New zoning to be introduced in Libraries and Information Commons

Earlier this year, kaimahi | staff in Te Kahu Tauira | Student and Scholarly Services launched a project with the goal of increasing clarity for users around what the spaces in our Libraries and Information Commons are designed to enable. Student feedback had shown there was a need to clearly define what behaviour was expected in certain spaces so that students could make informed decisions about where to study based on their diverse needs.

To provide users with the guidance to confidently self-manage, we began developing and refining wording around zones, tikanga, and kawa to explicitly state how to use, navigate, or simply be within our spaces. Alongside providing guidance for use, our project aimed to increase the use of the Māori and Pacific spaces in the General Library and enhance the visual identity of our spaces. To achieve this, we had to create accessible and consistent signage that clearly identified the different zones and gave instructions on how to navigate through them. 

It was essential to understand how tauira would interpret and respond to our wording and designs, and to identify which phrases and visuals resonated with them or caused confusion. We shared our draft wording and several signage options and carried out user testing that provided us with invaluable feedback, informing our final messaging and designs.

With feedback incorporated and designs and messaging finalised, we are beginning our phased rollout in Te Herenga Mātauranga Whānui | General Library. Users will start to see decals and signage in the Library from December 2025 to early 2026. Implementation at other sites (Kate Edger Information Commons, Tai Tonga, Philson Library and Grafton Information Commons) will follow soon thereafter. Updates to web content and communications to students will begin in early 2026.