Library News 3 December 2021

Published on December 03, 2021

New children's eAudiobooks on Libby

The Bolds Go Wild by Julian Clary
Orla and the Serpent’s Curse by C.J. Haslam
Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue by Paula Harrison
The Promise Witch by Celine Kiernan
Skycircus by Peter Bunzl
Return to Roar by Jenny McLachlan
Wild Girl by Helen Skelton
A Boy Called Hope by Lara Williamson
The House of One Hundred
Clocks by A.M. Howell
The Great Animal Escapade by Jane Kerr

All of these books can be found using Libby, which can be accessed from our library website here: https://www.tetakere. org.nz/Your-Library/Digital-Resources/eLibrary

Pam Coleman and Mary Jane Pritchard
Community engagement librarian, library assistant

It is said that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Increasingly you also cannot judge a library’s value to its community simply by its books.

Public librarians know their communities first-hand, and are often the first to recognise a pressing local need, simply because they interact on a daily basis with customers from all walks of life. This often puts libraries and librarians in the best position to address the needs of a community. Credit must go to the librarians, who have maintained this level of service by re-writing the rules — creating new programmes and ways to work. Public libraries all over New Zealand are responding to the Covid-19 crisis with agility, creativity and a strong commitment to customer service.

Libraries and library staff are reaching out right across New Zealand, collaborating, and innovating to continue our services during the pandemic. Our response to the first big lockdown and now helping people with the Covid vaccination passes is a clear example of the library stepping up to the plate to provide services in whatever form needed. Last week our team noticed an increased number of people coming into the library to ask for help and advice about vaccination passes. We responded by training our team and ensuring we had enough staff for up to four service desks all while keeping our library and other services running. Everyone pitched in and worked as a team.

Mary Jane at Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom summed it up perfectly: “I just wanted to let everyone know what an awesome day I had in Foxton. It was a real privilege to help elderly customers get their vaccine passports. A lot of them [are] not tech savvy. Sarah did the overflow and Jackie kept the place running in between running to the printer and getting the passports. We had lots of happy customers. One of the best days I have had in a while.”

I have to agree with that. There’s a real feeling of camaraderie in our team and goodwill from our community. Spending time working as a team, chatting to customers while we help them, we are doing more for our community and each other than just digital help. We’re soothing and helping build resilience to face the uncertainty of the immediate future and beyond. And we do that naturally because it’s what we do. It’s what we are all really good at and Mary Jane is so right, it is a privilege. It’s also a privilege to work with people who believe that we can make a difference in our community.

They say that every cloud has a silver lining. The Covid-19 pandemic has been a very dark cloud, but it has caused library workers to reassess their services and relationships to each other and their communities. Once again, they’ve demonstrated just how valuable they are. They’ve shown that their value transcends their buildings and their books. It depends on them as individuals and their commitment and creativity in serving their communities.

Children’s summer reading programme

Register for our Kiwiana Summer Reading Programme this week. Kids aged 3 to 12 are then in to begin their Kiwiana adventure.

Register by visiting your favourite local library. Report-ins begin December 13.

So how does our Kiwiana programme work?

Read or listen to a book, write or draw a review. Come to the library to report in and talk about the book, or email your reviews or drawings to Colleen and Sam at [email protected]

Read and review three books for a small prize. Read and review six books for your second prize and receive your invitation to the grand finale.

Special thanks to the Friends of the Horowhenua Libraries for providing tamariki with incentives and prizes for this year’s reading programme.

Happy mail

We invite you to spread some Christmas cheer this holiday season by designing and creating cards for senior citizens living in our local rest homes. We would love you to help ensure they feel connected and appreciated this Christmas.

Get creative! Use blank card, pens, felts, paints, scissors, glue, glitter or string.

Include a kind message, not addressed to anyone in particular and sign with your own name.

Keep the text large and easy to read. Leave the cards undated and if using an envelope, leave it unsealed.

Pop your card into one of our designated ‘happy mail’ boxes at any of our libraries.

Need some inspiration? Check out our examples at Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō , Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom and Shannon Libraries. We have card kits to pick up if you need some supplies.

Last chance to be in to win this November!

Issue at least one item from our eLibrary and automatically go in the draw to win one of our fabulous prizes. Challenge yourself to read digitally this month! Reading digitally has many benefits and superb accessibility features. Access is free with your Libraries Horowhenua membership or eMembership, and a suitable device. Your library at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere.