DigitalNZ for our new visitors
Posted on 06 May 2020 by Thomasin
Our analytics show us that we’re receiving a lot of first-time visitors at the moment, so if you’re new to DigitalNZ, this blog post is for you, to briefly explain what DigitalNZ is and how it can be used.
Accessing online resources from home
While many people across the world are working, learning, and teaching at home, we’re hoping DigitalNZ will be a useful website to find relevant digital material — images, videos, audio, maps, and more — to support working at a distance during the Covid-19 lockdown.
A study. F E Simpson, photo, from Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, AWNS-19140716-49-2.
What is DigitalNZ?
DigitalNZ is a website that brings together lots of different digital content from organisations across Aotearoa and makes it searchable in one place: digitalnz.org.
The key idea is this: instead of going to lots of different sites to find useful info, you can find it all on one reliable search engine that surfaces interesting New Zealand-related content that can be tricky to find via other search services.
What can I find on this site?
On DigitalNZ you have access to the online collections of big institutions such as Auckland Museum, Radio New Zealand, Christchurch City Libraries, and Te Papa, as well as smaller (but equally interesting!) organisations such as Mataura Museum, Nelson Libraries, and Waitaki District Council.
Because the material on DigitalNZ comes from such a wide variety of organisations (over 200 different places), it relates to many aspects of New Zealand’s life, history, and culture. For example, there are historical photographs from archives; radio and news articles from places like RNZ, TVNZ, and E-Tangata; artworks from galleries; maps from museums; research papers from universities such as Lincoln, Victoria, and Auckland; citizen-science photographs from iNaturalist; and newspapers from libraries.
One of the key things to remember is that all these items aren’t held by DigitalNZ, the site is a conduit through which you can search for info and then leave to take a closer look at something of interest that you’ve found.
How can I use DigitalNZ for my studies or teaching?
For any topic that you’re studying, DigitalNZ is likely to have some interesting and relevant information that has been generated by a trustworthy source. Whether it’s Rangitoto, Te Kooti, the 1981 Springbok tour, Pacific navigation, or the New Zealand Wars, DigitalNZ will have something for you.
Is there anything else cool to do on the site?
DigitalNZ 'stories' were designed specifically with students, teachers, and researchers in mind. 'Stories' are digital kete or boards where you can collect and keep together images, videos, articles, and any other interesting material you find on DigitalNZ. You can also annotate items and write text alongside these items. People use stories for:
Check out our 'How to make stories' guide for step-by-step instructions.
Despite our current strange circumstances, we hope you enjoy using DigitalNZ while you’re working, studying, or teaching at home.
Any questions or queries, drop us a note, info@digitalnz.org, or get in touch via Twitter or Facebook.
We've turned off comments here, but we'd still love to know your thoughts. Visit us on our Facebook Page @digitalnz or on Twitter @DigitalNZ to share any ideas or musings with the DigitalNZ team.