Introducing colour coding signage at Te Puna Library

 Navigating a library should be as enjoyable as reading a great book. We are excited to introduce our new color-coding signage system designed to help our library patrons find what they need on the shelves.

 You Said, We Did: A Smarter Way to Navigate the Library 
This improvement was initiated after Subject Librarian Sana Saleem attended a design student presentation in March 2024, where a student suggested we consider a “colour coding system” to make it easier to find print materials on the library shelves, relevant to their subject area 

 They said : 
“ It’s hard to know sometimes which section of the library starts and ends when looking for print books”

We did: 
We heard our student voice —and we initiated a project  to improve access to our print collection for all library users (in particular visual spatial learners) by introducing subject area colour coding in accordance with the Unitec’s  brand wayfinding palette that match the colours of Schools and show how our collection is closely aligned with Unitec’s teaching and research. 

Our new colour-coded signage system is now live across the library. 

 Some examples of how our students have responded to this initiative:  

• “Easier to find the colour for my subject area” 
• “I love the design you're going with. It is simple, straight to the point and the colour is well thought out, making it well uniformed with the unitec colours”. 

 Library project team  
This project was led by Sana Saleem, project members Anna Wheeler and Stephen Brebner worked together to successfully implement the project by improving signage to replace the current bay end signage on all three levels at Te Puna Library. The project was delivered in two parts : Level 2 and 3 at the end of 2024 and Level 1 earlier this year. 

The project team partnered with the copy centre to ensure the signage was professionally designed  in accordance with Unitec’s brand  Unitec’s . 

 How it works 
Here’s a quick example of our new colours for one section of the library: 

Level 1 Te Puna                                   

 

Ece - once colour that represents the list subject headings on the bay end sign where makority of the print books are kept in the collection   

Bridgepoint and NZ/Pacific - two colours that represents the list subjects on the sign so the relevance of the collection is highlighted. 

Why it matters

 

Branded wayfinding: Easier to find the book collections aligned the Schools

Accessibility: Prominent colours and headings support users who struggle with reading

Efficiency: our library users can locate resources quickly. 

 

Post implementation feedback after project completion in September 2025 showed that our initiative has enhanced user experience and had a positive impact on Unitec Library space, print collections and our diverse learner's confidence in wayfinding. 

Recent improvements at Te Puna Library based on student feedback

New study space
In first semester 2025 Student NPS survey, 
33 students who use the Te Puna Library asked for

•  more study areas in the library, for example one construction student said:

" Would like to see more sitting areas in the library as it’s hard to find a spot to study, especially during busy times. “

To address the need for more study spaces, we are piloting some study space in the north-east corner by the grey wall on level 1 of Te Puna. We logged jobs with FM to provide electrical power to each desk, fix broken tiles and move existing wooden partitions to make it more inviting and welcoming for our students.

Student told us what they think of the individual desks/study area

“Very convenient to study here and is closer to my classroom”



How these changes have impacted our student’s user experience
We are observing that more students are utilising the new space that has resulted to increased student usage

Next steps
We will continue to engage with students about study space and innovate to create a library environment that continuously adapts to support learning.

Building Hours for the rest of this year + summer break

 Study & Exam weeks hours - Monday 4 November - Thursday 20 November, 2025

Te Puna (B180) will be open longer hours over the study and exam weeks period
Mon - Thurs: 7am - 10pm
Fri - Sun: 7am - 7pm
Public Holidays: CLOSED

Waitakere library hours will remain the same as during semester time

Summer Holiday hours Friday 21 November 2025 - 23 February, 2026

Te Puna (B180)
Mon - Sun: 7am - 6pm
Public Holidays: CLOSED

Waitakere library (B520)
Mon - Fri: 8pm - 5pm
Sat - Sun: CLOSED
Public Holidays: CLOSED

From Monday 23 February 2026, the building hours will return to normal hours 

See full details for Waitākere Rangimarie (B510) and Library Hours on Library hours.

Safetyhub upgrade

Unitec Library subscribes to a database of safety videos called SafetyHub (click link to access).

Here is a message from the SafetyHub provider:

Safetyhub will be unavailable:

• Offline: Friday 31 October, 9:00am (AEDT)
• New, upgraded Safetyhub Available: Tuesday 4 November, 12:00pm (AEDT)

More information

The Safety Hub Team are on track for the Safetyhub upgrade on the 4th of November. In the lead up, we wanted to share some more information around what you can expect.

What are some of the new features I can expect to see?
•    Ability to set recurring training
•    The ability to create course bundles
•    More intuitive custom course creation
•    Better participant training experience
•    Interactive mode on Safetycare training
•    Creating custom certificates
•    Ability to set custom pass marks for all Safetycare courses
•    Enhanced reporting functionalities
•    And more! 

FAQs

Can I take a look at the new platform?
At this stage we have nothing to show you. A few weeks out we will get some walkthrough demos out to you.

What will happen to historical training records when the new Safetyhub platform is activated?
All existing participant information and training history will be migrated to the new Safetyhub platform, ensuring you can access historical data.

What will happen with all Custom Courses when the new Safetyhub platform is activated?
All existing Custom Courses created by your organisation will be migrated to the new Safetyhub platform, including accompanying resources.

I use Safetycare SCORM files. Does anything change for me?
No, any SCORM File packages you may have utilised will remain accessible via the same links.

Being a Single Sign-On (SSO) client, will the authentication automatically rollover to the new Safetyhub platform?
No, they will not automatically rollover as Metadata cannot be migrated (due to security reasons). Please follow the simple steps outlined in the SSO Migration email that was sent to our SSO clients alongside the announcement email to complete this process.

I use Safetycare embedded video links, or direct video URLs. Does anything change for me?
No, any Safetycare video link you may have utilised will remain accessible via the same links.

Will there be any downtime where we cannot access the current Safetyhub platform?
Yes, Safetyhub will be entirely offline at this time as the new platform is made live:
•    Offline: Friday 31 October, 9:00am (AEST)
•    New, upgraded Safetyhub available: Tuesday 4 November, 12:00pm (AEST) 

A further reminder to complete any ‘In-Progress’ training by October 30th.

The Team at Safetyhub

Study space with power sockets on Level 1

 

Te Puna Library has added new study space with power sockets on Level 1.

 We appreciate your patience as we continue to improve our facilities to better support your learning experience. 

We welcome your feedback on the new study spaces and other aspects of the library — please use this form to share your thoughts.

AI and Unitec Library

If you have used Unitec Library’s databases or eBooks recently, you may have noticed some new AI features. Several of our databases now have GenAI integrations.

For example, the AI Insights feature (available in the EBSCO databases) and the ProQuest Research Assistant (ProQuest databases) help you to assess the usefulness of a full-text article, by generating and highlighting 2-5 key points per document. You can use this AI feature, alongside the article abstracts, to help you select the most relevant articles from a list of search results. Some of the library’s eBooks also provide AI-generated key concepts and chapter-level takeaways.

Related sources are also sometimes suggested by these AI tools - these suggestions may help you to broaden your research. For example, ProQuest's Research Assistant (eg in the ABI Inform database) will offer some suggested sources to explore, and the Ebook Central Research Assistant suggests related eBooks from the collection.

These features use Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) models, which means that the generated content comes from within the database collections only. This helps with accuracy and reliability of the content generated, but even so, the quality of the content generated from these features can vary. 

Please use our feedback form to let us know any experiences you have with the features. For example, do you find the AI generated content useful and accurate?

You can access the databases via the Subject Guides or via our Databases A-Z. 

If you would like more information please contact your Subject Librarian.

Library lucky draw - International Orientation

 🎉 Congratulations to Gopika Raju! 🎉

We’re delighted to announce that Gopika Raju, a Master of Applied Business student, is the winner of the Library’s Lucky Draw held during International Student Orientation on 16^th July!

Gopika has received a $10 printing voucher, which can be used at any printer in Te Puna Library—a perfect way to get started with printing study materials, assignments, or notes.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the draw and helped make our international orientation event a warm and welcoming experience, particularly to Sana and Nora for coordinating the lucky draw. We’re so excited to have you all here and look forward to supporting your academic journey.

(Photo of Nora and Gopika)

Get help with using Unitec library's e-books with the updated 'Ebooks at Unitec Library' guide

Due to recent changes in the interfaces of three of our e-book providers, the library team has recently updated our 'Ebooks at Unitec Library' guide. 

The three e-book interfaces to change are:

ProQuest Ebook Central e-books

EBSCO e-books

Taylor & Francis e-books

This guide covers all of the basics of using e-books from our five most common suppliers (including reading the e-book, reading a particular chapter/section, printing, saving and downloading). It also includes guidance for lecturers on embedding e-books into Moodle.

The most-common questions about e-books are covered by the guide, but for more help, please contact your Subject Librarian. 

Library website design changes

The library website design changed on Monday 7 July to provide a simpler interface for students to access library services and resources online. 

Currently there is a redirect from the previous homepage to the beta page while we carry our final testing in the live environment. 

We plan to pilot the new design for semester 2, then refine the design over the summer and launch a further fine tuned new look beginning 2026.

We welcome your feedback about the new homepage design and any other aspects of our website - please use this form to share your thoughts.

Reminder for academic staff preparing for Semester 2

Course reserve (short loan)

Are there any library books/items you would like your students to have ready access to in the Library? Both Waitākere and Te Puna (Mt Albert) libraries have short loan options of 2 hours, 24 hours and 72 hours (3 days). 

Please fill in this form by Friday 11 July 2025 to ensure the items are on Course Reserve (short loan) for your students when Semester 2 starts. 

Information Literacy 

The library team has Subject Librarians who are available to arrange with you, tailored information literacy sessions for your students. 

Click here to find the Subject Librarian for your subject area / School.

Ebsco databases improved user interface is live now

The user interface of our EBSCO databases was updated today, with a clean, user-friendly design along with several functional improvements. 

Highlights include:

• AI-Powered Insights (Beta): A new feature called Generate AI Insights is now available. It uses artificial intelligence to provide summaries and insights based on the content of the source document.

• Expanded Search Filters: Users can now refine their searches more effectively with an expanded set of filters. Click on ‘All Filters’ to explore the full range of options.

• Redesigned Tool Icons: Core tools like Cite, Share, and Save are still available, but they now appear with a refreshed look for a more intuitive experience.

Please be encouraged to contact your Subject Librarian for more information and assistance regarding our Ebsco databases.

Mt Albert Student Hub building hours change for mid year break

The Te Puna / Mt Albert Student Hub building hours have changed for mid year break

During the break from 30 June to 20 July we will close the building at 6pm each night

Access to study spaces during the Easter Week & Anzac Day.

During Easter Week and Anzac Day, study spaces opening hours may vary.  Please check below.

Day	Te Puna Library	Waitakere Library	Waitakere Rangimarie
Good Friday 18 April	Closed	Closed	Closed
Easter Saturday 19 April	7am - 6pm	10am - 2pm	8am - 4pm
Easter Sunday 20 April	7am - 6pm	Closed	Closed
Easter Monday 21 April	Closed	Closed	Closed
Easter Tuesday 22 April	7am - 6pm	Closed	Closed
Wednesday 23 April	7am - 9pm	8am - 5pm	6:30am - 9pm
Thursday 24 April	7am - 9pm	8am - 5pm	6:30am - 9pm
Friday (Anzac Day) 25 April	Closed	Closed	Closed
Saturday 26 April	7am - 6pm	10am - 2pm	8am - 4pm
Sunday 27 April	7am - 6pm	Closed	Closed

 For full information link to the Library Hours

Have a wonderful holiday break!

Can I use GenAI with a library database?

Increasingly the academic publishers and library database providers are adding explicit restrictions into their license agreements as regards the use of generative AI solutions (for example, Wiley and Lexis Nexis). 

However, even in the absence of an explicit statement it is likely that using GenAI in conjunction with a library database would breach our license agreement. Therefore, to ensure we comply with our license agreements, Unitec students and staff must not use a generative artificial intelligence solution in conjunction with library databases or the materials within them.

The only exception to this is using GenAI functionality that is built into the database as part of the product. Ebsco and Proquest have both recently developed GenAI features for their products. We are assessing these and will provide more information in due course.

If you are interested in helping us assess these features for research or teaching, please contact us via email (libinfo@unitec.ac.nz).

 

We look forward to learning with you😊

Changes to location of ‘Arts File’ items and some journals

Overview

This update concerns changes recently made to the location of 'Arts File' items and 'reference only' journals previously held in the quiet study area on Level 3 of Te Puna Library (B 180). These changes have resulted in the creation of four additional small collections in the Library.

Arts File 

The 'Arts File' items were previously held in two grey filing cabinets in the quiet study area on Level 3.

Some of these items (mainly Exhibition Guides and Catalogues) have been moved to the open mezzanine areas on Level 2 and 3.  We have located them closer to other books/items of the same subject to improve access to these small but fascinating items, which include historical exhibition guides of local artists. 

Some of the items were newspaper clippings about art, artists, galleries and architecture. These have been moved into boxes in our storage area in the basement of B180. They can still be accessed via a request on LibrarySearch. 

Note: These items remain for use within Te Puna library only. They must not be borrowed or taken out of the library.

Journals

Some 'reference only' journals were previously shelved in the Level 3 quiet study area.  Most were Architecture journals which have moved to the Level 2 'not for loan' shelves – these will continue to be not for loan.  

There was also a small number of other journals (general art and photography titles) that have been moved to the general shelves and made loanable.

More information about new collections

See details about the four new collections listed below. If you need help locating an Arts File item or Journal or any other library item, please see the Ask Me desk or contact your Subject Librarian.

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Level 2 - Architecture (not for loan)

Location: On a short shelf at west end of Level 2, organised by Dewey call number

Dewey range:  720 - 729 

Description: Architecture related reference books, reference only journals and ephemera.

Notes for shelvers:

• Each book in the collection has a sticker that says “Architecture not for loan”
• Each journal in this collection has a sticker that says “not for loan” 
• Each small item in this collection has sticker that says “arts file”
• The photo below shows the front of the stacks with boxes of reference only journals. On the other side of the stack is a few small 'ephemera' items, some large reference books and more journals

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Level 2 - Art exhibition catalogues (not for loan)

Location: Top shelf of short display shelves unit in middle of the floor on Level 2, organised by Dewey call number 

Dewey range: 700 - 709

Description: Art exhibition catalogues 

Notes for shelvers:

• Each item in this collection has sticker that says “arts file”

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Level 3 - Creative Industries exhibition catalogues (not for loan)

Location: On top of a short shelves unit in middle of the floor on Level 3, organised by Dewey call number

Dewey range: from 730 onwards

Description: Exhibition brochures, guides and other ephemera from art galleries, art exhibitions and performances

Notes for shelvers:

• Each item in this collection has a sticker saying “arts file”

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Level 0 - Arts file (in library use only) 

Location: Level 0 Storage room. To access items in storage please place a request.

Dewey range:  none, instead boxes 1-16 and barcodes

Description:  Newspaper clippings related to the subjects, artists or galleries listed

Note for shelvers:

• Boxes are located at far end of storage on the left near the student reports

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Are you preparing your Semester 1 courses?

Course reserve (short loan)

Are there any library resources you would like your students to have ready access to in the Library? Both Waitākere and Te Puna (Mt Albert) libraries offer 24 hour, 72 hour and 2 hour short loans. 

Please fill in this form by Friday 14 February 2025 to ensure the items are on Course Reserve (short loan) for your students when Semester 1 starts. 

Information Literacy 

The library team has Subject Librarians who are available to arrange with you, tailored information literacy sessions for your students. Click here to find the Subject Librarian for your subject area / School.