This will be my final article for the year and while many of us are a bit alarmed at how quickly the year has passed, I think we are all looking forward to the Christmas break. The Library will be closing at 4:00pm on the 24th of December and remain closed for the next four days. We will reopen at 10:00am on the 29th (it being a Wednesday) and stay open until 5:00pm. On Thursday the 30th we will be open from 9:00am to 5:00pm and on the 31st we will be open from 9:00am to 4:00. We will then reopen at 10:00am on Wednesday the 5th of January and normal hours will recommence from this date. The Wairarapa Archive will close on the 24th of December and reopen on Wednesday the 5th of January 2011.
While some members of staff will be taking their holidays over the Christmas period we will still have plenty of staff on board to deliver our core services. We extend our due dates so that no books are due back when the library is closed, and if you do need to renew a book while you are away you can always give us a call on 370 6253. Our web page doesn’t get to have a holiday so you can continue to access all the online services throughout the holidays.
The holidays are a great opportunity to catch up on reading and while we would appreciate your keeping them out of the sand and surf, books are great to take away with you. They are portable, don’t need to be plugged in or recharged, and best of all encourage the quiet rest and relaxation we all benefit from at this time of year. In response to increased demand we have been making a concerted effort to purchase, catalogue and process more fiction titles and currently have over a thousand new books coming available for our borrowers.
We have new books to cater to all interests and tastes including new fiction such as Patricia Cornwell’s Port Mortuary, Bryce Courtenay’s Fortune Cookie and Ken Follett’s Fall of Giants. Have a look on our issue desk for a list of suggested summertime reading and a list of the top 50 books as borrowed by Masterton Library patrons this year. And while we are pushing fiction we also have many wonderful non-fiction titles coming available and hundreds of books for the kids and teenagers, particularly to meet the demand of the Summer Reading Programme.
The Big Bush Read Summer Reading Programme is a big focus for us at the moment and while there is no reporting in available between Christmas and New Years, the action starts again on the 5th of January, gearing up to the grand finale on the 26th. As part of the Summer Reading Programme, and thanks to the sponsorship of the Eastern and Central Community Trust, we also have entertainers visiting the library during the holidays, and all are welcome to attend their performances. On the 21st of December we had Zappo: the Magical Bush Ranger and next year we will be having Craig Smith – the Wonky Donkey man at 2pm on the 6th of January; and music and stories from the hilarious Mary Kippenberger and Peter Charlton-Jones at 2 pm on the 10th .
The summer break, and the increased down time it hopefully allows, makes it an ideal time for people from outside of the Masterton district to subscribe to join the library. There are three options available: the casual membership which costs $7 per annum and $1 for each item borrowed, a six month subscription which costs $35, or a twelve month subscription for $65. The amount of books you think you will borrow will determine which is the more economical option. Borrowers who take out the six or twelve month subscription do not have to pay any further charges, but all options do incur the usual rental charges for items such as Hot Picks, CDs and DVDs.
Books are great whatever the weather but if it turns a bit inclement our DVDs of films and television programmes may provide some much needed entertainment, particularly for younger borrowers. If you are going to be doing some long-distance driving over the holidays you may like to consider borrowing some of our talking books. We have titles suitable for all ages and they are a great way to make the miles pass by.
Next year will see the return of our much loved programmes such as the Rainbow Kids pre-school programme, Seniors Celebrate, and the Masterton Library Book Club. We have some exciting new initiatives that will be coming online next year and I will be able to expand on these in the New Year. Until then, and on behalf of the staff at the Masterton Library and Wairarapa Archive, I’d like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Music at the Library
Music, like poetry, fiction, and even some non-fiction, has a wonderful ability to both entertain and fill us with emotion. Last week I went to Auckland to see the concert by Irish rock band U2. Held the day after it was announced that there was no chance of survivors emerging from the Pike River mine, it was great to share in such an emotionally charged and uplifting performance. Personally I can’t think of a better band to see after such a tragic event, and the dedication of the already poignant song ‘One Tree Hill’ to the29 miners was truly moving.
Music can both convey and create a range of different emotions and exists in a huge variety of different styles - from rock to rap, pop to punk, classical to country, and folk to funk. It is somewhat paradoxically, a very individual thing and something we all share. Here at the library we try to cater to the varied musical tastes and interests of all our borrowers. We have books about music and musicians, guides on how to play music, and many music CDs and DVDs. As an example from the aforementioned U2, we have three CDs, one DVD , and two books about the group.
Our books on music cover all the different musical genres. Some are histories of groups and performers like Queen, the Beatles, and Bruce Springsteen, while others are guides to music such as Nick Bollinger’s 100 Essential NZ Albums or Nick Hornby’s 31 Songs. For musicians we also have many books of musical scores and numerous guides on playing various instruments. These cater to a range of abilities and include guides to the piano, guitar, violin, trumpet, recorder and saxophone.
With our CD collection we aim to cater to as wide a range of tastes as possible. As such it features composers such as Mozart and Gershwin, legendary performers like Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, to more contemporary artists like the Foo Fighters and the Black Eyed Peas. In between is everything from The Rough Guide to the Music of Greece, to the soundtrack to the film Mama Mia! The CDs cost $2.00 each to hire and are issued for three weeks. Our music DVDs (which are kept on the same set of shelves as the CDs) cost $3.00 each to hire and are issued for one week. Many of these are of live musical performances and again cater to different musical tastes ranging from Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, to Andre Rieu and Hayley Westenra.
The library also has a large collection of books, CDs and DVDs on Māori music. These include traditional waiata and histories of Māori music and instruments, including the highly regarded Nga Moteatea collection compiled by Sir Apirana Ngata. We also have CDs of more contemporary collections of Māori music and such notable recordings as Ake, Ake, kia kaha e!: songs of the New Zealand 28 (Māori) Battalion.
Another specialist collection is the books and CDs we provide for children. The benefits of introducing music to children even at a very young age are well known, particularly for developing movement and encouraging learning. Our Wednesday morning pre-school programme regularly features a musical interlude and we have numerous music CDs in our children’s section. This includes the very popular Love To Sing series which features books with accompanying CDs and DVDs and of course no children’s department collection would be complete without The Wiggles.
The library is also able to occasionally host musical performances, particularly as part of the Seniors Celebrate programme we offer on the 4th Tuesday of every month. Recently we had performances by the All Sorts Ukulele Orchestra and the Hadlow School Senior Choir. We also recently hosted a Pacific Islands night at the library which featured many musical performances. One of the great things about these events is that everybody in the library (staff included) is able to enjoy the performance.
Throughout time and throughout cultures, music has played a very important part in human society and civilisation. It is present throughout our lives from everyday events such as driving in the car, to special occasions such as weddings and funerals. A recent addition to our collection is the stunning book Music by Andrew Zuckerman which features portraits and interviews with artists, composers, producers, and performers from many musical genres. I will end this piece with a quote from this book by Kiwi musician Neil Finn, who gives a more eloquent and educated view of music than I ever could. “Music has a way of describing complex, mysterious aspects of life in a way that nothing else can. It can get underneath your skin in the most beautiful way”.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Music can both convey and create a range of different emotions and exists in a huge variety of different styles - from rock to rap, pop to punk, classical to country, and folk to funk. It is somewhat paradoxically, a very individual thing and something we all share. Here at the library we try to cater to the varied musical tastes and interests of all our borrowers. We have books about music and musicians, guides on how to play music, and many music CDs and DVDs. As an example from the aforementioned U2, we have three CDs, one DVD , and two books about the group.
Our books on music cover all the different musical genres. Some are histories of groups and performers like Queen, the Beatles, and Bruce Springsteen, while others are guides to music such as Nick Bollinger’s 100 Essential NZ Albums or Nick Hornby’s 31 Songs. For musicians we also have many books of musical scores and numerous guides on playing various instruments. These cater to a range of abilities and include guides to the piano, guitar, violin, trumpet, recorder and saxophone.
With our CD collection we aim to cater to as wide a range of tastes as possible. As such it features composers such as Mozart and Gershwin, legendary performers like Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, to more contemporary artists like the Foo Fighters and the Black Eyed Peas. In between is everything from The Rough Guide to the Music of Greece, to the soundtrack to the film Mama Mia! The CDs cost $2.00 each to hire and are issued for three weeks. Our music DVDs (which are kept on the same set of shelves as the CDs) cost $3.00 each to hire and are issued for one week. Many of these are of live musical performances and again cater to different musical tastes ranging from Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, to Andre Rieu and Hayley Westenra.
The library also has a large collection of books, CDs and DVDs on Māori music. These include traditional waiata and histories of Māori music and instruments, including the highly regarded Nga Moteatea collection compiled by Sir Apirana Ngata. We also have CDs of more contemporary collections of Māori music and such notable recordings as Ake, Ake, kia kaha e!: songs of the New Zealand 28 (Māori) Battalion.
Another specialist collection is the books and CDs we provide for children. The benefits of introducing music to children even at a very young age are well known, particularly for developing movement and encouraging learning. Our Wednesday morning pre-school programme regularly features a musical interlude and we have numerous music CDs in our children’s section. This includes the very popular Love To Sing series which features books with accompanying CDs and DVDs and of course no children’s department collection would be complete without The Wiggles.
The library is also able to occasionally host musical performances, particularly as part of the Seniors Celebrate programme we offer on the 4th Tuesday of every month. Recently we had performances by the All Sorts Ukulele Orchestra and the Hadlow School Senior Choir. We also recently hosted a Pacific Islands night at the library which featured many musical performances. One of the great things about these events is that everybody in the library (staff included) is able to enjoy the performance.
Throughout time and throughout cultures, music has played a very important part in human society and civilisation. It is present throughout our lives from everyday events such as driving in the car, to special occasions such as weddings and funerals. A recent addition to our collection is the stunning book Music by Andrew Zuckerman which features portraits and interviews with artists, composers, producers, and performers from many musical genres. I will end this piece with a quote from this book by Kiwi musician Neil Finn, who gives a more eloquent and educated view of music than I ever could. “Music has a way of describing complex, mysterious aspects of life in a way that nothing else can. It can get underneath your skin in the most beautiful way”.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Monday, November 29, 2010
Books Grow on Trees this Summer
Kids enrolled in the Summer Reading Programme talk to library staff about the library books they have been reading (or had read to them by parents and caregivers) and in exchange receive incentive prizes. Children who complete the programme (by checking in to the library on four or more occasions over the six weeks it runs for) are also eligible to attend finale celebrations with more prizes, certificates, food and entertainment. As part of the programme libraries also host performances by visiting entertainers including storytellers and magicians during the school holidays. All of this is offered free of charge.
The Summer Reading Programme is designed for children ranging in age from 2 to 13 years. Also available is the ReadPlus programme which operates on a slightly different basis, and is aimed at ages 11 to 18. There is some cross over in these ages but it allows children to choose the programme that most appeals to them. This year the ReadPlus programme features artwork that takes a gothic twist on some well-known fairy tales, perfectly suited to the Twilight generation who like things a little dark and spooky.
In the Wairarapa the Summer Reading Programme and ReadPlus will be offered by Pahiatua, Eketahuna, Masterton, Carterton, Greytown, Featherston and Martinborough libraries. Masterton Library also has places available for speakers and readers of Māori to do the programme in Te Reo. Here at Masterton Library registration for both programmes takes place on the 2nd of December from 4:00 to 7:30pm, and the programme itself runs from the 13th of December to the 21st of January. If you belong to one of the other libraries get in contact with them to find out the details of when and how they are running the programme. For all libraries places are limited so avoid disappointment and make sure you secure your space in the Big Bush Read.
Thanks to the co-operation of local councils, the hard work of librarians, and the financial support of the Eastern and Central Community Trust, the Summer Reading Programme has been an incredibly successful initiative. Children enrolled on the programme have an opportunity to maintain and even improve their reading skills over the summer break - a period when many loose the gains they have made at school. For those not yet at school it is a chance to become more familiar with books and reading, and for all it is a chance to get to know their librarians. And on top of all these benefits, it’s also a whole lot of fun. So get lost in a book not the bush this summer with the Summer Reading Programme.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Monday, November 15, 2010
Good Sports at the Library
The recent Commonwealth Games, and in particular that epic netball final between New Zealand and Australia, showcased the wonderful drama of sport. Unfortunately sport is often placed in competition with books, reading, and by extension, libraries. The reality is that books and sports can complement each other very productively and here at Masterton Library we have an extensive collection of books relating to sport. And contrary to our somewhat ‘bookish’ image, many librarians are very keen on sport, if not participating themselves, at least following it with a passionate interest.
The range of sports covered in our collection is vast, from racket games like tennis to air sports like hot-air ballooning; from ball sports like basketball to outdoor pursuits like mountain climbing. While we logically have more books on sports that enjoy greater popularity with the public, we also make an effort to cover less popular sports. We also have a large number of books on hunting and fishing but whether these are sports or recreation is a matter that is open to debate.
Books offer an opportunity to go deeper into sports than simply watching, to learn about the personalities of the competitors, the backgrounds and histories of different sports, events and contests. Many of the sports books we have in the library are biographies which are very popular with borrowers wanting to learn more about their favourite sporting heroes. Sports biographies are a great way to discover the personal histories of sports people, their views on sporting matters, and how they achieve at the highest level.
The majority of our sporting biographies are about New Zealanders such as Changing Colours: the Irene Van Dyck story, Changing Pace by Sir Richard Hadlee, or Murph’s Law about motorsport legend Greg Murphy. But we also have books about sporting figures from other countries including legendary Australian cricketer Don Bradman, My Side by English soccer star David Beckham, and Open by U.S. tennis great Andre Agassi. These profiles of leading figures in different sports offer an unparalleled insight into what makes a champion sportsperson.
And it’s not just the players who are the subject of sporting biographies. Ricki Herbert: a New Fire is about the former player who more recently has made his name as coach of the successful Phoenix and World Cup qualifying All Whites. Titch tells the story of the remarkable Gordon Tietjens, coach of the NZ Sevens team who won their fourth consecutive gold medal at the Delhi Commonwealth Games. A Life in Sport by Brendan Telfer and A Lucky Man by Keith Quinn tell the story of two broadcasters who have made their careers reporting on sporting events and matters.
In addition to books about sports and sportspeople, we have many books that offer advice on how to improve your own sporting performance. These range from those that offer general advice on matters like fitness, motivation, and nutrition, to those that target specific sport skills. Examples of these are Marathon Runners Handbook, Mastering Mountain Bike Skills, and Swimming Past 50. We also have a selection of magazine titles including Multisport and Triathlete, The Cut, and Walking New Zealand that cater to those with an interest in sports.
Given that it is our national game, it is not surprising that books about rugby form a large part of our collection of sports books. We have the unrivalled Men In Black and biographies of legendary players from the past including Colin Meads and local hero Brian Lochore, and more recent times such as Dan Carter, Tana Umaga, and Mils Muliaina. Beneath the Māori Moon is a celebration of the involvement, impact and success of Māori in rugby. For a deeper and perhaps more contentious view on the game, Chris Laidlaw’s Somebody Stole My Game looks at effect professionalism has had on rugby in New Zealand.
There are a number of sporting issues looked at by books in our collection. Breaking the Chain by Willy Voet looks at drug use in competitive cycling, How They Stole the Game by David Yallop looks at corruption in international football administration, and more positively Winning Isn’t Everything celebrates instances of great sportsmanship. We also have books like Why a Curveball Curves which takes a scientific approach to sports, and on a lighter note, The Bowler’s Holding, the Batsman’s Wyllie is a collection of humorous sporting quotations, such as “They call it golf because all the other four-letter words were taken” – Raymond Floyd.
Sport can provide great reading material, and books in turn can provide inspiration and information to help sports people improve their performance. And whether your sport of choice takes place on the field, on the snow, in the water or even in the air, we are bound to have a book that will interest you. And for those of you a bit bemused by sport and its prominent place in society, try Get Her Off the Pitch by Lynn Truss, the author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves. It tells, often hilariously, of the four years she spent as an unlikely sports reporter for The Times and is described as a book for those who love sports, those who can’t understand what the fuss is about, and everyone in between.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
The range of sports covered in our collection is vast, from racket games like tennis to air sports like hot-air ballooning; from ball sports like basketball to outdoor pursuits like mountain climbing. While we logically have more books on sports that enjoy greater popularity with the public, we also make an effort to cover less popular sports. We also have a large number of books on hunting and fishing but whether these are sports or recreation is a matter that is open to debate.
Books offer an opportunity to go deeper into sports than simply watching, to learn about the personalities of the competitors, the backgrounds and histories of different sports, events and contests. Many of the sports books we have in the library are biographies which are very popular with borrowers wanting to learn more about their favourite sporting heroes. Sports biographies are a great way to discover the personal histories of sports people, their views on sporting matters, and how they achieve at the highest level.
The majority of our sporting biographies are about New Zealanders such as Changing Colours: the Irene Van Dyck story, Changing Pace by Sir Richard Hadlee, or Murph’s Law about motorsport legend Greg Murphy. But we also have books about sporting figures from other countries including legendary Australian cricketer Don Bradman, My Side by English soccer star David Beckham, and Open by U.S. tennis great Andre Agassi. These profiles of leading figures in different sports offer an unparalleled insight into what makes a champion sportsperson.
And it’s not just the players who are the subject of sporting biographies. Ricki Herbert: a New Fire is about the former player who more recently has made his name as coach of the successful Phoenix and World Cup qualifying All Whites. Titch tells the story of the remarkable Gordon Tietjens, coach of the NZ Sevens team who won their fourth consecutive gold medal at the Delhi Commonwealth Games. A Life in Sport by Brendan Telfer and A Lucky Man by Keith Quinn tell the story of two broadcasters who have made their careers reporting on sporting events and matters.
In addition to books about sports and sportspeople, we have many books that offer advice on how to improve your own sporting performance. These range from those that offer general advice on matters like fitness, motivation, and nutrition, to those that target specific sport skills. Examples of these are Marathon Runners Handbook, Mastering Mountain Bike Skills, and Swimming Past 50. We also have a selection of magazine titles including Multisport and Triathlete, The Cut, and Walking New Zealand that cater to those with an interest in sports.
Given that it is our national game, it is not surprising that books about rugby form a large part of our collection of sports books. We have the unrivalled Men In Black and biographies of legendary players from the past including Colin Meads and local hero Brian Lochore, and more recent times such as Dan Carter, Tana Umaga, and Mils Muliaina. Beneath the Māori Moon is a celebration of the involvement, impact and success of Māori in rugby. For a deeper and perhaps more contentious view on the game, Chris Laidlaw’s Somebody Stole My Game looks at effect professionalism has had on rugby in New Zealand.
There are a number of sporting issues looked at by books in our collection. Breaking the Chain by Willy Voet looks at drug use in competitive cycling, How They Stole the Game by David Yallop looks at corruption in international football administration, and more positively Winning Isn’t Everything celebrates instances of great sportsmanship. We also have books like Why a Curveball Curves which takes a scientific approach to sports, and on a lighter note, The Bowler’s Holding, the Batsman’s Wyllie is a collection of humorous sporting quotations, such as “They call it golf because all the other four-letter words were taken” – Raymond Floyd.
Sport can provide great reading material, and books in turn can provide inspiration and information to help sports people improve their performance. And whether your sport of choice takes place on the field, on the snow, in the water or even in the air, we are bound to have a book that will interest you. And for those of you a bit bemused by sport and its prominent place in society, try Get Her Off the Pitch by Lynn Truss, the author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves. It tells, often hilariously, of the four years she spent as an unlikely sports reporter for The Times and is described as a book for those who love sports, those who can’t understand what the fuss is about, and everyone in between.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Monday, November 1, 2010
Many Happy Returns
Over the past couple of weeks visitors to the library may have noticed some changes as we work to move our Returns Desk to a new location. Currently the Returns Desk is tucked in beside the main door, on your left as you walk into the building. We now have a returns slot fitted into the wall to the left of the Issues/Information desk, and the returning of books will be carried out by library staff behind a set of screen walls. We will continue to operate an after-hours return slot at the Queen Street door so there will be no change for those of you who rely on this option to get your books back.
We are hopeful that this change will help improve the service we offer to our borrowers. Some days we have to deal with a huge number of items that need to be returned, particularly on a Monday morning and especially after a long weekend. Many mornings we aren’t even able to see the returns person behind the pile of books waiting to be returned. Getting all these books out of the way will allow for a more streamlined and secure process. Moving the returns area to behind the main desk also means we will gain some much needed space.
When people return their books they often have something they want to discuss - perhaps they have identified something that needs repairing, books that need to be renewed, fines they want to pay, advice on more books by this or similar authors. It makes sense to offer all these options in one place rather than borrowers having to go back and forth between the Issues and Returns desks. We also have occasional borrowers who are not regular library users and miss the Returns Desk when they enter the library, bringing their books to the Issue Desk in a slightly confused state. Hopefully having the returns slot right beside the Issues/Information area will make the process simpler and easier for all.
Occasionally we have books returned to the library that don’t belong to us, belonging either to other libraries or borrowers own collections. Where possible we try to work out who the book is likely to belong to and contact the person to let them know we have it. In the case of other libraries’ books this is relatively straight forward as they are stamped with the libraries name, but in the case of personal books it can require a bit more detective work. If you think you may have wrongly returned a book here it is worth giving us a call to see if we have it.
A quick scroll of the Internet revealed that many strange items can get passed through a library’s returns slot including a book where a rasher of bacon had been used as a bookmark, a copy of Agatha Christie’s ‘The Body in the Library’ that appeared to have real blood on it, and a book on dog obedience that had been chewed on. It is also not uncommon for very overdue library books to be passed through the returns slot.
We get these quite regularly but none quite as bad as Camelback High School Library in Phoenix who late last year received two overdue library books that had been issued in 1959. 50 years later they were returned to the library along with a money order for $1,000 to cover the overdue charges. And if you have some overdue library books and feel guilty about returning them don’t feel too bad. Apparently the New York Society Library is still waiting for inaugural U.S. President George Washington to return two books he borrowed in 1789!
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
We are hopeful that this change will help improve the service we offer to our borrowers. Some days we have to deal with a huge number of items that need to be returned, particularly on a Monday morning and especially after a long weekend. Many mornings we aren’t even able to see the returns person behind the pile of books waiting to be returned. Getting all these books out of the way will allow for a more streamlined and secure process. Moving the returns area to behind the main desk also means we will gain some much needed space.
When people return their books they often have something they want to discuss - perhaps they have identified something that needs repairing, books that need to be renewed, fines they want to pay, advice on more books by this or similar authors. It makes sense to offer all these options in one place rather than borrowers having to go back and forth between the Issues and Returns desks. We also have occasional borrowers who are not regular library users and miss the Returns Desk when they enter the library, bringing their books to the Issue Desk in a slightly confused state. Hopefully having the returns slot right beside the Issues/Information area will make the process simpler and easier for all.
Occasionally we have books returned to the library that don’t belong to us, belonging either to other libraries or borrowers own collections. Where possible we try to work out who the book is likely to belong to and contact the person to let them know we have it. In the case of other libraries’ books this is relatively straight forward as they are stamped with the libraries name, but in the case of personal books it can require a bit more detective work. If you think you may have wrongly returned a book here it is worth giving us a call to see if we have it.
A quick scroll of the Internet revealed that many strange items can get passed through a library’s returns slot including a book where a rasher of bacon had been used as a bookmark, a copy of Agatha Christie’s ‘The Body in the Library’ that appeared to have real blood on it, and a book on dog obedience that had been chewed on. It is also not uncommon for very overdue library books to be passed through the returns slot.
We get these quite regularly but none quite as bad as Camelback High School Library in Phoenix who late last year received two overdue library books that had been issued in 1959. 50 years later they were returned to the library along with a money order for $1,000 to cover the overdue charges. And if you have some overdue library books and feel guilty about returning them don’t feel too bad. Apparently the New York Society Library is still waiting for inaugural U.S. President George Washington to return two books he borrowed in 1789!
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Monday, October 18, 2010
From Over the Ditch
I recently travelled to Sydney to farewell an old friend and returning back to work got thinking about the unique relationship between New Zealand and Australia. Even here at the Masterton Library the link that has developed between our two nations tucked away here at the bottom of the world is quite evident. Many members of staff have family members who live over the ditch, several have lived in Australia for an extended time, and we even have an Australian working on our permanent staff. Like it or not, there is no getting away from the fact that Australia and Australians play a significant part in many of our lives.
Probably more than any country other than our own, Australia is also the origin of much of the material we hold in the library. As a public library’s collection reflects the needs and interests of the general public, it is only logical that the closeness of the relationship between NZ and Oz is reflected in the library’s book collection. Here at Masterton Library books by Australians and about Australia form a significant part of our catalogue including books for children, teens and adults, and both Fiction and Non-Fiction titles.
Amongst the Australian fiction titles we hold are works by prize winning authors such as Peter Carey, Tim Winton, and Kate Grenville. We also have books by authors such as Colleen McCullough and Bryce Courtenay who have achieved huge international success. An increasingly popular aspect of Australian fiction are works set in the outback. Authors such as Fleur McDonald, Fiona Palmer and Bronwyn Parry have placed their stories in this uniquely Australian setting and the strong-willed, rugged characters often match this harsh, dramatic environment.
Outback life is also a very popular topic in Non-Fiction. Stars Over Shiralee by Sheryl McCorry documents the real life dramas of a woman managing a huge cattle ranch in Western Australia. Outback Heart by Joanne van Os tells of the author’s life in the Northern Territory with Rod Ansell, the man known by many as the original ‘Crocodile Dundee’. Possibly best known is the series of auto-biographies by Sara Henderson beginning with From Strength to Strength which documents her family’s struggle to manage a massive ranch in the Northern Territory after the death of her husband.
We have non-fiction books covering many aspects of Australian life including history titles such as the landmark The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes, and perhaps a bit lighter in tone, Bill Bryson’s Down Under. With Australia being such a popular destination for New Zealand tourists we also have travel guides to the Australian states and all the major cities. One book that may be of particular interest to Masterton residents is Images of Armidale, a pictorial history of the N.S.W. town that is Masterton’s sister city.
Australia authors and illustrators are also responsible for some of our most popular books for children and young adults. Picture books such as Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox, Let’s Get a Pup by Bob Graham and Little White Dogs Can’t Jump by Bruce Whatley are enjoyed by many young readers. Jeannie Baker is highly regarded for the elaborate collages in her books, while the sophisticated picture books of Shaun Tan have received worldwide recognition. Many children have been amused by the fun-packed stories of Morris Gleitzman, Paul Jennings and Andy Griffiths. For older readers, John Marsden’s Tomorrow, When the War Began series, recently released on the big screen, remains perennially popular.
For many New Zealanders, Australians are the people they love to hate, no sporting victory is sweeter than one over the Aussies, and no outrage greater than when they claim a NZ achievement as their own (such as Phar Lap, Pavlova, or Split Enz). We are the butt of each other’s jokes and enjoy a very healthy rivalry. There is no denying however that very strong links do exist between the two countries that cover family, social, cultural, and historical aspects, including the strong ANZAC tradition. They say that in every Australians life there’s a Kiwi somewhere and the reverse is probably equally true. Masterton Library reflects this relationship, both in its staffing and its collection, and while I don’t necessarily think we should all be whistling Waltzing Matilda as we go about our daily lives, there is no denying that Australians have made a major contribution to the material we get to enjoy and benefit from through the library.
Probably more than any country other than our own, Australia is also the origin of much of the material we hold in the library. As a public library’s collection reflects the needs and interests of the general public, it is only logical that the closeness of the relationship between NZ and Oz is reflected in the library’s book collection. Here at Masterton Library books by Australians and about Australia form a significant part of our catalogue including books for children, teens and adults, and both Fiction and Non-Fiction titles.
Amongst the Australian fiction titles we hold are works by prize winning authors such as Peter Carey, Tim Winton, and Kate Grenville. We also have books by authors such as Colleen McCullough and Bryce Courtenay who have achieved huge international success. An increasingly popular aspect of Australian fiction are works set in the outback. Authors such as Fleur McDonald, Fiona Palmer and Bronwyn Parry have placed their stories in this uniquely Australian setting and the strong-willed, rugged characters often match this harsh, dramatic environment.
Outback life is also a very popular topic in Non-Fiction. Stars Over Shiralee by Sheryl McCorry documents the real life dramas of a woman managing a huge cattle ranch in Western Australia. Outback Heart by Joanne van Os tells of the author’s life in the Northern Territory with Rod Ansell, the man known by many as the original ‘Crocodile Dundee’. Possibly best known is the series of auto-biographies by Sara Henderson beginning with From Strength to Strength which documents her family’s struggle to manage a massive ranch in the Northern Territory after the death of her husband.
We have non-fiction books covering many aspects of Australian life including history titles such as the landmark The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes, and perhaps a bit lighter in tone, Bill Bryson’s Down Under. With Australia being such a popular destination for New Zealand tourists we also have travel guides to the Australian states and all the major cities. One book that may be of particular interest to Masterton residents is Images of Armidale, a pictorial history of the N.S.W. town that is Masterton’s sister city.
Australia authors and illustrators are also responsible for some of our most popular books for children and young adults. Picture books such as Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox, Let’s Get a Pup by Bob Graham and Little White Dogs Can’t Jump by Bruce Whatley are enjoyed by many young readers. Jeannie Baker is highly regarded for the elaborate collages in her books, while the sophisticated picture books of Shaun Tan have received worldwide recognition. Many children have been amused by the fun-packed stories of Morris Gleitzman, Paul Jennings and Andy Griffiths. For older readers, John Marsden’s Tomorrow, When the War Began series, recently released on the big screen, remains perennially popular.
For many New Zealanders, Australians are the people they love to hate, no sporting victory is sweeter than one over the Aussies, and no outrage greater than when they claim a NZ achievement as their own (such as Phar Lap, Pavlova, or Split Enz). We are the butt of each other’s jokes and enjoy a very healthy rivalry. There is no denying however that very strong links do exist between the two countries that cover family, social, cultural, and historical aspects, including the strong ANZAC tradition. They say that in every Australians life there’s a Kiwi somewhere and the reverse is probably equally true. Masterton Library reflects this relationship, both in its staffing and its collection, and while I don’t necessarily think we should all be whistling Waltzing Matilda as we go about our daily lives, there is no denying that Australians have made a major contribution to the material we get to enjoy and benefit from through the library.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Talking About Talking Books
Late last year I had to drive to Auckland on my own so I took a selection of talking books with me to listen to on the way. These proved to be a great distraction, so much so that I became keen to get back in the car after a break so I could get on with the story. Talking books, or audio books as they are also known, are a growing part of our collection here at Masterton Library and are a great way of experiencing a book when you aren’t actually able to read it.
Talking books are books that have been recorded in an audio format, usually read aloud by a voice actor but sometimes by the book’s author. Many of our older talking books are still in the format of audio cassettes but more and more are being produced on compact disc. This includes compressed MP3 discs which can allow for a whole book to be captured on one disc. We also have downloaded a number of talking books on to a dedicated computer so they can be loaded directly on to a MP3 player.
Talking books started to emerge in the 1930s when they were used primarily as a way to provide people with sight impairments with access to the world of literature. In the 1980s the economic potential of audio books began to be realised and book retailers started stocking them on their shelves. Although the higher costs of producing a talking book and the reduced economies of scale mean they are typically more expensive than traditional books, they are becoming an increasingly popular option.
Today paper and audio editions of some of the biggest books and authors are published simultaneously. Some people have used both audio and paper versions of a book at the same time as a way of learning a new language, and even by people who have had a cochlear implant and are relearning how to hear. Talking books are occasionally abridged versions of the original story but if this is the case it should be indicated on the cover.
There is an expanding range of material available on talking books at the library including titles aimed at children, teens, and adults. There are fiction titles from a variety of genres such as fantasy, thrillers, romance and family sagas, and from authors ranging from Agatha Christie to Patricia Cornwell, Jules Verne to Penny Vincenzi. There are also a large number of non-fiction items available including travel accounts and biographies of people ranging from Carol Burnett to Laura Bush.
Talking books are obviously still of immense value to those with impaired sight and Masterton residents with sight impairments can borrow from our talking book collection at no charge. They are also becoming popular with other groups of people, commuters for example who listen to them on the train or in the car. Others like to listen to them in the home while they go about their daily activities. For general borrowers of talking books there is a charge of $3 per item and they are issued for three weeks.
On an unrelated note, last week saw the retirement of a long standing member of library staff, Paul Cooper. Paul has been working at the library for 14 years and has become something of an institution at the returns desk every afternoon. Many members of the public have come to rely on Paul for his book recommendations, particularly those with an interest in crime fiction, and we are all going to miss his contribution to the library. All the best for the future Paul, enjoy your well-earned retirement and we hope you will still be a frequent visitor to the library, particularly if you have some book recommendations to share with us.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Talking books are books that have been recorded in an audio format, usually read aloud by a voice actor but sometimes by the book’s author. Many of our older talking books are still in the format of audio cassettes but more and more are being produced on compact disc. This includes compressed MP3 discs which can allow for a whole book to be captured on one disc. We also have downloaded a number of talking books on to a dedicated computer so they can be loaded directly on to a MP3 player.
Talking books started to emerge in the 1930s when they were used primarily as a way to provide people with sight impairments with access to the world of literature. In the 1980s the economic potential of audio books began to be realised and book retailers started stocking them on their shelves. Although the higher costs of producing a talking book and the reduced economies of scale mean they are typically more expensive than traditional books, they are becoming an increasingly popular option.
Today paper and audio editions of some of the biggest books and authors are published simultaneously. Some people have used both audio and paper versions of a book at the same time as a way of learning a new language, and even by people who have had a cochlear implant and are relearning how to hear. Talking books are occasionally abridged versions of the original story but if this is the case it should be indicated on the cover.
There is an expanding range of material available on talking books at the library including titles aimed at children, teens, and adults. There are fiction titles from a variety of genres such as fantasy, thrillers, romance and family sagas, and from authors ranging from Agatha Christie to Patricia Cornwell, Jules Verne to Penny Vincenzi. There are also a large number of non-fiction items available including travel accounts and biographies of people ranging from Carol Burnett to Laura Bush.
Talking books are obviously still of immense value to those with impaired sight and Masterton residents with sight impairments can borrow from our talking book collection at no charge. They are also becoming popular with other groups of people, commuters for example who listen to them on the train or in the car. Others like to listen to them in the home while they go about their daily activities. For general borrowers of talking books there is a charge of $3 per item and they are issued for three weeks.
On an unrelated note, last week saw the retirement of a long standing member of library staff, Paul Cooper. Paul has been working at the library for 14 years and has become something of an institution at the returns desk every afternoon. Many members of the public have come to rely on Paul for his book recommendations, particularly those with an interest in crime fiction, and we are all going to miss his contribution to the library. All the best for the future Paul, enjoy your well-earned retirement and we hope you will still be a frequent visitor to the library, particularly if you have some book recommendations to share with us.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Overdue fines
Like most public libraries Masterton District Library imposes overdue charges for items that are not returned by their due date. These fines are designed to encourage borrowers to return their books, DVDs etc. on time. While the money we receive from overdue fees is incorporated into the library budget, we certainly don’t impose fines as a money-making exercise. The staff time spent processing or following up overdue books and charges makes it a less effective revenue stream, and more importantly we don’t want anyone to stop using the library because of charges on their card.
Most of the books and magazines in the library are issued for three weeks and an overdue charge of 20 cents per item per day will accrue from closing time on the day they are due. This includes all the children’s and young adult books, the graphic novel collection, talking books, CDs, the non-fiction and fiction collections. Overdue DVDs and magazines from the Premium Magazine collection are charged at the rate of 40 cents per item, per day, and because of their high popularity, books from the Hot Picks collection are charged at the rate of $1 per day.
The overdue fines are in place to encourage the prompt return of library items, allowing everybody to have reasonable access to them. However we don’t want fines to deter or prevent anyone from borrowing books. If there are any problems on your card relating to lost books, overdue books, or old fines, give us a call or come in and see us. We may be able to come to an arrangement to get the books back, the fines dealt with, and get you using your card again.
Obviously the easiest way to avoid overdue charges is to return your items before the due date. There are however numerous occasions when people want to keep a book for longer than the original issue period. It may have taken longer to read than anticipated, there may have been a disruption at home, or perhaps it’s simply a particularly unpleasant day and they don’t want to venture outside. Sometimes, and this even happens to librarians, we just forget when a book is due back.
In these cases overdue charges can usually be avoided by renewing a book, something you can do by coming into the library, calling us, or, if you have a PIN on your card, through our website. During the recent return of Swine Flu we had many borrowers ringing up to ask for extensions on their loans as they or their children were too unwell to venture out. Providing no other borrower has reserved the item(s) you can renew them for the same period as the initial loan. Generally we will only allow a book to be renewed once but if there are special circumstances get in touch with us and we may be able to renew it again.
Here at Masterton Library we do not stamp books with a due date stamp but provide borrowers with an issue slip which lists the items that have been borrowed, and when they are due. Many borrowers put these slips on their fridge or use them as a bookmark so they know when they are due. Some have even taken to adding the due date to the calendar functions of their mobile phones so they will receive an alert when the items are due.
If you have an email address we can establish an automated reminder notice to be sent to you four days before your items are due. Soon we will also be able to send automated reminder text messages to your mobile phone. If you are unsure of when an item is due, ask us and we can let you know. We can also give you a new print out of all the items on issue to you and when they are due back.
We are very aware that fines can quickly mount up, especially if there are a large number of items on issue, which is often the case when all family members are using the one card. I hope that the above information will help you in managing the items you have on loan from the library, and convey that we are as keen as you are to avoid overdue fines. The charges are in place to ensure fairness to all library users by encouraging the prompt return of library items. We know that this is not always possible and will do what we can to keep your charges to a minimum, and keep you using your library.
Most of the books and magazines in the library are issued for three weeks and an overdue charge of 20 cents per item per day will accrue from closing time on the day they are due. This includes all the children’s and young adult books, the graphic novel collection, talking books, CDs, the non-fiction and fiction collections. Overdue DVDs and magazines from the Premium Magazine collection are charged at the rate of 40 cents per item, per day, and because of their high popularity, books from the Hot Picks collection are charged at the rate of $1 per day.
The overdue fines are in place to encourage the prompt return of library items, allowing everybody to have reasonable access to them. However we don’t want fines to deter or prevent anyone from borrowing books. If there are any problems on your card relating to lost books, overdue books, or old fines, give us a call or come in and see us. We may be able to come to an arrangement to get the books back, the fines dealt with, and get you using your card again.
Obviously the easiest way to avoid overdue charges is to return your items before the due date. There are however numerous occasions when people want to keep a book for longer than the original issue period. It may have taken longer to read than anticipated, there may have been a disruption at home, or perhaps it’s simply a particularly unpleasant day and they don’t want to venture outside. Sometimes, and this even happens to librarians, we just forget when a book is due back.
In these cases overdue charges can usually be avoided by renewing a book, something you can do by coming into the library, calling us, or, if you have a PIN on your card, through our website. During the recent return of Swine Flu we had many borrowers ringing up to ask for extensions on their loans as they or their children were too unwell to venture out. Providing no other borrower has reserved the item(s) you can renew them for the same period as the initial loan. Generally we will only allow a book to be renewed once but if there are special circumstances get in touch with us and we may be able to renew it again.
Here at Masterton Library we do not stamp books with a due date stamp but provide borrowers with an issue slip which lists the items that have been borrowed, and when they are due. Many borrowers put these slips on their fridge or use them as a bookmark so they know when they are due. Some have even taken to adding the due date to the calendar functions of their mobile phones so they will receive an alert when the items are due.
If you have an email address we can establish an automated reminder notice to be sent to you four days before your items are due. Soon we will also be able to send automated reminder text messages to your mobile phone. If you are unsure of when an item is due, ask us and we can let you know. We can also give you a new print out of all the items on issue to you and when they are due back.
We are very aware that fines can quickly mount up, especially if there are a large number of items on issue, which is often the case when all family members are using the one card. I hope that the above information will help you in managing the items you have on loan from the library, and convey that we are as keen as you are to avoid overdue fines. The charges are in place to ensure fairness to all library users by encouraging the prompt return of library items. We know that this is not always possible and will do what we can to keep your charges to a minimum, and keep you using your library.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Fiction/Non-Fiction changes
Regular users of the Masterton Library may have noticed some changes to our layout over the past few weeks. Our Large Print collection has been re-arranged and we have also started to reduce the amount of shelving allocated for Non-Fiction books, and increase the shelving for Fiction. These changes are part of our ongoing efforts to improve the service we offer to our borrowers.
The new layout for the Large Print books has created an alcove incorporating one of the window bays on the Queen Street side of the building. We hope this will provide a bright and pleasant space for borrowers to peruse the books, and the opportunity to have a seat, take the weight of their feet, and check out their selections. Being slightly separated, this area also provides our users of Large Print books with a quiet space, away from the bustle and activity that can be taking place in the library.
The changes to the Fiction and Non-Fiction shelving are a reflection of how the library is currently being used by our borrowers. The reality of maintaining a library in the Internet age is that our Non-Fiction collection is not getting as much use as it once was as many people are finding their information online. It therefore makes sense for us to reduce the amount of shelf space dedicated to Non-Fiction material.
This certainly doesn’t mean that we are doing away with the Non-Fiction collection. There are still many instances where people find it preferable to get their information from books rather than the Internet, and we will still be maintaining a broad range of subjects. What it does mean is that we are fine tuning the collection, making sure that the books we do have are the books that people still want to borrow.
The bonus of reducing the amount of shelving allocated to Non-Fiction is that we can increase the amount available for Fiction, something we are really excited about. With more Fiction shelving we will be able to display more books, avoid over-crowded shelves, have more books by the authors we already hold, and buy books by different authors. Fiction books continue to be very popular and we are confident that the increased range we will be able to present to the public will encourage even more borrowing.
As we look to increase the size of our Fiction collection, we would love to hear from our borrowers about the books they want in the library. We work hard to make sure we keep up to date with new books coming out. We have standing order lists with a couple of suppliers for authors we know there is a demand for, and we put a lot of effort into reading reviews and industry publications to keep up-to-date with reading trends and developments. But requests and suggestions from our borrowers are a great way for us to spread the net of the books we are aware of and purchase for the library.
Borrower requests can be made at the issue desk by filling in one of our request forms, or submitted online via our website. To suggest a title online you will need to have a PIN number activated on your card. If you have one it is simply a matter of logging on, clicking on ‘suggest a purchase’ and filling in the online form. If we do decide to get the book requested, a $1.00 charge will be added to your card, the same as for reserving a book.
While we may not always decide to purchase a suggested book, or may not be able to source it, we are very keen to hear what titles you would like to see in the library. We welcome requests for any type of library item, including DVDs and magazines, and of course if there are non-fiction titles you would like to see in the library we still want to hear about them. The layout changes we are making are in response to changing usage of the library. These along with your suggestions for the items we have available for borrowing will help keep the library a vibrant and well utilised part of our community.
The new layout for the Large Print books has created an alcove incorporating one of the window bays on the Queen Street side of the building. We hope this will provide a bright and pleasant space for borrowers to peruse the books, and the opportunity to have a seat, take the weight of their feet, and check out their selections. Being slightly separated, this area also provides our users of Large Print books with a quiet space, away from the bustle and activity that can be taking place in the library.
The changes to the Fiction and Non-Fiction shelving are a reflection of how the library is currently being used by our borrowers. The reality of maintaining a library in the Internet age is that our Non-Fiction collection is not getting as much use as it once was as many people are finding their information online. It therefore makes sense for us to reduce the amount of shelf space dedicated to Non-Fiction material.
This certainly doesn’t mean that we are doing away with the Non-Fiction collection. There are still many instances where people find it preferable to get their information from books rather than the Internet, and we will still be maintaining a broad range of subjects. What it does mean is that we are fine tuning the collection, making sure that the books we do have are the books that people still want to borrow.
The bonus of reducing the amount of shelving allocated to Non-Fiction is that we can increase the amount available for Fiction, something we are really excited about. With more Fiction shelving we will be able to display more books, avoid over-crowded shelves, have more books by the authors we already hold, and buy books by different authors. Fiction books continue to be very popular and we are confident that the increased range we will be able to present to the public will encourage even more borrowing.
As we look to increase the size of our Fiction collection, we would love to hear from our borrowers about the books they want in the library. We work hard to make sure we keep up to date with new books coming out. We have standing order lists with a couple of suppliers for authors we know there is a demand for, and we put a lot of effort into reading reviews and industry publications to keep up-to-date with reading trends and developments. But requests and suggestions from our borrowers are a great way for us to spread the net of the books we are aware of and purchase for the library.
Borrower requests can be made at the issue desk by filling in one of our request forms, or submitted online via our website. To suggest a title online you will need to have a PIN number activated on your card. If you have one it is simply a matter of logging on, clicking on ‘suggest a purchase’ and filling in the online form. If we do decide to get the book requested, a $1.00 charge will be added to your card, the same as for reserving a book.
While we may not always decide to purchase a suggested book, or may not be able to source it, we are very keen to hear what titles you would like to see in the library. We welcome requests for any type of library item, including DVDs and magazines, and of course if there are non-fiction titles you would like to see in the library we still want to hear about them. The layout changes we are making are in response to changing usage of the library. These along with your suggestions for the items we have available for borrowing will help keep the library a vibrant and well utilised part of our community.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Books and blokes
Wake up men! The women are out-performing us once again. Worldwide the statistics show that when it comes to reading, women are leaving men in their dust. While making generalisations about men, books, and reading is dangerous ground (and I won’t even think about making assumptions about women and books), it is undeniable that men aren’t reading as much as women. Here at the Masterton Library we have many regular and prolific male readers, but generally speaking we do have more female than male borrowers.
This is an issue that concerns librarians, teachers, book sellers, and book publishers and one that has received considerable consideration from academics and social commentators. Some have suggested the explanation lies in the biological difference between the male and female brain, others that it stems from the way boys and girls are taught to read. It has also been suggested that the maxim ‘Men don’t read’ has become self-fulfilling: publishers don’t target books to men because they don’t think there is much of an audience, then because men aren’t targeted they don’t read the books. Not many men will be attracted to (or even know about) a particular book because it has featured on Oprah for example.
Research shows that the division between the sexes is at its most obvious in fiction reading, and only in the non-fiction genres of history and biography do men read more than women. The interesting irony is that while men are under-represented in reading fiction, they are certainly not under-represented in writing it, with names like John Grisham, Dan Brown, James Patterson, and Terry Pratchett being amongst the world’s best-selling authors.
The common perception is that the fiction men do read tends to be in genres such as action/adventure, espionage and thriller, mystery and detective, and to a slightly lesser extent science fiction and fantasy. These books often feature strong central male characters, men of action who right wrongs and save damsels in distress. Interestingly these books also enjoy a strong female readership. It would seem that what both male and female readers want from fiction is escapism and entertainment, be it from JD Robb’s Eve Dallas or Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta or Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt.
But, whether the reason is biological or sociological, the fact remains that boys and men are not reading as much as females and with the growing concern over the performance of boys at school, this is a serious issue. Aside from the enjoyment and entertainment that can be gained through reading, literacy remains a key skill for success in the wider world. With the increasing place of information in our lives, it can be argued that the ability to read well is becoming even more important today than in the past.
Men are important role models for boys in this regard. If a boy sees his father (or other male role model) reading, or better yet is read to by a male, he will learn that books and reading are not just for females. This knowledge is going to give him a great advantage in the future, not just for learning and the advantages that good literacy skills will bring, but also in experiencing the particular benefits and enjoyment of reading fiction. If there is no male on hand to model this behaviour, the next best option is to provide him with some books that will have high appeal to boys and really capture his attention. Research and experience shows that when boys are given the right books they can become voracious readers.
Here at the Masterton Library we have many books that are likely to appeal to men and boys, and staff who are only to happy to offer advice on finding things to read. It could be fiction or non-fiction, graphic novels or magazines, the scope of writers and subjects is huge. While we have many dedicated male readers amongst our borrowers here at Masterton, we would love to encourage more to make use of the library. It’s time for men to ‘man-up’ and reclaim reading. As the ultimate good keen man Barry Crump showed, Real Men Do Read, and you’re only short-changing yourselves if you don’t.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
This is an issue that concerns librarians, teachers, book sellers, and book publishers and one that has received considerable consideration from academics and social commentators. Some have suggested the explanation lies in the biological difference between the male and female brain, others that it stems from the way boys and girls are taught to read. It has also been suggested that the maxim ‘Men don’t read’ has become self-fulfilling: publishers don’t target books to men because they don’t think there is much of an audience, then because men aren’t targeted they don’t read the books. Not many men will be attracted to (or even know about) a particular book because it has featured on Oprah for example.
Research shows that the division between the sexes is at its most obvious in fiction reading, and only in the non-fiction genres of history and biography do men read more than women. The interesting irony is that while men are under-represented in reading fiction, they are certainly not under-represented in writing it, with names like John Grisham, Dan Brown, James Patterson, and Terry Pratchett being amongst the world’s best-selling authors.
The common perception is that the fiction men do read tends to be in genres such as action/adventure, espionage and thriller, mystery and detective, and to a slightly lesser extent science fiction and fantasy. These books often feature strong central male characters, men of action who right wrongs and save damsels in distress. Interestingly these books also enjoy a strong female readership. It would seem that what both male and female readers want from fiction is escapism and entertainment, be it from JD Robb’s Eve Dallas or Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta or Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt.
But, whether the reason is biological or sociological, the fact remains that boys and men are not reading as much as females and with the growing concern over the performance of boys at school, this is a serious issue. Aside from the enjoyment and entertainment that can be gained through reading, literacy remains a key skill for success in the wider world. With the increasing place of information in our lives, it can be argued that the ability to read well is becoming even more important today than in the past.
Men are important role models for boys in this regard. If a boy sees his father (or other male role model) reading, or better yet is read to by a male, he will learn that books and reading are not just for females. This knowledge is going to give him a great advantage in the future, not just for learning and the advantages that good literacy skills will bring, but also in experiencing the particular benefits and enjoyment of reading fiction. If there is no male on hand to model this behaviour, the next best option is to provide him with some books that will have high appeal to boys and really capture his attention. Research and experience shows that when boys are given the right books they can become voracious readers.
Here at the Masterton Library we have many books that are likely to appeal to men and boys, and staff who are only to happy to offer advice on finding things to read. It could be fiction or non-fiction, graphic novels or magazines, the scope of writers and subjects is huge. While we have many dedicated male readers amongst our borrowers here at Masterton, we would love to encourage more to make use of the library. It’s time for men to ‘man-up’ and reclaim reading. As the ultimate good keen man Barry Crump showed, Real Men Do Read, and you’re only short-changing yourselves if you don’t.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Masterton, Moera and Mr Muggs
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Masterton Library Pre-School Programme (with Moera on the screen) |
The exercise was also a very valuable one for the adults involved, the link-up proving to be a great medium for sharing information and ideas. One of our Masterton mums is going to contact her sister in Moera and tell her about the great preschool programme going on at her local library. Our children’s librarians are also going to borrow the welcome song used at Moera , teach it to our children, and perhaps be able to sing it back to the Moera children next time we link up.
There were some technological issues such as intermittent sound, and a bit of time lag, but as a first step it was a very encouraging exercise and one that we hope to build on in the future. Congratulations to Chris, Kylie and Erica from Moera, and Jane, Mary and Sandy from Masterton (with help from Steven our Techie) on a really exciting initiative with huge potential and a great way to deliver NZ’s largest storytime.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Monday, August 9, 2010
Library Week
Library Week is an annual celebration of libraries and librarians, taking place throughout New Zealand from the 16th to the 22nd of August. Library Week has been running for 35 years and honours the important role that libraries play in our community. The theme of this year’s library week is ‘Ask me - you might be surprised!’
This theme reflects that librarians are not just people who issue and shelve books, and tell you to "shush" when you’ve been too noisy, but are trained information professionals with a world of knowledge at their fingertips. We are also individuals with unique interests and experiences that you may not expect at first glance - all you need to do is ask! Library Week is also using the Māori proverb He Taonga Te Pātai (to ask is precious) which alludes to the importance of teaching, listening and learning.
Masterton District Library will be holding some special events to celebrate Library week. On Monday the 16th and Tuesday the 17th we will be running special training sessions on how to make the most of your library card. These sessions will be held at 10am and 4pm each day and provide advice on how to utilize the features of our online library catalogue, your library card, and our website, including the recently added World Book. To book for one of these sessions please contact the library.
On Wednesday the 18th the library will be taking part in New Zealand’s largest storytime with a reading of the highly appropriate Mr Muggs the Library Cat by New Zealand author and illustrator Dave Gunson. Libraries around the country will be reading this story at the same time and we are arranging an internet video link with Upper Hutt Library for a combined storytelling session followed by a craft activity. This event will take place at 10:30am within our regular Rainbow Kids preschool programme.
On Thursday the 19th we will be holding a special Quiz Night in the library thanks to the generous sponsorship of the BNZ Masterton, Food for Thought café and Trust House. There will be refreshments, spot prizes, and a prize for the first, second and third placed teams. Teams will consist of four members and entry will cost $20 per team. Places are strictly limited so get in quick to take part in this fun evening.
On Friday the 20th we will be having a Love Your Library day. We would like you to let us know about the books you love and will be creating a display of these in the library. We will also be having a special hire one, get one free offer on our adult and children’s DVDs and Premium Rental Magazines. Throughout Library Week we will also be running a competition where you have to match staff members with the book they have selected as their Staff Pick. All successful entries will go into a draw with the winner receiving a wonderful prize donated by Hedleys Bookshop.
This theme reflects that librarians are not just people who issue and shelve books, and tell you to "shush" when you’ve been too noisy, but are trained information professionals with a world of knowledge at their fingertips. We are also individuals with unique interests and experiences that you may not expect at first glance - all you need to do is ask! Library Week is also using the Māori proverb He Taonga Te Pātai (to ask is precious) which alludes to the importance of teaching, listening and learning.
Masterton District Library will be holding some special events to celebrate Library week. On Monday the 16th and Tuesday the 17th we will be running special training sessions on how to make the most of your library card. These sessions will be held at 10am and 4pm each day and provide advice on how to utilize the features of our online library catalogue, your library card, and our website, including the recently added World Book. To book for one of these sessions please contact the library.
On Wednesday the 18th the library will be taking part in New Zealand’s largest storytime with a reading of the highly appropriate Mr Muggs the Library Cat by New Zealand author and illustrator Dave Gunson. Libraries around the country will be reading this story at the same time and we are arranging an internet video link with Upper Hutt Library for a combined storytelling session followed by a craft activity. This event will take place at 10:30am within our regular Rainbow Kids preschool programme.
On Thursday the 19th we will be holding a special Quiz Night in the library thanks to the generous sponsorship of the BNZ Masterton, Food for Thought café and Trust House. There will be refreshments, spot prizes, and a prize for the first, second and third placed teams. Teams will consist of four members and entry will cost $20 per team. Places are strictly limited so get in quick to take part in this fun evening.
On Friday the 20th we will be having a Love Your Library day. We would like you to let us know about the books you love and will be creating a display of these in the library. We will also be having a special hire one, get one free offer on our adult and children’s DVDs and Premium Rental Magazines. Throughout Library Week we will also be running a competition where you have to match staff members with the book they have selected as their Staff Pick. All successful entries will go into a draw with the winner receiving a wonderful prize donated by Hedleys Bookshop.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Getting Crafty at the Library
Getting crafty at the library
In my last column I wrote about how books from the library could provide an enjoyable and productive way of utilising the increased time spent inside during the winter months. One area I neglected to mention, and one that allows people to read about and practice a huge range of activities, is our art and craft section. This was recently highlighted to us when one of our borrowers brought in a magnificent crochet blanket she had created using one of our books.
Our large collection of art and craft books are a great resource for learning or enhancing skills, and the inclement weather makes the winter an ideal time for doing so. If you are already a keen knitter the library is still acting as a depot for Operation Cover-Up, the nation-wide scheme designed to get hand-knitted blankets and clothing to orphans in Eastern Europe. And if you ever want any inspiration for a craft activity, take a look at the wall hanging that was created by the Wairarapa Embroiderers Guild to celebrate the 1982 opening of the library. And finally thank you to our borrower (who chose to remain unnamed) for bringing in and showing us her wonderful work and demonstrating the great crafts that can be produced from our books.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
In my last column I wrote about how books from the library could provide an enjoyable and productive way of utilising the increased time spent inside during the winter months. One area I neglected to mention, and one that allows people to read about and practice a huge range of activities, is our art and craft section. This was recently highlighted to us when one of our borrowers brought in a magnificent crochet blanket she had created using one of our books.The blanket really was a work of art, and at over two meters square represented a great deal of talent and commitment. The book it was taken from, 200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets, Throws and Afghans, is just one of numerous books we have on crochet, ranging from Adorable Crochet for Babies and Toddlers to Crochet for Barbie. And crochet is just one of numerous art and craft topics contained in our collection. We have books on sewing, felting, weaving, embroidery, cross stitch and quilting, and that’s just those that deal with fabrics and fibres.
Our craft books range from general titles that give a broad view of a variety of crafts to those that cover more specific crafts, such as Egg painting and decorating by Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell. The craft book collection is designed to cater to a range of abilities and levels of experience, from beginner to expert. In addition many of the topics that are covered in our adult craft books are also available in our children’s collection.
There are books on paper crafts such as papier mache, decoupage and card making, books on ceramics including pottery and mosaics, and books on flower arranging. We have books on toy making including doll houses, numerous books on scrapbooking, and books that specialise in Christmas crafts (and don’t dismiss these – it’s coming faster than you think!). There is also some crossover between our craft and woodworking books. These include books on specific tools like routers, lathes or band saws that can be used for craft projects.
We also have a large number of books available for artists, again catering to both beginners and experts. These cover techniques for drawing and painting in oils, acrylics or watercolours, and advice on how to paint or draw specific subjects such as landscapes, people or flowers. There are also books on how to paint in the style of a particular artist or movement such as How to paint like the Impressionists by Susie Hodge. We also have a number of books on photography covering the work of well know photographers and techniques for taking different types of photos, although with the weather we’ve had lately you may want to contain yourself to inside subjects.
Our large collection of art and craft books are a great resource for learning or enhancing skills, and the inclement weather makes the winter an ideal time for doing so. If you are already a keen knitter the library is still acting as a depot for Operation Cover-Up, the nation-wide scheme designed to get hand-knitted blankets and clothing to orphans in Eastern Europe. And if you ever want any inspiration for a craft activity, take a look at the wall hanging that was created by the Wairarapa Embroiderers Guild to celebrate the 1982 opening of the library. And finally thank you to our borrower (who chose to remain unnamed) for bringing in and showing us her wonderful work and demonstrating the great crafts that can be produced from our books.Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Take a mid-winter break at your library
The saying goes that “Everybody complains about the weather, but no one does anything about it”. One thing you can do about it is visit your library. The library, and books, are a great option for getting through the winter months and we have many library users stocking up on books for when it’s too horrible to do anything outside. With precious few daylight hours available at this time of year, coupled with the cold, the wind, and the rain, the idea of sitting down in front of a warm fire with a book or two is certainly an appealing one.
The winter months can provide an opportunity to do some research and planning for projects you may want to undertake when the weather eventually improves. Our gardening section in particular gets a great deal of use at this time of year as people plan ahead for the Spring and Summer. Whether it’s for landscaping projects or the care of specific trees or plants we have books to cover most gardening activities.
Some of you may be fortunate enough to be planning an overseas trip to somewhere a bit warmer and our extensive range of travel books are available if you want to do some research on where to go and what to do. For those of us staying at home the smell (and taste) of a hearty casserole or fresh home baking is a great antidote to the winter blues. If you’re looking for inspiration we have a huge selection of cook books here at the library, written by celebrity foodies like Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and Nigella Lawson, as well as local cooks like Jo Seagar, Allyson Gofton and Alison and Simon Holst.
Winter days can be especially tough on children (and their parents and caregivers) if they can’t get outside because of the weather. Our Winter Warmers Reading Programme is now well underway, providing the children enrolled with something to do for six weeks in the middle of winter. The library can be a source of some much needed distraction in the form of books (either for reading or to get indoor activity ideas), DVDs and magazines. Just as a chance to break cabin fever, a visit to the library can be beneficial for all.
The Masterton Library, and its staff are here for you rain or shine. The library itself is a nice warm space thanks to our heating system, and many people comment on how nice it is when they come in from the cold. If you have the time to sit down and grab yourself a hot coffee or chocolate from our vending machine while you look through some books or magazines, it’s a very pleasant way of avoiding the cold.
However if the weather is so horrible that you really don’t want to go out, or you are struck down by one of the winter bugs, remember that you can always give us a call if you need your books renewed. Our phone number is 370 6300 and if you have access to the Internet, and a PIN number on your card, you can even renew the books online yourself. If you would like more information on this please ask at the library Issue Desk.
Like an extra blanket, a hot-water bottle or a warming drink, books and your library can make the winter a much more pleasant experience. Books can provide a means of escaping the cold and the grey, and fiction books in particular can take you to any location the author can conceive – some a great deal less pleasant than the Wairarapa in the winter! Fortified with books from the library, the enforced time inside can be a time to be savoured and enjoyed and an opportunity to read up on subjects, to further our knowledge and learn new skills.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District library
The winter months can provide an opportunity to do some research and planning for projects you may want to undertake when the weather eventually improves. Our gardening section in particular gets a great deal of use at this time of year as people plan ahead for the Spring and Summer. Whether it’s for landscaping projects or the care of specific trees or plants we have books to cover most gardening activities.
Some of you may be fortunate enough to be planning an overseas trip to somewhere a bit warmer and our extensive range of travel books are available if you want to do some research on where to go and what to do. For those of us staying at home the smell (and taste) of a hearty casserole or fresh home baking is a great antidote to the winter blues. If you’re looking for inspiration we have a huge selection of cook books here at the library, written by celebrity foodies like Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and Nigella Lawson, as well as local cooks like Jo Seagar, Allyson Gofton and Alison and Simon Holst.
Winter days can be especially tough on children (and their parents and caregivers) if they can’t get outside because of the weather. Our Winter Warmers Reading Programme is now well underway, providing the children enrolled with something to do for six weeks in the middle of winter. The library can be a source of some much needed distraction in the form of books (either for reading or to get indoor activity ideas), DVDs and magazines. Just as a chance to break cabin fever, a visit to the library can be beneficial for all.
The Masterton Library, and its staff are here for you rain or shine. The library itself is a nice warm space thanks to our heating system, and many people comment on how nice it is when they come in from the cold. If you have the time to sit down and grab yourself a hot coffee or chocolate from our vending machine while you look through some books or magazines, it’s a very pleasant way of avoiding the cold.
However if the weather is so horrible that you really don’t want to go out, or you are struck down by one of the winter bugs, remember that you can always give us a call if you need your books renewed. Our phone number is 370 6300 and if you have access to the Internet, and a PIN number on your card, you can even renew the books online yourself. If you would like more information on this please ask at the library Issue Desk.
Like an extra blanket, a hot-water bottle or a warming drink, books and your library can make the winter a much more pleasant experience. Books can provide a means of escaping the cold and the grey, and fiction books in particular can take you to any location the author can conceive – some a great deal less pleasant than the Wairarapa in the winter! Fortified with books from the library, the enforced time inside can be a time to be savoured and enjoyed and an opportunity to read up on subjects, to further our knowledge and learn new skills.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District library
Monday, June 28, 2010
Reference Services at the Library
Aside from providing books, DVDs etc. one of the major roles of library staff is providing reference services, that is giving assistance to members of the public seeking information. This involves providing them with the information they require, or showing them where they can find that information (and providing a range of reference material where they can find answers to their questions). The scope of reference question can be huge, ranging from the simple but sometimes pressing, where’s the closest public toilet, to the atomic weight of Potassium, or settling arguments between friends on how many actors have played James Bond. More seriously, answering reference questions is a very important part of the librarian’s role in aiding people to make informed decisions.
Reference services are possibly the aspect of library work that have been most effected by the boom of the Internet. A great deal of information requests can now be met by using an Internet search engine such as Google. This is what most of us, librarians included, will do for quick answers to an information need. This has resulted in a significant decline in the use of our reference collection and we have had a major weed of this collection over recent weeks, paring it back to those items that are still being used with some regularity.
Despite the growth of information available on the Internet, librarians still have a major role to play in meeting people’s information needs. In part this is through providing access to computers, and help for those who are unfamiliar with the Internet and computers. Librarians also have the professional knowledge to help you find relevant and authoritative information within the screeds that can come back from an Internet search, and help you to develop effective search strategies. One of the ways we can improve the success of your Internet searches is by providing access to well-constructed and reputable information sources and databases. One of these that we are very pleased to now be offering at Masterton Library is World Book.
The World Book Encyclopedias have been around for nearly 90 years and have a well established reputation for accurate, objective and reliable information. In response to the growing use of the Internet and the features that it can provide, World Book has developed a suite of online resources and Masterton Library will be hosting World Book’s Public Libraries package. This includes the World Book Online for Kids, the World Book Online Info Finder, the World Book Online Reference Centre, and the Early World of Learning.
These web sites utilise the interactive capabilities of the Internet, combined with the highest standard of reference resources, and are designed to meet the information needs of a variety of ages, from pre-schoolers to adults. Masterton District Library will be hosting World Book online through our website from the 1st of July. This will allow all holders of a Masterton District Library to have access to this wonderful resource, either here at the library or in their own homes. As part of the package we have also purchased a print copy of the 22 volume 2010 edition of the World Book encyclopedia. This means that at the Masterton Library you can have the best of both worlds – or should that be the best of both World Books!
If you know the right book, know how the information is organised or it has a good index or contents page, it is still possible for a book to provide a quicker answer than the Internet. Because we are constantly dealing with information, and it is our job to be informed, Librarians also have a lot of information at hand in their own brains. While these can be a bit slow on Monday mornings, or a bit distracted on Friday afternoons, they are still quicker than a computer. When you put the skills and knowledge of librarians together with the right books and online information sources such as World Book, you should be able to find the answer to almost any question here at the Masterton Library.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Despite the growth of information available on the Internet, librarians still have a major role to play in meeting people’s information needs. In part this is through providing access to computers, and help for those who are unfamiliar with the Internet and computers. Librarians also have the professional knowledge to help you find relevant and authoritative information within the screeds that can come back from an Internet search, and help you to develop effective search strategies. One of the ways we can improve the success of your Internet searches is by providing access to well-constructed and reputable information sources and databases. One of these that we are very pleased to now be offering at Masterton Library is World Book.
The World Book Encyclopedias have been around for nearly 90 years and have a well established reputation for accurate, objective and reliable information. In response to the growing use of the Internet and the features that it can provide, World Book has developed a suite of online resources and Masterton Library will be hosting World Book’s Public Libraries package. This includes the World Book Online for Kids, the World Book Online Info Finder, the World Book Online Reference Centre, and the Early World of Learning.
These web sites utilise the interactive capabilities of the Internet, combined with the highest standard of reference resources, and are designed to meet the information needs of a variety of ages, from pre-schoolers to adults. Masterton District Library will be hosting World Book online through our website from the 1st of July. This will allow all holders of a Masterton District Library to have access to this wonderful resource, either here at the library or in their own homes. As part of the package we have also purchased a print copy of the 22 volume 2010 edition of the World Book encyclopedia. This means that at the Masterton Library you can have the best of both worlds – or should that be the best of both World Books!
If you know the right book, know how the information is organised or it has a good index or contents page, it is still possible for a book to provide a quicker answer than the Internet. Because we are constantly dealing with information, and it is our job to be informed, Librarians also have a lot of information at hand in their own brains. While these can be a bit slow on Monday mornings, or a bit distracted on Friday afternoons, they are still quicker than a computer. When you put the skills and knowledge of librarians together with the right books and online information sources such as World Book, you should be able to find the answer to almost any question here at the Masterton Library.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Monday, June 14, 2010
Kete Masterton Information Evening
Kete Masterton Information Evening
7pm 24th June 2010
Masterton District Library
Come along to the library, hear how the Kete works, and have a go at adding your own content.
Kete Masterton is an online store of the memories, stories and activities of the people of Masterton. With the input of individuals and oraganisations, Kete Masterton will become a vibrant and interesting digital repository of the current and historical life of the Masterton District.
Kete Masterton
Your Stories-Your Pictures-Your Kete
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Weed any good books lately?
Some of you may have heard library staff talking about doing weeding. While there are some keen gardeners on the staff, when librarians talk about weeding they are possibly talking about culling the collection. Weeding is a term we use for going through the books on the shelves and removing those that for various reasons we no longer wish to keep. Weeding may be a slightly misleading term as while plant weeds are generally not wanted, this may not be true of the weeded books. perhaps weeding is the term we use as it's generally not considered a fun activity.
The main reason we have to weed the collection is to make space for all the new books that keep getting published. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) keeps records of the number of books published by each country as an indicator of the standard of living, education, and a country's self-awareness. From their records it is estimated that over 500,000 new titles are being published each year. That's over 1,300 each day, and this figure doesn't even include the many memoirs, books on local history, course books etc. that have been self-published.
Fortunately we don't have to try to house all of these, but the number of new books we do have to accommodate is still considerable at around 6,000 a year, so we continually have to make space. The planned expansion of the library building may ease the need to weed to some degree, but it will still need to take place. Weeding not only makes more space, it also ensures the collection is kept fresh and that the books on the shelves are both useful and used.
There are several criteria used in deciding which books to weed. Books that are in poor condition are obvious targets as they become less and less desirable for borrowers to take out. I think we are all guilty at some time of 'judging a book by its cover', but this is perhaps more forgivable if the cover is falling off. If a book is in a sad state of repair but still popular we will make an effort to source a replacement copy, although this can be difficult, particularly with older titles. Lately we have enjoyed some success finding books on the on-line auction site Trade Me.
Another criteria for deselection is if the information in a book is out of date. With many books the currency of information is not that important and indeed it can be quite valuable to look back and see what was thought about a subject in the past. Other books however have a more limited life span when the information they contain becomes inaccurate. Books about computers or medicine for example, where the technology is developing rapidly, can quickly become out of date. Books on subjects like geography where borders and the names of countries can change almost overnight also need to be kept up to date. We wouldn't want you to embark on an overseas trip to a destination you read about in one of our books, only to discover the country no longer exists.
Demand is a very big factor in determining if we need to keep a book. Certain books enjoy huge popularity such as The DaVinci Code, the Twilight series, or The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. To satisfy this demand we will buy multiple copies so that borrowers don't have to wait to long to get their hands on a copy. When this demand dies off there may no longer be a need to keep more than one copy and so we can withdraw the additional ones. Currently we have between three and four copies of each of the books in the Twilight series. At the time of writing all but one of these is either on-loan or waiting to be picked up, but eventually this demand will ease and we will be able to withdraw some copies.
Sadly there are also those books that for whatever reason fall out of favour, or even more unfortunately never enjoy much popularity. Using our catalogue records we can determine how often a book has been issued and when it was last issued, and we use this information when deciding what to weed. It can be disappointing to withdraw these books, but the reality is that as a public library it is our responsibility to make sure that we are providing books the public wants.
Fortunately we do not need to discard all the books we weed from the main collection and some can be moved to the 'Stack' which is housed in the library's basement. We do this particularly for older classics that we know are going to be wanted again in the future, for books in a series, and books by authors we know have a loyal following. The Stack books can be borrowed the same as any from the general collection so if you can't find the book that your looking for on the shelf, please ask at the Issue Desk as we may have a copy in the basement.
If a book is not being issued, and there is no justification for retaining a Stack copy, then it is just taking up space and will be withdrawn. These books are made available for members of the public to purchase through our regular book sales and are priced very affordably. Our book sale is essentially on-going but we make a particular effort to make withdrawn books available during the school holidays, so this is a good time to look for a bargain. The books available will be from all parts of the library including fiction, non-fiction, children's and large print. We also sell bundles of older magazines we no longer have space for.
Weeding can be a fraught process for librarians and we need to adopt a stoic heart when undertaking it. It is difficult not to develop a loyalty to certain books because of the author or the the subject matter, but unfortunately just because we think a book should be being read, doesn't mean it will be, and we need to keep making space for the new nooks. Weeding keeps the collection fresh and relevant and while it can be depressing to chuck books out, weeding is a necessary procedure for maintaining a library where the books in the collection are regularly being used, and that's what we want too see most of all.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
The main reason we have to weed the collection is to make space for all the new books that keep getting published. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) keeps records of the number of books published by each country as an indicator of the standard of living, education, and a country's self-awareness. From their records it is estimated that over 500,000 new titles are being published each year. That's over 1,300 each day, and this figure doesn't even include the many memoirs, books on local history, course books etc. that have been self-published.
Fortunately we don't have to try to house all of these, but the number of new books we do have to accommodate is still considerable at around 6,000 a year, so we continually have to make space. The planned expansion of the library building may ease the need to weed to some degree, but it will still need to take place. Weeding not only makes more space, it also ensures the collection is kept fresh and that the books on the shelves are both useful and used.
There are several criteria used in deciding which books to weed. Books that are in poor condition are obvious targets as they become less and less desirable for borrowers to take out. I think we are all guilty at some time of 'judging a book by its cover', but this is perhaps more forgivable if the cover is falling off. If a book is in a sad state of repair but still popular we will make an effort to source a replacement copy, although this can be difficult, particularly with older titles. Lately we have enjoyed some success finding books on the on-line auction site Trade Me.
Another criteria for deselection is if the information in a book is out of date. With many books the currency of information is not that important and indeed it can be quite valuable to look back and see what was thought about a subject in the past. Other books however have a more limited life span when the information they contain becomes inaccurate. Books about computers or medicine for example, where the technology is developing rapidly, can quickly become out of date. Books on subjects like geography where borders and the names of countries can change almost overnight also need to be kept up to date. We wouldn't want you to embark on an overseas trip to a destination you read about in one of our books, only to discover the country no longer exists.
Demand is a very big factor in determining if we need to keep a book. Certain books enjoy huge popularity such as The DaVinci Code, the Twilight series, or The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. To satisfy this demand we will buy multiple copies so that borrowers don't have to wait to long to get their hands on a copy. When this demand dies off there may no longer be a need to keep more than one copy and so we can withdraw the additional ones. Currently we have between three and four copies of each of the books in the Twilight series. At the time of writing all but one of these is either on-loan or waiting to be picked up, but eventually this demand will ease and we will be able to withdraw some copies.
Sadly there are also those books that for whatever reason fall out of favour, or even more unfortunately never enjoy much popularity. Using our catalogue records we can determine how often a book has been issued and when it was last issued, and we use this information when deciding what to weed. It can be disappointing to withdraw these books, but the reality is that as a public library it is our responsibility to make sure that we are providing books the public wants.
Fortunately we do not need to discard all the books we weed from the main collection and some can be moved to the 'Stack' which is housed in the library's basement. We do this particularly for older classics that we know are going to be wanted again in the future, for books in a series, and books by authors we know have a loyal following. The Stack books can be borrowed the same as any from the general collection so if you can't find the book that your looking for on the shelf, please ask at the Issue Desk as we may have a copy in the basement.
If a book is not being issued, and there is no justification for retaining a Stack copy, then it is just taking up space and will be withdrawn. These books are made available for members of the public to purchase through our regular book sales and are priced very affordably. Our book sale is essentially on-going but we make a particular effort to make withdrawn books available during the school holidays, so this is a good time to look for a bargain. The books available will be from all parts of the library including fiction, non-fiction, children's and large print. We also sell bundles of older magazines we no longer have space for.
Weeding can be a fraught process for librarians and we need to adopt a stoic heart when undertaking it. It is difficult not to develop a loyalty to certain books because of the author or the the subject matter, but unfortunately just because we think a book should be being read, doesn't mean it will be, and we need to keep making space for the new nooks. Weeding keeps the collection fresh and relevant and while it can be depressing to chuck books out, weeding is a necessary procedure for maintaining a library where the books in the collection are regularly being used, and that's what we want too see most of all.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Winter Warmers 2010
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The Winter Warmers reading programme will be running at the Masterton District Library from the 21st of June to 30th of July. Children enrolled on the programme receive a fun booklet that they fill with book reviews and drawings and bring to the library to show to one of the children's librarians. Once they do six they receive a prize and qualify for the Finale. If they go on to do all 10 they receive another prize. There's also a word-find competition, weekly prize draws and kids who qualify for the finale will receive a book and certificate, and it's all free thanks to the funding of the Eastern and Central Community Trust and the support of the Masterton District Council.
If you would like to know more contact the library 06 370 6253 or library@library.mstn.govt.nz Registrations begin on the 8th of June and places are limited so get in quick!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Alexa Johnston
On Tuesday the 25th of May at 2pm the library will be hosting a talk by Alexa Johnston author of the best selling Ladies, A Plate and the follow-up A Second Helping. Alexa will be talking about the continuing popularity of traditional food preparation such as baking. Alexa is in the Wairarapa as a part of the Yarns In Barns festival of reading and will be appearing at the library as part of our regular Seniors Celebrate programme. Alexa will also be talking at Hedley's Bookshop at 5:30pm on the same day.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Goodbye Jannelle
Last week the staff at Masterton Library had to say good bye to one of our long-serving staff members, Jannelle Preston-Searle. Jannelle has been with the library on and off for 16 years - the on and offs mostly being occasioned by the arrival of her three children: Charlie, Sadie and Oscar. Jannelle has been a valuable resource for the library and has had involvement in a range of activities including cataloguing, interloans and displays. We are particularly going to miss the contribution she made to the library through her artistic ability, but most of all we are going to miss her for the personal qualities she brought to the job and the enjoyment of working alongside her. Fortunately she hasn't gone too far - Greytown Library - and we hope that the continuing co-operation between the Wairarapa libraries will mean we will still be keeping in regular contact with her. All the best with the new job Jannelle and we look forward to hearing how you and your family are doing.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Libraphobia?
A few weeks ago at a party I was talking to a woman who told me that she had a fear of libraries. While she could concede that this was an irrational phobia, it was none the less a real fear for her which had physical manifestations and prevented her from comfortably entering libraries. Intrigued, I later did some internet research on the fear of libraries.
There appears to be no end of things people can develop phobias towards ranging from Alliumphobia, the fear of garlic, to Zemmiphobia, the fear of the great mole rat. While some of these phobias seem quite logical such as Lilapsophobia, the fear of tornadoes and hurricanes, others such as Octophobia, the fear of the No.8, or Euphobia, the fear of hearing good news, do require some special understanding. While I have discovered Bibliophobia, the fear of books, so far I have not been able to find any official name for a fear of libraries or librarians.
There are however quite a number of comments from people who share this fear of libraries, and quite a variety in the reasons given for this fear. Some people’s fear of libraries stems from their bibliophobia. This can occur in people who have learning disabilities or difficulty with reading and so their fear of books is easy to understand. Others who are quite happy with physical books, are petrified by the prospect of having to use the library catalogue in order to find the books they want. These concerns seem to be based on either a fear of appearing foolish by not being able to operate the system, or that they might somehow be able to do some irreparable damage to the computer.
Some found libraries oppressive places where they are constantly told what they can and can’t borrow and how they can and can’t behave. It is true that libraries do have rules, but the important thing to remember is that generally these rules are in place for the benefit of the users themselves. At Masterton Library for example we have a general issuing period of three weeks and if no one else has requested the item in the meantime, it can be renewed for another three weeks. After that we ask that the item be returned and impose fines if it isn’t. This rule is simply so that we can be fair to other borrowers and ensure that everybody has reasonable access to the collection.
Similarly the issue of quiet in the library can be off putting for some but again this is done in the recognition of the library being a public space and needing to meet the interests of other users. We are quite happy to allow a reasonable amount of noise but will try to ensure there is no shouting etcetera, as many people use the library for reading or study and appreciate the quiet. It should also be noted that libraries are not always the quiet places they once were. At Masterton Library we often have musical performances or shows by storytellers, and while these shouldn’t necessitate any visits from noise control, they can get quite loud.
Some people have a fear of libraries stemming from a negative experience they have had with a librarian in the past. Unfortunately we do sometimes have to tell people things they don’t want to hear, such as an item not being available or there being a fine on their card. There is no excuse however for this not being done in a respectful and non-judgemental manner, and you should also expect this in response to any question you need to ask a member of staff.
The thing we as librarians most need to convey to the public is that we are here to help them, indeed it’s a major part of our job profiles. This no chore however, in fact it is very satisfying to give someone the book or information they want. It adds variety to our days and gives us a chance to use our knowledge and experience. Nobody should feel any trepidation about asking a member of staff for assistance, whether it be asking for the key to the toilet, or for the definition of Logizomechanophobia (answer - fear of computers).
It is a natural human instinct to be wary of the unfamiliar. We all feel some degree of anxiety when faced with something new or different, and for many people the library is a place and a system they are unfamiliar with. For some it can graduate to the level of a phobia. For others it may not be that bad but may make them reluctant to ask for help, and if they can’t find what they want themselves, they leave the library unsatisfied. A challenge for librarians is therefore to recognise that what seems logical and everyday to us, can seem quite foreign and even daunting to those outside the profession. The challenge for those not comfortable with libraries is to put aside these anxieties and past perceptions and venture into the library. I hope it is one you take up as there’s so much on offer.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
There appears to be no end of things people can develop phobias towards ranging from Alliumphobia, the fear of garlic, to Zemmiphobia, the fear of the great mole rat. While some of these phobias seem quite logical such as Lilapsophobia, the fear of tornadoes and hurricanes, others such as Octophobia, the fear of the No.8, or Euphobia, the fear of hearing good news, do require some special understanding. While I have discovered Bibliophobia, the fear of books, so far I have not been able to find any official name for a fear of libraries or librarians.
There are however quite a number of comments from people who share this fear of libraries, and quite a variety in the reasons given for this fear. Some people’s fear of libraries stems from their bibliophobia. This can occur in people who have learning disabilities or difficulty with reading and so their fear of books is easy to understand. Others who are quite happy with physical books, are petrified by the prospect of having to use the library catalogue in order to find the books they want. These concerns seem to be based on either a fear of appearing foolish by not being able to operate the system, or that they might somehow be able to do some irreparable damage to the computer.
Some found libraries oppressive places where they are constantly told what they can and can’t borrow and how they can and can’t behave. It is true that libraries do have rules, but the important thing to remember is that generally these rules are in place for the benefit of the users themselves. At Masterton Library for example we have a general issuing period of three weeks and if no one else has requested the item in the meantime, it can be renewed for another three weeks. After that we ask that the item be returned and impose fines if it isn’t. This rule is simply so that we can be fair to other borrowers and ensure that everybody has reasonable access to the collection.
Similarly the issue of quiet in the library can be off putting for some but again this is done in the recognition of the library being a public space and needing to meet the interests of other users. We are quite happy to allow a reasonable amount of noise but will try to ensure there is no shouting etcetera, as many people use the library for reading or study and appreciate the quiet. It should also be noted that libraries are not always the quiet places they once were. At Masterton Library we often have musical performances or shows by storytellers, and while these shouldn’t necessitate any visits from noise control, they can get quite loud.
Some people have a fear of libraries stemming from a negative experience they have had with a librarian in the past. Unfortunately we do sometimes have to tell people things they don’t want to hear, such as an item not being available or there being a fine on their card. There is no excuse however for this not being done in a respectful and non-judgemental manner, and you should also expect this in response to any question you need to ask a member of staff.
The thing we as librarians most need to convey to the public is that we are here to help them, indeed it’s a major part of our job profiles. This no chore however, in fact it is very satisfying to give someone the book or information they want. It adds variety to our days and gives us a chance to use our knowledge and experience. Nobody should feel any trepidation about asking a member of staff for assistance, whether it be asking for the key to the toilet, or for the definition of Logizomechanophobia (answer - fear of computers).
It is a natural human instinct to be wary of the unfamiliar. We all feel some degree of anxiety when faced with something new or different, and for many people the library is a place and a system they are unfamiliar with. For some it can graduate to the level of a phobia. For others it may not be that bad but may make them reluctant to ask for help, and if they can’t find what they want themselves, they leave the library unsatisfied. A challenge for librarians is therefore to recognise that what seems logical and everyday to us, can seem quite foreign and even daunting to those outside the profession. The challenge for those not comfortable with libraries is to put aside these anxieties and past perceptions and venture into the library. I hope it is one you take up as there’s so much on offer.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Books are boring… Yeah right!
A recent promo for the television show ‘Ellen’ featured the host Ellen Degeneres asking “Why not read a book? I’ll tell you why not - books are boring”. Being a librarian this caught my attention. Partly because I know that Ellen has written several books herself, and I wondered if she was including her own works in this statement, but mostly because I can’t help but disagree with this idea. Books are boring… Yeah right!
Saying books are boring is like saying music is boring, art is boring, films are boring. The thing about something being boring (or interesting for that matter) is that it is a very individual judgement. There are certainly television programmes I find boring, but presumably others enjoy them or they would be taken off air, and I wouldn’t say television is boring as there are other shows I really like. Similarly I enjoy watching test cricket, something others compare to watching paint dry, but this doesn’t mean sport is boring, and the same is true for books.
For me the suggestion that books are boring makes no sense at all. I have read books that have been gripping, moving, captivating. They have tug at the heart strings, made me feel sad and angry at the unjustness of the world, and pride and joy at the strength of the human spirit. Books have caused me to gasp in horror, sent tingles down my spine, and made me laugh so hard that the tea I was drinking came out my nose. Books have haunted my waking hours as I think about what might be coming next, and they have kept me up till the early hours of the morning so I can find out how they finish. They have amazed, educated and changed me.
This is not to say that I have been captured by, enjoyed, or even finished, every book I have ever tried to read. There are books that I have found tiresome and difficult, confusing and unengaging. Books that did nothing positive for me except induce sleep. But this doesn’t mean all books are boring, and the wonderful thing is that there are so many of them. If one doesn’t appeal, there is always another to try. And there is a great variety in what readers think makes a book enjoyable. A list I found on the internet for example of the world’s most boring books included Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights, both of which currently feature on the Whitcoulls Top 100 Books list, as voted by readers.
Reading does involve some commitment and like any exercise the habit becomes easier with practice. Reading requires concentration and an absence of distractions, but when this is achieved a real sense of connection with the book, the writer, the story and the characters can be achieved. This is why keen readers get “lost in a book” and “can’t put a book down”. Studies suggest that the brain processes reading in a very similar way to listening to someone talk, and so it seems logical that we can respond to text in as involved a way as if we were having a conversation.
I know that books are not for everyone because reading is not a method of communication that works for everyone, people with reading difficulties such as dyslexia for example. But there are also many others who simply think books are boring, they don’t engage with the story, they can’t concentrate on reading, and it becomes a chore rather than a pleasure. And for them I wonder if they have simply not yet found the right book.
One of the great strengths of the public library system is that for little or no money you can try out a huge range of books, by different authors and about different subjects. The Non-Fiction collection covers almost every possible aspect of human activity. From the Boer War to the lives of celebrities, and from contemporary philosophy to memorable All Black victories, there is sure to be something for almost any interest. Add the Fiction collection where everything that can be imagined can be written about, and the array of books available from your public library is vast.
The other great strength of the public library is that it is staffed by librarians who have a great interest in books, in getting people reading, and connecting people with the book that is right for them. As a librarian there is nothing more satisfying than having a customer tell you that they really enjoyed or benefited from a book, particularly if it is one that you recommended to them. So if you would like some advice on what to read, whether you find books boring or not, please ask a member of the library staff for some help. I think we could even find one for Ellen!
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District library
Saying books are boring is like saying music is boring, art is boring, films are boring. The thing about something being boring (or interesting for that matter) is that it is a very individual judgement. There are certainly television programmes I find boring, but presumably others enjoy them or they would be taken off air, and I wouldn’t say television is boring as there are other shows I really like. Similarly I enjoy watching test cricket, something others compare to watching paint dry, but this doesn’t mean sport is boring, and the same is true for books.
For me the suggestion that books are boring makes no sense at all. I have read books that have been gripping, moving, captivating. They have tug at the heart strings, made me feel sad and angry at the unjustness of the world, and pride and joy at the strength of the human spirit. Books have caused me to gasp in horror, sent tingles down my spine, and made me laugh so hard that the tea I was drinking came out my nose. Books have haunted my waking hours as I think about what might be coming next, and they have kept me up till the early hours of the morning so I can find out how they finish. They have amazed, educated and changed me.
This is not to say that I have been captured by, enjoyed, or even finished, every book I have ever tried to read. There are books that I have found tiresome and difficult, confusing and unengaging. Books that did nothing positive for me except induce sleep. But this doesn’t mean all books are boring, and the wonderful thing is that there are so many of them. If one doesn’t appeal, there is always another to try. And there is a great variety in what readers think makes a book enjoyable. A list I found on the internet for example of the world’s most boring books included Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights, both of which currently feature on the Whitcoulls Top 100 Books list, as voted by readers.
Reading does involve some commitment and like any exercise the habit becomes easier with practice. Reading requires concentration and an absence of distractions, but when this is achieved a real sense of connection with the book, the writer, the story and the characters can be achieved. This is why keen readers get “lost in a book” and “can’t put a book down”. Studies suggest that the brain processes reading in a very similar way to listening to someone talk, and so it seems logical that we can respond to text in as involved a way as if we were having a conversation.
I know that books are not for everyone because reading is not a method of communication that works for everyone, people with reading difficulties such as dyslexia for example. But there are also many others who simply think books are boring, they don’t engage with the story, they can’t concentrate on reading, and it becomes a chore rather than a pleasure. And for them I wonder if they have simply not yet found the right book.
One of the great strengths of the public library system is that for little or no money you can try out a huge range of books, by different authors and about different subjects. The Non-Fiction collection covers almost every possible aspect of human activity. From the Boer War to the lives of celebrities, and from contemporary philosophy to memorable All Black victories, there is sure to be something for almost any interest. Add the Fiction collection where everything that can be imagined can be written about, and the array of books available from your public library is vast.
The other great strength of the public library is that it is staffed by librarians who have a great interest in books, in getting people reading, and connecting people with the book that is right for them. As a librarian there is nothing more satisfying than having a customer tell you that they really enjoyed or benefited from a book, particularly if it is one that you recommended to them. So if you would like some advice on what to read, whether you find books boring or not, please ask a member of the library staff for some help. I think we could even find one for Ellen!
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District library
Baby Boomers and libraries
One of the interesting developments facing public libraries over the next twenty to thirty years will be accommodating the needs of a huge influx of retired people as the Baby Boomer generation come to the end of their working lives. The Baby Boomer generation resulted from the huge increase in the birth rate following the Second World War (generally defined as encompassing children born between 1946 and 1964) and represents a significant demographic group. The challenge for libraries is going to be determining the characteristics of the Baby Boomer generation and predicting and catering for the services they are going to require.
Baby Boomers are generally thought to have grown up in a time of plenty. While the generation before had faced the Depression and the restrictions of the Second World War, the boomers grew up in a time of high employment and general optimism following the darkness of war. However they also grew up in a time of dramatic social change featuring events such as the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and the birth of Rock’n’Roll. As such Boomers are often generalised as being the ‘me’ generation who ‘want it now’, but at the same time have questioned, challenged and reformed many social and political structures. Some are suggesting that the Boomer generation will now change our ideas of what it means to grow old.
Generally the Baby Boomers can expect to enjoy a longer life expectancy than any previous generation and it is predicted that they will have an interest in remaining youthful and mentally and physically active. They will still be participating in many aspects of society and indeed many will still be wanting or needing to work, at least part-time. Some have labelled the Baby Boomers as the generation with ‘Great Expectations’ and this is unlikely to change now they have reached the age of retirement.
The Baby Boomer generation is generally thought to be better educated than any previous generation and this is likely to have a significant impact on their use of libraries. It is predicted that continuing or life-long learning will play an important part in the desire of Boomers to remain mentally active and pursue education for pleasure. Libraries will therefore need to be equipped to provide or support self-education courses and the skills needed to undertake them.
Through work or leisure many of the Baby Boomer generation will be familiar with advances in Information and Communication Technology, and will expect to be able to take advantage of these developments in their retirement. This familiarity will mean Boomers are likely to be comfortable with using the library on-line, making use of the library’s website to reserve and renew books, and to find out about library services. They will increasingly be ‘virtual’ customers who access and download resources from home. As a result they will expect libraries to be up to date with technological developments.
At the same time, having grown up with traditional books, it is thought that the Boomers will still want to be able to read from books, preferring them to electronic resources for certain types of information and for recreational reading. Libraries will therefore need to continue to provide fiction and information in traditional book format, but also allow access to the huge information resources of the Internet. It is also likely that libraries will need to be able to provide a venue for the different groups and organisations that Baby Boomers will be participating in to meet and the social interactions that these allow.
Women will represent a higher percentage of the Baby Boomer generation than men, and it will be a generation of women who have had more educational opportunities and more workplace participation than any previous generation - they are also sometimes known as the ‘Liberation Generation’. The reality is that many of these women have also had the major responsibility for raising the family and managing the household, so their working years have been particularly poor in terms of leisure time, and time for individual pursuits. For them retirement will allow more opportunities to pursue hobbies and interests and it is notable that in February 2009 women over 55 were the fastest growing demographic on Facebook.
While it is unwise and probably unfair to make too many assumptions on the characteristics of the Baby Boomer generation (particularly that they will all be alike), the fact remains that a very large cohort is beginning to reach the age of retirement and this will have a great impact on society and social institutions such as the library. It is predicted that the life experiences of the Boomers will give them quite different expectations of retirement, and that it will not just be a time of leisure, but also for beginning new activities, a period of productive aging. In both regards the public library is likely to play an important role in helping them make the most of their retirement.
Already here at Masterton we are noticing an increase in the number of recently retired people joining or rejoining the library and with the Wairarapa’s relatively older population, this is likely to be a significant social group we will be catering for. Some of the Boomer generation may not have been in the library for several years and will discover that the modern library still offers books, but much more besides as we continually work towards meeting the needs of our users. Libraries do of course already make provision for what are generally termed ‘senior services’, but it seems we are all going to have to rethink what a ‘senior’ is and wants.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Baby Boomers are generally thought to have grown up in a time of plenty. While the generation before had faced the Depression and the restrictions of the Second World War, the boomers grew up in a time of high employment and general optimism following the darkness of war. However they also grew up in a time of dramatic social change featuring events such as the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and the birth of Rock’n’Roll. As such Boomers are often generalised as being the ‘me’ generation who ‘want it now’, but at the same time have questioned, challenged and reformed many social and political structures. Some are suggesting that the Boomer generation will now change our ideas of what it means to grow old.
Generally the Baby Boomers can expect to enjoy a longer life expectancy than any previous generation and it is predicted that they will have an interest in remaining youthful and mentally and physically active. They will still be participating in many aspects of society and indeed many will still be wanting or needing to work, at least part-time. Some have labelled the Baby Boomers as the generation with ‘Great Expectations’ and this is unlikely to change now they have reached the age of retirement.
The Baby Boomer generation is generally thought to be better educated than any previous generation and this is likely to have a significant impact on their use of libraries. It is predicted that continuing or life-long learning will play an important part in the desire of Boomers to remain mentally active and pursue education for pleasure. Libraries will therefore need to be equipped to provide or support self-education courses and the skills needed to undertake them.
Through work or leisure many of the Baby Boomer generation will be familiar with advances in Information and Communication Technology, and will expect to be able to take advantage of these developments in their retirement. This familiarity will mean Boomers are likely to be comfortable with using the library on-line, making use of the library’s website to reserve and renew books, and to find out about library services. They will increasingly be ‘virtual’ customers who access and download resources from home. As a result they will expect libraries to be up to date with technological developments.
At the same time, having grown up with traditional books, it is thought that the Boomers will still want to be able to read from books, preferring them to electronic resources for certain types of information and for recreational reading. Libraries will therefore need to continue to provide fiction and information in traditional book format, but also allow access to the huge information resources of the Internet. It is also likely that libraries will need to be able to provide a venue for the different groups and organisations that Baby Boomers will be participating in to meet and the social interactions that these allow.
Women will represent a higher percentage of the Baby Boomer generation than men, and it will be a generation of women who have had more educational opportunities and more workplace participation than any previous generation - they are also sometimes known as the ‘Liberation Generation’. The reality is that many of these women have also had the major responsibility for raising the family and managing the household, so their working years have been particularly poor in terms of leisure time, and time for individual pursuits. For them retirement will allow more opportunities to pursue hobbies and interests and it is notable that in February 2009 women over 55 were the fastest growing demographic on Facebook.
While it is unwise and probably unfair to make too many assumptions on the characteristics of the Baby Boomer generation (particularly that they will all be alike), the fact remains that a very large cohort is beginning to reach the age of retirement and this will have a great impact on society and social institutions such as the library. It is predicted that the life experiences of the Boomers will give them quite different expectations of retirement, and that it will not just be a time of leisure, but also for beginning new activities, a period of productive aging. In both regards the public library is likely to play an important role in helping them make the most of their retirement.
Already here at Masterton we are noticing an increase in the number of recently retired people joining or rejoining the library and with the Wairarapa’s relatively older population, this is likely to be a significant social group we will be catering for. Some of the Boomer generation may not have been in the library for several years and will discover that the modern library still offers books, but much more besides as we continually work towards meeting the needs of our users. Libraries do of course already make provision for what are generally termed ‘senior services’, but it seems we are all going to have to rethink what a ‘senior’ is and wants.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Yarns In Barns
Masterton Library is proud to be a part of the Yarns in Barns Festival of Reading which runs from the 20th to 30th of May. This year the festival features sessions from such notable writers and entertainers as Charlotte Grimshaw, Paula Morris, Fergus Barrowman, Dame Fiona Kidman, Bill Manhire, Keith Stewart, Alexa Johnston, Nick Bollinger, Te Radar (aka Andrew Lumsden), Matt Elliott, Jill Marshall, Felicity Price, John Perriam and Theresa Gattung.
The Library will be playing host to a talk by Alexa Johnston author of the best-selling Ladies, A Plate and the follow up A Second Helping. Alexa will be talking about the traditional pleasures of food preperation on the 25th of May at 2:00 pm. This session will also double as part of our regular Seniors Celebrate programme.
Another highlight for us will be the launch on Wednesday the 26th of March of the Wairarapa Archive's latest book Two Men of Mana and Other Stories: a Celebration of Wairarapa's Early Days. Author and archivist Gareth Winter will entertain with stories from the region's past at the launch which will be held at St Mark's Church Hall, High Street, Carterton.
The Library will be playing host to a talk by Alexa Johnston author of the best-selling Ladies, A Plate and the follow up A Second Helping. Alexa will be talking about the traditional pleasures of food preperation on the 25th of May at 2:00 pm. This session will also double as part of our regular Seniors Celebrate programme.
Another highlight for us will be the launch on Wednesday the 26th of March of the Wairarapa Archive's latest book Two Men of Mana and Other Stories: a Celebration of Wairarapa's Early Days. Author and archivist Gareth Winter will entertain with stories from the region's past at the launch which will be held at St Mark's Church Hall, High Street, Carterton.
DVDs at the Library
The DVD collection here at Masterton Library has been growing at a steady pace and we recently moved it as it was becoming too big for its old location. It is now sited between the Reference Collection and the Information Desk, to the left as you come in from the Queen Street entrance. This growth is a reflection of the increasing popularity of our DVDs, particularly for the seemingly large number of people who find little of appeal on television. In this article I would like to explain what we have in the collection and how they are issued.
The library does not aim to be a source for popular new releases or big blockbusters as these are already well catered for by the local video stores. Instead we try to fill a niche by providing access to classic movies and television programmes, and those that may not be easy to find elsewhere. We also focus on movies and television series that have some artistic or cultural merit, and titles that have been adapted from books.
We have a good range of movies in our collection including comedies like The Castle and The Life of Brian, dramas like The Queen and The Colour Purple, and action/adventures such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and The Bourne Identity. We have award winners such as Slumdog Millionaire, American Beauty, and The English Patient, and classic older movies like Casablanca, The Sound of Music, and Fiddler on the Roof. We have also made an effort to collect New Zealand films, from older titles like Sleeping Dogs and Utu, to more recent releases such as Second Hand Wedding.
Our collection of television series on DVD has been a real success and again encompasses a huge variety of titles and genres. A number of these have been bought in response to customer requests, particularly for quality British programmes, and these have been very popular. Season one of Foyles War for example has been issued 35 times in just over a year, and had 11 reserves placed on it. Foyles War is a detective series set in England during the Second World War and was created by Anthony Horowitz who also worked on Midsomer Murders (which we also have) and the popular Alex Rider series of books. Other murder mysteries in the collection are Inspector Morse and Silent Witness, and TV adaptations of the exploits of Agatha Christie’s perennially popular Miss Marple.
We have a number of classic comedy series including Open All Hours, Steptoe and Son, and The Last of the Summer Wine. We also have copies of documentary series such as Intrepid Journeys and Country Calendar, and one-off documentaries like The Wahine Disaster. Other highlights include historical adventures such as Sharpe and Hornblower, and adaptations of the dramas of Catherine Cookson. We also have a large number of music DVDs featuring artists as diverse as Andre Rieu, Hayley Westenra, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. There is sure to be something for everyone, be it Doctor Finlay, Doc Martin, or Dr Who.
There are also hundreds of DVD titles available in the children’s section, again incorporating movies and television programmes. The movies include older favourites like Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and The Parent Trap, and more recent titles such as High School Musical, Nanny McPhee and Inkheart. Our TV series range from older titles like Little House on the Prairie, to the more recent Ben 10 and Hannah Montanna. We also have the New Zealand made series Jane and the Dragon and The Adventures of Massey Ferguson.
Our adult DVD movies are issued for one week for a rental charge of three dollars, while the children’s DVDs (movies and TV series) are also issued for one week, but for a rental charge of two dollars. As with the books it is possible for you to renew DVDs (so long as no other borrower has reserved it) but this will incur another rental charge. Most of the TV series we have on DVD are issued for one week for a three dollar rental, but there are a few titles that are issued for two weeks for a four dollar rental charge. We do this when the number of discs in the set mean it would be quite an achievement to get through in a week. We give you more time to get through these as we realise you will all have other things you need to get done in your day other than watching DVDs - like reading library books!
The library does not aim to be a source for popular new releases or big blockbusters as these are already well catered for by the local video stores. Instead we try to fill a niche by providing access to classic movies and television programmes, and those that may not be easy to find elsewhere. We also focus on movies and television series that have some artistic or cultural merit, and titles that have been adapted from books.
We have a good range of movies in our collection including comedies like The Castle and The Life of Brian, dramas like The Queen and The Colour Purple, and action/adventures such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and The Bourne Identity. We have award winners such as Slumdog Millionaire, American Beauty, and The English Patient, and classic older movies like Casablanca, The Sound of Music, and Fiddler on the Roof. We have also made an effort to collect New Zealand films, from older titles like Sleeping Dogs and Utu, to more recent releases such as Second Hand Wedding.
Our collection of television series on DVD has been a real success and again encompasses a huge variety of titles and genres. A number of these have been bought in response to customer requests, particularly for quality British programmes, and these have been very popular. Season one of Foyles War for example has been issued 35 times in just over a year, and had 11 reserves placed on it. Foyles War is a detective series set in England during the Second World War and was created by Anthony Horowitz who also worked on Midsomer Murders (which we also have) and the popular Alex Rider series of books. Other murder mysteries in the collection are Inspector Morse and Silent Witness, and TV adaptations of the exploits of Agatha Christie’s perennially popular Miss Marple.
We have a number of classic comedy series including Open All Hours, Steptoe and Son, and The Last of the Summer Wine. We also have copies of documentary series such as Intrepid Journeys and Country Calendar, and one-off documentaries like The Wahine Disaster. Other highlights include historical adventures such as Sharpe and Hornblower, and adaptations of the dramas of Catherine Cookson. We also have a large number of music DVDs featuring artists as diverse as Andre Rieu, Hayley Westenra, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. There is sure to be something for everyone, be it Doctor Finlay, Doc Martin, or Dr Who.
There are also hundreds of DVD titles available in the children’s section, again incorporating movies and television programmes. The movies include older favourites like Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and The Parent Trap, and more recent titles such as High School Musical, Nanny McPhee and Inkheart. Our TV series range from older titles like Little House on the Prairie, to the more recent Ben 10 and Hannah Montanna. We also have the New Zealand made series Jane and the Dragon and The Adventures of Massey Ferguson.
Our adult DVD movies are issued for one week for a rental charge of three dollars, while the children’s DVDs (movies and TV series) are also issued for one week, but for a rental charge of two dollars. As with the books it is possible for you to renew DVDs (so long as no other borrower has reserved it) but this will incur another rental charge. Most of the TV series we have on DVD are issued for one week for a three dollar rental, but there are a few titles that are issued for two weeks for a four dollar rental charge. We do this when the number of discs in the set mean it would be quite an achievement to get through in a week. We give you more time to get through these as we realise you will all have other things you need to get done in your day other than watching DVDs - like reading library books!
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