Library and information service
Our library
As part of CCS Disability Action’s commitment to creating more accessible and inclusive communities, we offer a free library for disabled people in New Zealand to ensure everyone has access to good information and resources.
Our nationwide Information Service provides a wide range of resources on disability and the wider disability sector. Anyone can use the Information Service free of charge, no matter where they are in New Zealand. This includes people we support, parents, families and whānau, health professionals, service providers, researchers, and students.
You can visit the accessible library in person, search our catalogue online and have resources mailed to you, or ask our librarian to research for you. The information we provide may help answer questions, offer guidance on “where to from here?” or connect you with the latest research and thinking on the subjects that are relevant to you.
What we offer
We have a variety of free disability resources available on a wide range of subjects, including books, DVDs, magazine articles, games, and web-based and accessible resources. This includes practical tips and stories from others who experience disability, through to policy and rights-based subjects.
Topics include:
Employment
Behaviour support
Advocacy and rights issues
Access and buildings
Having friends and relationships
Puberty
Parenting with a disability
Living independently
Learning resources
Children’s stories
Fiction about or featuring disabled people
We can also provide easy-to-read information on specific impairments.
Research requests
Our librarian is here to help you. Tell us what you would like to know more about, and we’ll do the rest. We can search the internet and our extensive resource collection to get you the best answers to your questions. If you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for, our librarian can also suggest resources they think you may like.
E-newsletters
The library newsletter is currently in development – please contact us if you would like to be subscribed to the mailing list.
Recommendations
Is there a resource you would like to access or recommend to others? Let us know and we may be able to add it to our collection.
How to access the Information Service
There are a number of ways you can access the Information Service.
Online
You can search our catalogue online by going to the library's website or by downloading the Liberty Link mobile app (you will need to sign up as a user first; visit the website for more information).
You can order resources at the click of a button, and we will post them to you free of charge. (Please note that you may need to pay for the return postage; if this is a barrier for you, please let us know when you order. You can also return items to your local CCS Disability Action branch.)
Visit us
If you are in Dunedin, you can come in and browse through our library of over 5,000 DVDs, magazines, and books about disability. Alternatively, we are available by phone or email.
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm or by arrangement. Contact our librarian to make a time outside of these hours.
Location: CCS Disability Action Otago Office, 30 Portsmouth Drive, Dunedin 9012
Parking: There is some visitor parking on site as well as additional free street parking in the area.
Get in touch
If you would like to learn more or use our Information Service, we would love to hear from you.
Phone: 0800 227 200 (select option 2 for the Information Service) or 027 244 6350