Current exhibition in the de Beer Gallery
SetTXTS: the not-so-secret reading habits of Uni students
8 May–28 August 2026
For previous generations, it was unavoidable – you needed to read books to get a degree. Set TXTS begins here and explores the not-so-secret reading habits of Uni students, past and present. You could think of the exhibition as a bookshelf full of textbooks that have been ‘foisted’ onto Otago undergrads since 1869. But it doesn’t stop at official reading lists printed in the annual Uni calendar; this bookshelf also holds alternative publications produced by students that were guidebooks to life beyond lecture theatres, labs and libraries.
And after exploring these texts and the exhibition’s perspective on required reading, we hope that visitors leave wondering whether an 1841 definition of a ‘true’ Uni as ‘a collection of books’ is meaningful in 2026.
Nau mai, haere mai. All welcome.
Past exhibitions
- 17 Oct 2025–2 Apr 2026
- Landfall Tauraka 250
- 18 Jun–29 Aug 2025
- Tākaro Matihiko Māori Digital Play
- 28 Mar–3 Jun 2025
- ISSUES! 100 years of Critic
- 28 Aug–7 Mar 2025
- Janet Frame's Bookshelf: a writer's reading life
- 8 Jul–9 Aug 2024
- Puaka Matariki: kā tohu o te tau
- 13 Feb–14 Jun 2024
- Menswear and Manuscripts: the Hallenstein legacy 1873–2023
- 30 Oct 2020–31 Oct 2021
- Out of the Vault: Gothic Literature and ales of the Supernatural
- 21 Feb–10 Jul 2020
- This Book Belongs To …
- 21 Jun–13 Sept 2019
- 1869: The Year That Was
- 21 Jun–13 Sept 2019
- The Female of the Species: A Celebration of Women in History
- 22 Mar–7 Jun 2019
- For the love of books: Collectors and Collections
- 14 Dec 2018–15 Mar 2019
- Medical Marvels: Treasures from the Health Sciences Library
- 7 Sept 2018–7 Dec 2018
- Auld Acquaintances: Celebrating the Robert Burns Fellowship
- 15 Jun–31 Aug 2018
- All the Year Round: Exploring the Nineteenth-Century Periodical
- 16 Mar–1 Jun 2018
- A Middle Eastern Odyssey: Constantinople to Palmyra
- 15 Dec–9 Mar 2018
- Moving to the Left: The Art and Development of the Frontispiece
- 15 Sept–8 Dec 2017
- Parlez-vous français? Celebrating France & the French
- 16 Jun–8 Sept
- Intrepid Journeys: Travelling with the Hakluyt Society
- 24 Mar–9 Jun 2017
- 500 Years On. Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation
- 9 Dec 2016–17 Mar 2017
- Keeping it in the Family: British and Irish Literary Generations, 1770-1930
- 1 Sept 2016–2 Dec 2016
- A Letterpress Legacy: The Dartmouth College Book Arts Workshop
- 10 Jun 2016–26 Aug 2016
- Scholarly Favourites. Researching in Special Collections Exhibition, University of Otago
- 11 Mar 2016–3 Jun 2016
- Fashion Rules OK
- 11 Dec 2015–4 Mar 2016
- By Land and By Sea: Scientific Expedition Reports in Special Collections from 1826 to the 1960s
- 28 Aug–27 Nov 2015
- The Melrose Library: Reflecting the Life and Works of Sir F. Truby King
- 5 Jun–21 Aug 2015
- Black + White + Grey. The Lives + Works of Eric Gill + Robert Gibbings
- 12 Mar–29 May 2015
- Aliens, Androids & Unicorns. The Hal Salive Science Fiction and Fantasy Collection
- 17 Dec–23 Mar 2014
- The World of Joseph W. Mellor (1869-1938)
- 11 Sept–5 Dec 2014
- Celebrating Botany (1924-2014)
- 11 Jun–5 Sept 2014
- Viva l'Italia. A Regional Romp through Italy
- 21 Mar–23 May 2014
- Make It New! Modernism & the Medieval Presence
- 20 Dec 2013–14 Mar 2014
- Rare Delights III. Recent Additions to Special Collections
- 27 Sept–13 Dec 2013
- Reaching Out: Celebrating 100 years of Otago Physiotherapy Graduates
- 28 Jun–20 Sept 2013
- Maths, Politics and Concrete: The Legacy of the Classical World
- 5 Apr–25 Jun 2013
- Celebrating Pharmacy
- 20 Dec 2012–22 Mar 2013
- From Pigskin to Paper: The Art and Craft of Bookbinding
- 21 Sept–13 Dec 2012
- Celebrating Charles Dickens (1812-1870)
- 22 Jun–14 Sept 2012
- Charting the Land on the Ocean: Pacific Exploration, 1520-1876
- 23 Mar–15 Jun 2012
- Ray Guns & Rocket Ships. The Fred Fastier Science Fiction Collection
- 21 Dec 2011 to 16 Mar 2012
- The Gentleman's Magazine: The 18th century answer to Google
- 30 Sept–16 Dec 2011
- In Search of Scotland
- 1 Jul–23 Sept 2011
- Experimental Philosophy: old and new
- 1 Apr–17 Jun 2011
- Forging a Magical Landscape: The Works of Robert Graves, Poet
- 17 Dec 2010–25 Mar 2011
- Faces of Authorship: Constructing the Author in Medieval and Early Modern Books
- 27 Aug to 10 Dec 2010
- Pulp Fiction
- 14 May–20 Aug
- ALL ABOARD! The Ernie Webber Railway Collection
- 8 Feb–7 May
- Footnotes on Official History: Celebrating Dr Hocken's Pamphlet Collection
- 30 Oct 2009–29 Jan 2010
- Heresy, Sedition, Obscenity: The Book Challenged
- 13 Jul–23 Oct 2009
- 'I sat down in the evening to read...' Books from the Library of Charles Brasch, Poet, 1909-1973
- 8 Apr–3 Jul 2009
- Beetles, Barnacles, Orchids, and the Origin of Species: Charles Darwin and His Legacy
- 19 Dec 2008–27 Mar 2009
- A Record of Achievement: The 50th Birthday of the Otago University Press
- 29 Aug–12 Dec 2008
- Nourishing the Roots: an exhibition celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Robert Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago
- 5 May–22 Aug 2008
- Éire á Móradh: Singing the Praises of Ireland
- 25 Feb - 25 Apr 2008
- Rare Delights II: Recent Additions to Special Collections
- 20 Dec 2007 - 1 Feb 2008
- RETROSPECTIVE: A look back at the last 21 Special Collections exhibitions
- 17 Oct to 14 Dec 2007
- Initials: In the Beginning...
- 6 Jul to 28 Sept 2007
- Linnaeus, Prince of Botanists: His Works and Legacy
- 11 Apr to 29 Jun 2007
- A Quick Stab at the Eighteenth Century
- 12 Dec 2006–30 Mar 2007
- Master of the Burin: the book illustrations of John Buckland Wright, 1897-1954
- 4 Sept–1 Dec 2006
- In the Flesh. The Monro Dynasty 1720-1846.
- 1 Jun–25 Aug 2006
- The Black Art: Hand-printing in the Bibliography Room, 1961-2005
- 10 Feb–26 May 2006
- West Meets East: Images of China and Japan, 1570 to 1920
- 17 Oct 2005–27 Jan 2006
- Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass
- 11 Jul–23 Sept 2005
- The Word on Modernism: How Books Aided a Revolution in Design
- 11 Apr–24 Jun 2005
- "£100 & a butt of sack yearly" The office of the poet laureate
- 20 Dec 2004–31 Mar 2005
- Straight Jackets: the Art of the Book Jacket
- 20 Sept–10 Dec 2004
- 'A Civilising Mission' : New Zealanders and the Rhodes Scholarship 1904–2004
- 24 Jun–10 Sept 2004
- 41 Stunning Books: A selection of modern private press books
- 23 Mar–11 Jun 2004
- Glimpses of London's Past
- 25 Nov 2003–12 Mar 2004
- He tirohanga ki muri ~ A view of the past
- 4 Jul–17 Nov 2003
- Harmonizing my starting place: Charles Brasch, patron, poet and collector
- 21 Mar–27 Jun 2003
- Cultivating Gardens: Practical garden advice through the ages
- 13 Dec 2002–13 Mar 2003
- Rare Delights: recent additions to Special Collections
- 12 Sept–28 Nov 2002
- Unpacking Ruins: architecture from antiquity
- 21 Jun–1 Sept 2002
- Enlarging the prospects of happiness: European travel writing through the ages
- 21 Mar–13 Jun 2002
- Portrait of a gentleman scholar: celebrating the life and legacy of Esmond de Beer