The Nola Millar Library contains
- More than 14,000 plays and screenplays.
- Over 12,000 books on performing arts, film, television, art, costume, scenography, stage crafts, directing, voice, movement, choreography, theatre and dance history, theatre and dance biographies and New Zealand culture.
- Over 4,500 DVDs and videos of films, drama and dance.
- Theatre and dance magazines.
- Selected archival recordings of performances, posters, programmes and photographs from Toi Whakaari and the New Zealand School of Dance.
Visiting the library
The library is located inside Te Whaea Performing Arts Centre of Wellington at 11 Hutchison Road in Newtown. We are on level 1 just opposite the reception desk.
The library is open anytime the building is open by swipe access to all staff & students of the New Zealand School of Dance, Toi Whakaari and Te Whaea.
The library is staffed part-time and hours may vary. Generally these times are:
- Monday 9am to 5pm
- Tuesday 10am to 5pm
- Wednesday 1pm to 5pm
- Thursday 10am to 5pm
- Friday 10am to 3:30pm
We welcome visits by the public and members of the wider performing arts community during our staffed hours.
Anyone without swipe card access is encouraged to make an appointment in order to ensure a staff member is available.
We also offer a subscription-based membership service and are able to supply items to members outside of Wellington. More details about subscription memberships are available on our website.
The library does not charge for overdue items, however you may be responsible for the cost of replacing anything you borrow if you lose it.
We also provide an audio-visual viewing room (the George Webby Room) which has equipment able to play VHS tapes and DVDs. This room is able to be booked by staff and students. Email the library to arrange a booking.
The library also has a bookable classroom space with a projector and projection screen. Email the library to enquire about this space.
Computers and a photocopier/scanner/printer are available for student and staff use in the library. These are managed by Te Whaea services and reception is able to assist if any support is required.
Using the catalogue to find items
Our online catalogue contains details of all 30,000+ items in our collection. It is searchable online at:
https://nolamillarlibrary.toiwhakaari.ac.nz/
You can narrow down your search to look for specific types of items such as plays of DVDs depending on your needs using the advanced search function.
Items in the collection are searchable by keyword, title, author, subject heading and more.
Clicking on the title of an item in the catalogue will bring up more information about the item, including its shelving location and call number. The call number will tell you where on the shelf to find the item.
The library's main collection is split into 2 areas; plays & non-fiction.
The play collection is organised by author and title, along with a section for books that include plays by multiple authors (anthologies)
The non-fiction collection is organised by Dewey Decimal number. Wellington City Libraries also use the Dewey Decimal system and provides an excellent overview of how the system works.
The shelves are labelled with call number ranges and each book has a spine label with its call number.
The audio-visual collection contains DVDs and VHS tapes of films & TV series, dance, musicals, documentary/non-fiction and many are New Zealand Aotearoa made. If an item is not in its case just ask one of the librarians to retrieve it for you.
Using self-check out
It's easy for staff and students to borrow books using the self-checkout.
Hints for self-check out:
- Make sure the cursor is in the box
- Scan your student id (or enter your 5-digit library card number)
- Wait for your account to come up.
- If the computer has timed out you may need to click ‘login’ using the saved self.check account details.
- Scan the items you would like to borrow using the barcode scanner
- The scanner will automatically turn on when you bring a book near it. You shouldn't need to remove the scanner from its holder.
- The barcode you need is either on the front cover or the first page with ‘Nola Millar Library’ (or on the actual DVDs)
- The due date will be displayed
- Repeat as necessary
- Remember to click ‘finish’.
If you have any issues with the self check out machine just leave us a note or send us an email to library@toiwhakaari.ac.nz with the details of the books you would like to borrow and we can issue them to you.
Reserving & renewing items
You can place a reserve & renew items through the library catalogue.
Find the item you want and click 'place a reserve'.
The system will prompt you to log in to your library account.
If you don't know your login or password just click 'forgot password' and you will be prompted to reset your password.
Books & DVDs you have borrowed will automatically renew up to 5 times, unless someone has placed a reserve on the item. If you would like to keep an item longer just email us to let us know.
If you have an issues with placing reserves or renewing items please just ask at the desk or email the library staff for assistance.
