitate access to library resources, catalogue records are provided through the library website for all language collections. World Language catalogue records are provided in the relevant language and script wherever possible.

5. Deselection

To keep each collection fresh and inviting, items are withdrawn from library collections in accordance with the criteria in the Content development policy. Due to the changing nature of the community, there may be occasions where there is no longer a need for a collection in a specific language. Factors influencing this decision include:

• Population decreasing significantly over a sustained period of time
• Resources not being used
• Little or no demand for a dedicated collection
• Availability of suitable material to maintain the collection

Engagement with relevant library staff and community contacts will be undertaken before a final decision is made. Where possible withdrawn items will be offered it to another library network or relevant community group, or included in the annual Book Sale.

References and related documents

Download World Languages Collection Policy (February 2026) [132KB PDF]