Library Notes 11 September 2020

Published on September 11, 2020

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New Adult Non Fiction

Take Two Fat Quarters Home, 16 gorgeous sewing projects for using up your fat quarter stash by Wendy Gardiner
How to Embroider Almost Everything, 500+ motifs and easy stitch tutorials by Wendi Gratz
Ready to Paint in 30 Minutes Mountain Scenes in Watercolor by Lesley Linley
Blackwork Embroidery, 13 modern projects by Bernadette Baldelli
Dine in my Halal Kitchen by Hayedeh Sedghi
The Seasons in Silk Embroidery, 20 beautiful designs by Tatiana Popova
Beginner’s Guide to Blackwork by Lesley Wilkins
Scroll Saw Baby Animals by Judy and Dave Peterson
Quilt As You Go Made Vintage, 9 Projects by Jera Brandvig

 

Pam Coleman- Community Engagement Librarian  
Paper, scissors, rock.

My newfound love affair with non-fiction continues this week with a book by Merilyn Simonds.  One should never judge a book by its cover (of course we all do) but I was captivated by the title ‘Gutenberg’s Fingerprint: Paper, pixels and the lasting impression of books.’

The book mostly addresses the shift in how humans read books and the introduction of digitization and the eBook. But what really interested me as both a bibliophile and a historophile was the fascinating history of the printed word and paper.

As you can see from most people’s recycling bins, paper is one of the world's greatest and most ubiquitous inventions. We use it to write and print on, cover our walls, and clean ourselves, among other things. The history of paper is a fascinating story and without it we wouldn’t have books.

While people were writing long before paper was invented, paper as we know it, is largely accepted as being invented in China.  Early papermaking, likely involved mixing mulberry bark, hemp and rags with water, mashing it into pulp, pressing out the liquid, and hanging the thin mat to dry in the sun. 

Interestingly, in Europe paper was disdained by the Christian world with the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II declaring all official documents written on paper to be invalid. But with the invention of the mechanical printing press by Johannes Gutenberg, a goldsmith from Mainz in Germany, masses of people soon embraced the new technology. 

Incidentally, some might know the Gutenberg name from Project Gutenberg, a library of 60,000 free eBooks made up of works which are in the public domain, mostly books which are now out of copyright such as Pride and Prejudice, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Check it out, there are some amazing titles and you don’t need any apps to be able to read them. 

Today, paper is made from trees mostly grown on working forests and from recycled paper. Even in 1702 paper was so cheap that it could be printed and then discarded after use becoming the very media you are reading now. You guessed it - the newspaper!

Since it’s somewhat relevant to 2020, Joseph Gayetty is credited with inventing the first commercially successful modern day toilet paper, although in fact the Chinese had got there hundreds of years earlier. The loo roll revolution has its own story but we have a ‘shortage’ of space here for that. 

Whether it’s the story of paper, printing or TP you are interested in, Simonds’s ‘Gutenberg’s Fingerprint’ is a great read. Some might say it’s even soft, strong and very long.

 

What’s On

Most of our programming is cancelled due to level 2 restrictions. Any exceptions are noted below.

Exhibitions
Expressions in Colour, by Audrey Garratt, September 2020 Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō Gallery
Whenu - A Multimedia Exhibition, Five contemporary artists from around the region have come together, each weaving their innovation and story-telling into one space. Saturday 29th August to Sunday 11th October, Te Awahou Niuewe Stroom

Heritage room:
The Heritage rooms at Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō are manned by volunteers 10am-12.30 pm Monday to Saturday.

Friday 11 September
Friday Concert: Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō 12pm

Library Opening Hours

Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō
Mon – Fri: 9am – 5.30pm
Saturday 10am – 4pm
Sunday 1pm – 4pm

Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom
Monday to Friday: 9am – 5.00pm
Saturday 10am – 4pm
Sunday 10am – 4pm

Shannon Library
Monday – Friday: 10am – 12pm and 1pm - 5pm
Saturday: 10am – 12pm|
Closed Sunday


Things to note:
• Contact tracing is still in place
• Please continue to follow all level 2 physical distancing and hygiene advice 
• Library programming remains cancelled until further notice
• The Youth Space remains closed until further notice

Our most up to date information is available on our social media pages where you can also find out about our online programmes and services.

Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō Facebook

Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom Facebook

 Shannon Library Facebook

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