OFFICE OF THE VICE-CHANCELLOR
Alfred Nathan House
22 Princes Street, Auckland 1142
Email: [University of Auckland request email]
University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019
Auckland 1142, New Zealand
12 March 2021
Ms Kelly Roe
By Email:
[FYI request #14680 email]
Dear Ms Roe
Official Information request - Location of Art and Books
I refer to your request of 14 February 2021 concerning the location of Gray’s Anatomy texts and items of art held by
the University. The University’s response follows:
1a) Which editions are currently available to students because they are located on the shelves? (I am not interested in
online only access)
32nd edition (1958) – 1 copy
33rd edition (1962) – 1 copy
37th edition (1989) – 1 copy
40th edition (2008) - 1 copy
41st edition (2016)- 1 copy
Revised American, from the 15th English, ed. (1977), (variant title= Gray's anatomy, the classic collector’s edition) – 1
copy
Students 1st edition (2005) – 5 copies + Atlas
Students 2nd edition (2010) – 5 copies
Students 3rd edition (2015) – 7 copies
Students 4th edition (2020) – 2 copies
1b) Which editions are held behind the front desk such that a librarian needs to choose to fetch them?
The following editions are held in the Historical Collection at the Philson Library: 24th ed. 1930, 27th ed. 1938, 30th
ed. 1949, 31st ed. 1954, 35th ed. 1973
1c) Which editions are held in 'off site storage' such that a librarian needs to put in a request for someone else to
fetch them?
The following editions are located off-site in our On-Demand collection. These items can be requested by any library
member and are couriered to a University of Auckland library.
29th edition (1947), 32nd edition (1958), 34th edition (1967), 36th edition (1980), 37th edition (1989), 38th edition
(1995), 39th edition (2005), 40th edition (2008), Students 1st edition (2005) – 2 copies + Atlas, Students 2nd edition
(2010) + Atlas, 30th American edition (1985), 1991 – reprint of 1858 edition
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1d) Which have been sold?
The University of Auckland Library does not sell items from library collections.
1e) Which have simply vanished (no record of them in the system anymore and not able to be located on request).
The University of Auckland Library does not record lost or missing items. We record lost and withdrawn items as one
statistic.
1991 – reprint of 1858 edition, 29th edition (1947), 34th edition (1967), 35th edition (1973), 36th edition (1980), 37th
edition (1989), 38th edition (1995), 39th edition (2005) – 3 copies, Students 1st edition (2005) + Atlas, Students 2nd
edition (2010) + Atlas
I am interested in the whereabouts of the photographs that have been removed from the wall at the top of the first
flight of stairs from the lower level of Grafton to the first floor where the library is located. 2a) I am interested to know the origin of the photographs. The name of the artist and the name of who donated the
work to the Univerity and the name of the individual (acting in what capacity) when the pictures were ordered to be
hung on the wall of the Medical School.
The art in question is the following: Ronnie Van Hout, 'Untitled from Mephitis'. See
https://artcol ection.auckland.ac.nz/record/68690.
The work has been on long term loan from the col ection of David and Angela Wright and they remain the owners at
this time. According to the database, the pictures were hung in that location mid-2012. The decision would have
been a col ective agreement between Faculty members and Art Col ection staff.
2b) I am interested to know the whereabouts of the photographs now. They vanished around the same time
McCutcheon was transitioning out. I am wondering who instructed for the pictures to be taken down and the present
location of the pictures (whether it be storage, someone's private dungeon / col ection, or whether they were
destroyed).
The photographs had been impacted by the bright light in the space and had faded significantly. This had been
pointed out by staff members in the FHMS. The Art Col ection team decided to remove the works for that reason.
They were placed in storage while we worked through a solution with the owner. An agreement was reached with
the artist and the images have now been reprinted so that the work can be restored to its original condition.
Yours sincerely
Rebecca Ewert
General Counsel
University of Auckland
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