Te Rūma Pānui Antarctic a S.T. Lee S.T. Lee Antarctic Reading Room
All visitors can explore this Antarctic-themed study room, discovering its range of artefacts, maps, and displays selected by the Antarctic Research Centre.
Facilities
- Blue zone for quiet individual study
- 12 computers
- Microform station
- Colin Bull Polar Collection
- Artwork
Situated at the southern end of Level 5 of Kelburn Library, the S.T. Lee Antarctic Reading Room is designed to showcase the unique identity of Victoria University of Wellington’s Antarctic Research Centre with its significant works and contributions to teaching and research excellence.
The room was funded by Dr Lee Seng Tee, a Singaporean philanthropist to highlight the significance of Antarctica to New Zealand for Library users. The collection on display is the Colin Bull polar collection. He was Professor of Geology at Victoria University of Wellington, and held the roles of Director of the Institute of Polar Studies, Chairman of the Department of Geology, and Dean of the College of Mathematical and Physical Sciences. During this period Colin was instrumental in the founding of the Institute of Polar Studies (now the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center).
Emeritus Professor Peter Barrett, the founding director of the Antarctic Research Centre Te Puna Pātiotio, donated its 50th Anniversary Archive to the Library in late 2025. The archive consists of 69 file boxes, field notebooks and photographs, covering the history and development of the Antarctic Research Centre and VUW's Antarctic expeditions from the 1950s through to the late 2000s. It is currently being processed and will be accessible for use in Tapuaka Heritage & Archive collections (Level 4) by the end of 2025.