Important information for our Library users
Change coming up for library data centre location
We have some changes coming up to the system that Hauraki District Libraries uses for their library catalogue, customer records and a variety of other library services. Currently library membership details are held in data centres located in Christchurch and Auckland. From 16 May 2024, this data will be moved to data centres in Melbourne and Adelaide.
Why are we making this change?
This change is happening across New Zealand – Hauraki District Libraries is part of a national consortium of public libraries called Kōtui. It is supported by the National Library of New Zealand and the Department of Internal Affairs. All libraries that are part of Kōtui are making this change. It will allow us to continue to provide a modern library experience while strengthening the security of library and customer information.
How will it affect you?
Access to your library account and the libraries electronic resources will be unavailable from 8 pm on Wednesday 15 May through to approximately 8 am on Friday 17 May while these changes are being made. From 17 May onwards, while the look and feel of some services may alter slightly, the user experience will not significantly change. The main thing you should be aware of is that from 17 May, your library membership information will now be stored in secure data centres used by our vendor (SirsiDynix Ltd), which is based in Australia.
'I don’t want my data going to Australia, what are my options?'
The new data centre meets ISO international standards for security and reliability. Library information held there will be accessed via an encrypted virtual private network and will not be exposed to the public Internet. We are confident that library information, including membership data, will remain secure, and we hope this provides reassurance for our customers.
If you do not wish for your data to be part of this move, you can cancel your membership by emailing us at hdc-library@hauraki-dc.govt.nz
We cannot make any exceptions to library membership information being moved to the Australia-based data centre. Note that while borrowing is not possible without membership, many in-library services will remain available.
'Can I still use the library during this time?'
Yes, you can! Our libraries will still be open during this time however we do need to go offline for a while so our services will be limited. Library services which require logging in with your library card details will be unavailable but you’ll still be able to browse and borrow our physical books, use our Wi-Fi and printing services.