The Macmillan Brown Library (also known by its
Māori name ''Te Puna Rakahau o Macmillan Brown'') is a research library, archive, and art collection based in the
New Zealand city of
Christchurch. It is a library collection of national significance administrated by the
University of Canterbury
The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...
. The library is also a member of the
Pacific Manuscripts Bureau.
Overview
The Macmillan Brown Library's collections consist mainly of items relating to the history of New Zealand and the
Pacific Islands
Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...
. It holds over 100,000 published items including books, audio-visual recordings, and various manuscripts, photographs, works of art, architectural drawings and ephemera. Some notable items in its collections include copies of Māori Land Court Records, official and government documents from various Pacific Islands states, trade union records, and the personal papers of various
Members of Parliament and government ministers. Its art collection also has over 5,000 works, making one of the largest collections in the
Canterbury region.
The Macmillan Brown Library was established in 1935 as a separate collection within the University of Canterbury Library. It was created through the philanthropy of
Professor John Macmillan Brown
John Macmillan Brown (5 May 1845 – 18 January 1935) was a Scottish-New Zealand academic, administrator and promoter of education for women.
Brown was born in Irvine, the sixth child of Ann Brown and her husband, James Brown, a sea captain. ...
, who was one of the first academics at the newly established Canterbury College in 1874, one of the constituent colleges of the
University of New Zealand, which later became the University of Canterbury. He allocated a large proportion of his fortune to the Macmillan Brown Library.
The library is located within the university's
Ilam campus on the second floor of the Te Ao Tūroa building.
External links
Macmillan Brown Library websiteThe Library document
Research libraries
Libraries in Christchurch
University of Canterbury
History of Christchurch
Archives in New Zealand
Tourist attractions in Christchurch
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