Masterton District Library

A Day in the Life of a Library

2011-12-28T09:08:00.001+13:00

There are many misconceptions about librarians and the work that goes on in libraries. People often only see us issuing or shelving books and aren’t aware of much beyond this. For this my final column of the year I thought I’d try to describe a typical day (a Wednesday) in the library to give a better idea of what does go on behind the scenes.

Several staff members start work early (well it seems early to me) and set about the task of readying the library. This includes logging on computers and opening the necessary programmes, setting up the tills, generating timecodes for the ecentre, and picking up the books that have come through the returns slot overnight. When I eventually swan in at about 8:30 much of the work has been done but on Wednesdays it is my job to generate the notices that advise borrowers if they have overdue or reserved books. We also produce reports that outline the previous day’s activities which are reconciled with the previous day’s takings and the next day’s float prepared.

On Wednesdays the library does not open until 10:00am allowing staff to do things that are difficult when members of the public are in the building such as putting up or taking down displays and rearranging shelving. We also generally have a staff meeting on Wednesdays where we discuss operational matters, policies and procedures. We do have a brief staff meeting most mornings but the Wednesday meetings allow us to discuss matters in more depth.

There is often a small crowd waiting when we do open, many of whom head straight for the eCentre. We also start seeing a build-up of young children and their caregivers who have come for the Story-Go-Round Preschool programme. Generally two members of staff run the sessions but occasionally others are roped in to lend a hand. Of course these things don’t just happen spontaneously – as with many library activities there is a great deal of forward planning for the preschool programme including selecting a theme, coming up with an appropriate craft activity, locating the necessary resources and selecting related stories and songs.

Technology now plays a huge part in a librarian’s day. Almost inevitably each day will bring some sort of technological issue, the simplest being resolved with reconnecting a cord at one of the e-centre computers, the worst requiring a total shut down and reboot of the server, fortunately not too frequent. Each Wednesday a contracted technician visits the library to deal with IT problems we haven’t been able to sort out, but for the most part we’re on our own which has resulted in a lot of on-the job learning.

All through the day there are the ongoing jobs of issuing, returning and shelving books. The Library has been experiencing steady growth in the number of issues over the last few months so all these activities have become increasingly busy. None of this however can go on without the ordering, receiving, repairing, cataloguing and processing of the books, magazines, DVDs and CDs which is done behind the scenes. All members of staff have responsibility for at least one of these functions and it goes on pretty much every day from opening to closing.

While many borrowers simply want their books issued when they come up to the desk, a great many want some information assistance. This can range from recommendations for new books or authors, to help with finding information on an infinite range of subjects. Increasingly we are asked for assistance with Information Technology issues such as setting up email accounts or downloading photos. These questions can be difficult but also very satisfying to resolve and while librarians do need to love books and information, it is dealing with people that makes the job so rewarding.

On Wednesday the library closes at 5:30 and from about 5:15 we begin the process of closing up. In many ways this is the reverse of the morning procedures - shutting down computers, making sure all the books have been returned, and ensuring that the place is generally tidy. Once the last of our customers have left the building we can lock the doors and do the final close down. Some members of staff might stay on a bit later to get jobs done while the rest of us make our way home and get ready to do it all over again the next day.

It is difficult to describe a normal day in the library as it is very rare that one day will be the same as another. I will probably also have missed some of the many jobs done by my colleagues (which they will no doubt remind me of in no uncertain terms). There are always new challenges to be faced, from rejigging the roster because a staff member is away to managing the introduction of a new service for our borrowers. If much of this work is unseen by the public that probably suggests we are doing a good job in providing a seamless service. You will perhaps understand however why we are inclined to roll our eyes when people suggest that all we need to do is stamp books and say shush occasionally.

Jon Adams

Community Outreach Librarian

Masterton District Library

The eBook has landed

2011-12-12T10:11:00.001+13:00

Masterton Library has signed on with ePukaPuka, a collaboration between 13 library districts in the lower North Island to bring downloadable eBooks and audio books to their borrowers. eBooks or electronic books are books that have been converted to digital files that can be viewed on a computer or eReader, a portable electronic device used primarily for reading books or other written material. ePukapuka is bringing this technology into our libraries for no additional cost to borrowers.

All you need to access eBooks through ePukaPuka is an internet connection via a PC, Mac or select mobile phones, and a valid library card (with password/PIN). From the ePukaPuka web site you will be able to download the free software required to transfer the eBook to your chosen device. ePukaPuka makes use of a platform developed by Overdrive, an American-based distributor of eBooks, Audio Books and video with access to more than 1,000 different publishers. A link to ePukaPuka will be located on the library’s website.

Once you have downloaded the requisite software borrowing an eBook or audio title is a simple matter of browsing the collection, checking it out, and downloading. You can then either read it on your PC or Mac, or transfer it to your iPod, eBook reader or other compatible device. There are no late fees for titles you download as they will expire at the end of the loan period and are automatically returned to the library.

When browsing ePukapuka you can create a wish list of items you are interested in and from this you can download up to five items at any one time. If the item you are interested in is currently on issue it is possible to place a hold/reserve on it through ePukapuka. Titles cannot be renewed but you can check them out again if no other borrower has requested them. It should be noted that presently the Amazon Kindle device is not compatible with Overdrive through ePukapuka.

If you would like to learn more about eBooks and eReaders, library consultant Sally Pewhairangi will be visiting Masterton Library on Wednesday the 14th of December from 1:00 to 2:30 and again on Friday the 16th of December from 10:00 to 11:30. She will also be available at Greytown Library on the 14th from 10:00 to 11:30. Sally has been commissioned by the Association of Public Library Managers to do a roadshow promoting eBooks and eBook readers to library staff and the public. She will be available to answer questions and will also have a variety of different devices available for the public to explore.

eBooks are a wonderful way of complementing our print collection and are particularly popular with people on the move such as commuters or travellers. For them the convenience of being able to store several books on a small portable device is a great innovation that many are already adopting. In the US it is estimated that 20% of the books being bought are eBooks and while New Zealand has been relatively slow to embrace the new technology, it is growing. The library will of course continue to maintain an excellent print collection, eBooks are just another dimension in our continuing efforts to meet the needs of our borrowers.

Summer Reading Programme

2011-11-24T12:31:00.000+13:00

The Summer Reading Programme is back, and this year we’re encouraging kids to ‘Be A Legend- Read!’ with a theme drawn from the myths and legends of Ancient Greece. Funded by the Eastern and Central Community Trust, the Summer Reading Programme is offered by libraries throughout the Eastern and Central region. The Summer Reading Programme aims to encourage a love of reading and books amongst children and thousands have benefited from the programme over the past 15 years.

Children (pre-school and primary aged) enrolled in the Summer Reading Programme talk to library staff about the books they have been reading (or had read to them) and in exchange receive incentive prizes. Those kids who complete the programme (by reporting 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.
Also available are the SRPlus and read+ programme which operate on a slightly different basis. SRPlus is designed for intermediate aged kids and read+ has been developed for secondary students. Participants in both these programmes receive a booklet in which they write book reviews. These are then shown to library staff and for every three reviews they complete they can choose a book to keep. There are some fantastic books available and this year teens enrolled in the read+ programme have the added incentive of entering a prize draw to win an iPod.
In the Wairarapa the Be A Legend-Read! Summer Reading Programme, SRPlus and read+ programmes are being offered by the Pahiatua, Eketahuna, Masterton, Carterton, Greytown, Featherston and Martinborough libraries. Masterton Library also has 50 places available for speakers and readers of Māori to do the Summer Reading Programme in Te Reo.

At Masterton registration night is on Thursday the 24^thof November from 3:00 to 7:30pm. The Tararua libraries including Eketahuna and Pahiatua will be taking registrations from the 28^th of November. The Wairarapa Library Service (Carterton, Greytown, Featherston and Martinborough) will be taking registrations from around the middle of November. If you would like more information on registering or the programme in general, please contact your local library.

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 incredibly successful tool for the encouragement of reading. Children enrolled on the programme can 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; the SRPlus and read+ programmes are great vehicles to keep older children and teens reading; and for all it is a chance to get to know their librarians. And on top of all these benefits, it’s a whole lot of fun. So let’s help grow more legendary readers with the 2011/12 Summer Reading Programmes.

Masterton gets SMART

2011-11-15T08:39:00.000+13:00

The SMART network of libraries is now active and proving to be a great success, with Masterton readers at the forefront. Nearly 2,000 library users from 23 libraries around the lower North Island have signed up for a SMART card since the service went live last month, and more than 400 of these are from Masterton. The SMART card provides access to more than half a million books, DVDs, CDs and magazines and SMART borrowers have already placed 5,646 requests for library items.

SMART (Sharing and Managing A Region Together) is a collaboration between the libraries of Masterton, Hutt City, Porirua, Kapiti, Whitireia Community Polytechnic and WelTec and is unique in New Zealand in that it incorporates both public and tertiary libraries. The SMART network is also allowing for unprecedented levels of collaboration between the libraries, but still enabling each to retain its own identity, and reflect the character of their different communities. It has been a learning experience for all of us at the library and a lot of work has gone into getting it to work, but it’s very rewarding to see it being adopted with so much enthusiasm.

Borrowers who sign up to SMART are able to use their cards at any of the member libraries, or request the items they want and have them delivered to their closest library. They can do this either in the library or online via the Internet. Borrowed items can be dropped off at any of the member libraries who will make sure it gets back to its ‘home’ location. A dedicated courier service runs between the libraries each day and if an item is available (on the shelf), the aim is to have it ready for pick-up within three days of the request being made.

There is no fee for Masterton residents to sign up to SMART and although there may be rental charges for certain items, it costs nothing to reserve them or have them delivered to their local library. There has been a considerable effort to consolidate the loan policies and charges of the individual libraries and the full outline of each library’s individual practices can be accessed through the SMART website. The SMART option has also been extended to our out-of-district borrowers who for either $35 for six months or $65 for a year can gain full access to all the resources of the SMART collaboration.

The collection that has been created by the SMART network is huge and allows us to provide a greatly enhanced service to our borrowers. While we have always aimed to offer as comprehensive a service as possible, limitations of budget and space inevitably placed some restrictions on what we could provide. Although we could augment this to some degree through inter-library loans, the ready access SMART provides to a greatly expanded collection is a significant improvement. The ability for borrowers to be able to use their SMART cards in other libraries, whether they be shopping in the Hutt or holidaying on the Kapiti Coast, just adds to the appeal.

Last month we had a special launch of SMART at the library with guests including council CEO Wes ten Hove, mayor Garry Daniell and councillor Lyn Patterson. We were also able to switch our first borrower over to a SMART membership and begin the process of requesting books from the other SMART libraries. It was the start of what is already proving to be one of the most exciting developments in the library’s history and we have high hope for the continuing success and benefits of the SMART network.

Below is the cake we had made to mark the occassion.

Food in the Library

2011-11-03T08:48:00.002+13:00

Food has generally been considered something of a no-no in libraries, along with disruptive noise and weapons of mass destruction. And while we are very keen to keep food off books (there are numerous stories out there in library world of rashers of bacon being used as bookmarks), the truth is there has always been a great deal of food available in the library, but it is contained within the books. We have hundreds of titles dedicated to food and food preparation available in the library, enough to satisfy the most voracious of appetites.

Being one of the basics of life, food understandably has an important place in human history. In A Taste of History author and documentary maker Bryan Bruce uncovers the stories behind our favourite foods including tomatoes, potatoes and chocolate. We also have several books looking at the history of food here in New Zealand and the evolution of our national cuisine. These include A Distant Feast: the Origin of New Zealand’s Cuisine by Tony Simpson and First Catch Your Weka: a Story of New Zealand Cooking by David Veart. Both books also feature recipes for those wanting to recreate food from our past.
When it comes to recipes our books can generally be divided up into those that look at a particular type of food or dish such as vegetarian or seafood; books that consider a particular type of cooking such as baking or barbecuing or the food of different countries and regions; or general cookbooks that tackle a range of food types and cooking styles. The latter are often produced by well-known chefs and cooks who, with the popularity of television cooking shows, have become household names.
Included amongst these celebrity chefs are names such as Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsay and Rick Stein, and we hold several cook books by each of these writers. Often these cook books are tied in with a TV series such as Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals, Rick Stein’s Food Heroes or Nigella Express. The interest around Gordon Ramsay is so great that in addition to many cook books, he has also released two biographies, Humble Pie and Playing with Fire.
We also have a good selection of books written by New Zealand foodies who, while perhaps not as widely known as their international contemporaries, are very popular here in New Zealand. Included amongst these are names such as Jo Seagar, Simon Gault, Al Brown, Peta Mathias, Ruth Pretty and perhaps the best known name in New Zealand food, Dame Alison Holst, who published her first cookbook in 1966. In recent year’s Annabel Langbein has been a prolific and popular writer of cookbooks. Her book The Free Range Cook was New Zealand’s best-selling title in 2010 and the accompanying television series (which we also have available on DVD) has been screened around the world including Australia, France, Israel, the United Kingdom and Japan.
Cooking is increasingly popular with children (as witnessed by the Australian television series Junior Masterchef) and we have many books available to help children learn to cook. Included amongst these are titles such as Stew a Cockatoo: My Aussie Cookbook by Ruthie May, Who’s Cooking Tonight written by teenager Claire Gourley, and Roald Dahl’s Completly Revolting Recipes which features such delights as Plushnuggets, Hot Frogs, and Glumptious Globgobblers. With all these resources available finding books to inspire and instruct kids to have a go in the kitchen shouldn’t be a problem - though getting them to clean up afterwards may be a different matter.
There are also a number of fiction authors who use food and cooking in their plots and some who even go so far as to include recipes in their books. Laura Childs ‘Tea Shop Mysteries’ are, perhaps unsurprisingly, mysteries solved by the owner of a small tea shop. The books include a selection of recipes and suggestions for tea parties. Similarly in the Hannah Swensen Mysteries, Joanne Fluke writes mysteries that also include recipes that relate to the story. The Plum Pudding Murder for example features the recipes for the main characters (and presumably the authors) favourite Christmas time meals.
As if all these books weren’t enough, we also have many magazines that cater to our love of good food. Not only are there a number of general titles such as The Australian Women’s Weekly, Your Home and Garden, Next and NZ House & Garden that have regular food sections, we also have a selection of titles specifically dedicated to food such as Dish, Cuisine, and New Zealand Healthy Food. This wealth of information may not make the daily chore of deciding what to make for dinner any easier, but if you’re looking for inspiration or something special the library has it all.
All this food can have a consequence however, and many different diets have been designed to help us loose unwanted kilos. Included amongst these, and held here at the library, are The F2 Diet by Audrey Eyton, the enticingly named Eat Yourself Slim by Rosemary Conley, The South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatson, and Dr Phil McGraw’s Ultimate Weight Solution. We also have many books on nutrition that give advice on the benefits of different foods and the best foods to help in different health situations. Included amongst these is the arrestingly titled 101 Foods that Could Save Your Life by David W. Grotto.
From absolute beginners just starting out in the kitchen, to more experienced cooks wanting to expand their repertoires, and anyone wanting to cook and eat healthier foods, we have the books in the library to inform and inspire. Issuing these often lavishly illustrated books can be an uncomfortable experience for library staff, particularly just before lunch time, but we are very pleased to see them being used. We only ask that you keep the food in, rather than on the books.

Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library

Defeating the Curse of the Blank Screen

2011-10-20T11:20:00.001+13:00

From time to time many of us are faced with the prospect of producing a piece of writing. It could be a report, a letter, a speech, or as in my current situation, a piece for a regular newspaper column. Sometimes this can be a fairly torturous exercise when the idea of what to write can seem depressingly remote. This prompted me to have a look at what the library has available for anyone needing help with a writing assignment, and hopefully come up with my next column at the same time.

There are of course many different types of writing, for many different purposes, and the library has numerous books available to help, ranging from the general to the specific. Obviously we have many examples of creative writing in the library, including all our fiction and poetry titles, and numerous collections of stories or writings. If there are more aspiring writers out there we have a number of books to assist with the process.

Included amongst these are The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creative Writing by Laurie E. Rozakis; The Everything Guide to Writing Your First Novel by Hallie Ephron; and How Fiction Works: Proven Secrets to Writing Successful Stories that Hook Readers and Sell by Oakley Hall. There are guides to writing in specific areas such as short stories, graphic novels, even song-writing. We also hold many titles aimed at helping children and young adults with their writing including the Write that… series by Shaun McCarthy which covers film scripts, poems, reports, and stories.

If you are looking for inspiration from the lives of famous writers we have a number of biographies of famous authors. Included amongst these are New Zealanders such as Ngaio Marsh (Her Life In Crime), Joy Cowley (Navigation) and Fiona Kidman (At the End of Darwin Road), and international writers such as Agatha Christie: the Woman and Her Mysteries by Gillian Gill, Hide-and-Seek With Angels: a Life of J.M. Barrie by Lisa Chaney, and Kitchen Privleges: a Memoir by Mary Higgins Clark. In On Writing: a Memoir of the Craft, popular and prolific novelist Stephen King provides not only an autobiography but also invaluable advice on becoming a writer.

Much of the writing we have to do is non-fiction rather than fiction - although some CVs may blur this distinction. Sometimes this writing is for commercial reasons which books like The Language of Success: Business Writing that Informs, Persuades and Gets Results by Tom Sant and Power Sales Writing by Sue Hershkowitz-Coore can help with. History is another popular topic and titles such as Writing Your Family History: a New Zealand Guide by Joan Rosier-Jones, and Local History: a Short Guide to Researching, Writing and Publishing a Local History by Gavin McLean could be of assistance here. There is even a book Great Personal Letters for Busy People by Dianna Booher which, as the title suggests provides examples of letters that can be adapted and used for situations ranging from disputing an account statement to turning down an invitation.

A major concern many people have with writing is grammar, and wanting to ensure that things such as spelling and punctuation are correct in a piece of writing that is going to be read by others. Amongst the books that can offer guidance are Eats, Shoots & Leaves : the Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss and Your Joking: an Easy Guide to Correct Punctuation, Including How to Know the Difference Between Your and You’re by Mary Mountier. Particularly useful in the New Zealand environment is Māori for the Office: Te Reo Māori mo te Tari by the Māori Language Commission, while the Yahoo Style Guide by Chris Barr provides advice for writing, editing and creating content online. Correct referencing is also an important concern, particularly for anyone engaged in a course of study and The Complete Guide to Referencing and Avoiding Plagarism by Colin Neville illustrates the correct procedures to follow.

One of the most important documents we may have to write is a curriculum vitae and cover letter when looking for employment. We have a number of books offering advice in this area including The Resume Handbook: how to Write Outstanding Resumes & Cover Letters for Every Situation by Arthur D. Rosenberg; Situations Vacant: how to Prepare an Effective Curriculum Vitae by Shelley Burt; and 202 Great Cover Letters by Michael Betrus. We are also very fortunate to be able to host fortnightly sessions here at the library by Careers New Zealand consultant Lindsey Grott. Lindsey is available for 30 minute sessions to help job hunters prepare their written documentation. Come into the library or contact us to make a booking for Lindsey's next visit.

Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library

Rugby, rugby, rugby.

2011-09-26T10:52:00.002+13:00

A few weeks ago I wrote a column on romance novels in the library. This article drew a number of interesting responses including one that was reported to me of “When’s he going to do one on rugby?” Given that we are now in the middle of the Rugby World Cup this is probably as good a time as ever to look at what the library has relating to our national game. Love it or hate it, there is no getting away from the fact that rugby has played an important part in our nation’s heritage and therefore has a strong presence in our collection.

Biographies are a very big part of sports writing and rugby is no exception. We have numerous biographies of rugby players here at the library ranging from legends of yesterday such as George Nepia, Colin Meads and Wilson Whineray; players from the recent past including Buck Shelford, Sean Fitzpatrick, Christian Cullen and Tana Umaga; and the current players charged with securing the Webb Ellis Cup for New Zealand including Dan Carter, Mils Muliaina and Richie McCaw. To prove we’re not completely one-eyed, we also have biographies of some of the leading overseas players including Jonny Wilkinson and George Gregan.

Our rugby biographies are not just limited to the players however. We also have books about All Blacks coaches Laurie Mains, John Hart, Grizz Wylie, and Graham Henry, as well as Titch, the biography of the legendary coach of the NZ Sevens team, Gordon Tietjens. In addition we have books about people who have made their careers through rugby not by playing but by managing (Phil Kingsley Jones), commentating (Keith Quinn), and photography (Peter Bush).

We have many general histories of rugby in New Zealand including the four volume The History of New Zealand Rugby Football which covers the period from 1870 to 1991, and of course the unrivalled Men In Black, now in its 7th edition. There are also however histories of specific teams and eras. The Original All Blacks 1905-06 by Christopher Tobin tells the story of the New Zealand’s first international tour and the huge impact it had it establishing the All Blacks legend and a national obsession. Khaki All Blacks by Mike Whatman tells the uplifting story of another unique New Zealand side, the ‘Kiwis’, made up of men from the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force who at the end of hostilities in Europe in 1945 went on a hugely successful tour of the UK, Ireland, France and Germany.

Wairarapa itself has a proud rugby heritage and we hold copies of the centenary publications of the Featherston, Carterton and Red Star rugby clubs. The Wairarapa Archive also stores the match day programmes for the 1986 match between Wairarapa Bush and Australia, and 1965 match against South Africa. And of course we do have biographies of two of the region’s famous rugby sons, Grant Batty and Sir Brian Lochore. Sir Brian has an unsurpassed reputation as an All Black captain and later coach, and to date is the only All Black coach to win the Rugby World Cup.

The significant place of Māori in New Zealand rugby has also received specific attention in several books held here at Masterton Library. An older book kept in our reference collection is Arthur H. Carman’s Māori Rugby: 1884-1979. Against the Odds: Matt Te Pou and Māori Rugby traces the history of the NZ Māori team in the professional era under the care of one of its most successful coaches. Beneath the Māori Moon by Malcolm Mulholland is a comprehensive illustrated history covering 100 years of Māori rugby including notable players and some of the politics behind the team.

Of course rugby has not always been able to keep free of controversy, principally over the issue of sporting contact with South Africa while the apartheid regime was still in place, and culminating with the1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand. Storm out of Africa by Richard Shears and Counting the Cost: the 1981 Springbok Tour in Wellington edited by David McKay both look at the unprecedented social upheaval caused by the tour. The Red Squad Story by Ross Meurant relates events from the perspective of the leader of the police unit charged with allowing the tour to go ahead in the face of passionate opposition.

Given that it is our national game, it is interesting that very little NZ fiction relates to rugby. Howard Joseph’s Game Without End is the story about the influence of rugby on the lives of two very different families over several generations and their quest to have members become All Blacks.The Legend of Beau Baxter by Ivan Dunn is a humorous take on the 1924 tour by the Invincibles featuring the larger than life Beau Baxter. Perhaps the fictional book on NZ rugby to receive the best critical reception is Lloyd Jones’ The Book of Fame which imaginatively relates the story of the 1905 Originals.

Rugby remains an important part of the NZ psyche and the tours and matches of 1905, 1956, 1981, 1987 and 1996 give these dates a special significance for many New Zealanders. 2011 will probably become another date to remember, hopefully for good reasons, and the library has plenty of material to support rugby’s many fans. But for those of you who are totally uninterested in rugby and the World Cup, don’t forget that the library is also a very useful alternative, either for a bit of reading or a DVD or two for those times when there doesn’t seem to be anything else on TV.

Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library

Go Scotland!

2011-09-14T17:02:00.002+12:00

As part of Masterton’s Rugby World Cup celebrations the CBD has been divided up into twenty blocks, each supporting one of the teams competing for rugby’s greatest prize, the Webb Ellis Cup. Here at Masterton Library we are very pleased to be within the group supporting Scotland. I decided then that this would be the ideal time to look at what the library has that might be relevant to anyone interested in this great nation.

Just received by the library are the latest Lonely Planet books on Scotland and Edinburgh, giving readers the most up to date information on visiting Scotland and its famous capital. The Aerofilms Book of Scotland from the Air by James Campbell is an older book but provides some wonderful views of the Scottish landscape including the stunning Highlands. Anyone contemplating a trip to Scotland should not be put off by the title of Bill Watkin’s highly entertaining Scotland in not for the Squeamish in which the author relates his adventures around Scotland with a collection of true and tall tales.

Scotland has experienced an often turbulent past, particularly in relation to the English, and we have a number of books on Scottish history. These range from the general such as Tom Steel’s Scotland’s Story and Scotland: a History edited by Jenny Wormald, to more specific titles such as The Battle of Bannockburn 1314 by Aryeh Nusbacher and Damn’ Rebel Bitches by Margaret Craig which tells the story of the many women caught up in the Jacobite Rising of 1745-46. Nigel Blundell’s Ancient Scotland is a lavishly illustrated book depicting the landscapes, castles, monuments and artefacts that tell Scotland’s history.

Partly in response to this turbulent history Scots have emigrated to a number of different countries including of course New Zealand. As a result many New Zealanders have Scottish ancestors as anyone looking through a phone book can attest, with the numerous McDonalds, McKenzies, McPhersons etc. We have a number of books available for people wanting to investigate their Scottish ancestry including the Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia and Tracing your Scottish Ancestry by Kathleen B. Cory. Local woman Elizabeth Waddington is one of many New Zealanders who have traced their Scottish ancestry and The Bairds of Winton, which she helped compile, tells the story of James and Elizabeth Baird who came to New Zealand from Scotland in 1870.

Intrinsically linked with the clans, and indeed Scotland, is tartan and The Complete Book of Tartan by Iain Zaczek and Charles Phillips is a comprehensive directory of 400 different tartans and their place in Scottish history. Perhaps the other most iconic association with Scotland is the bagpipes and although we don’t have any books on how to play the pipes, we do have two CDs Amazing Grace: Pipes & Drums of Scotland and The Pipes of Scotland which feature traditional Scottish music.

There are of course also many famous and popular Scottish authors of fiction. Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sir Walter Scott are well known names from Scottish literary history but there are also many well-known contemporary Scottish authors. Iain Banks, Quintin Jardine, Val McDermid, Manda Scott, Alexander McCall Smith and Ian Rankin are just some of the Scottish authors whose books can be found on our shelves. There are also many popular Scottish children’s authors including Debi Gliori, Theresa Breslin, and Julia Donaldson, and you don’t get much more well known than J.K. Rowling, who although born in England, has lived in Scotland since 1993 and wrote the first Harry Potter story in an Edinburgh cafe.

For a relatively small nation (even today the population is not much over five million) Scotland has made a very large impact on global history. Scots have been responsible for some of history’s most important inventions and famous Scottish inventors include James Watt (the steam engine), Alexander Graham Bell (the telephone), John Logie Baird (the television) and Alexander Fleming (penicillin). In I never knew that about Scotland Christopher Winn describes some of the less well known aspects of Scottish history such as in 1825, John Moir of Aberdeen producing the world’s first tinned salmon; the bicycle being invented in Keir Mill, Dumfriesshire in 1839 by Kirkpatrick Macmillan; and Prestwick, Ayrshire being the only place in Britain where Elvis Presley set foot, stopping there for refuelling on the way home from Germany after being discharged from the army.

Perhaps in part because of the wide global spread of its people and in part because of the tremendous achievements of many famous Scots, Scotland has a cultural influence far beyond her own borders. Sean Connery reflects on this in his book Being a Scott which looks at the unique Scottish character as well as his own personal history growing up in Edinburgh. As this brief review has shown there is much to be learnt about Scotland and the Scots from books held here in the Masterton Library and I hope this article may have sparked a bit of interest. And to the Scottish team and their supporters – welcome to New Zealand and good luck in the Cup – until you meet the All Blacks that is!

Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library

SORCER

2011-08-29T09:37:00.000+12:00

The recent revamp of the library’s OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue) has also seen the introduction of Sorcer, a new search tool providing library patrons with more personalized access to the library collection. Sorcer has been developed by Civica, the software provider who supply our library management system, and it greatly enhances the capability of the catalogue, making it more user-friendly and utilising Web 2.0 technology and concepts. Sorcer can be accessed through the library’s catalogue, either at the library or online via our website.

Sorcer has the tag line ‘order out of chaos’, and while we might suggest that our catalogue is far from chaos, SORCER does allow for more comprehensive searching of the catalogue to be carried out with greater ease, and all from a single interface. Anyone can browse and use Sorcer but to get the most out of it you need to log in. If you already have your own online account at the library you have all you need to get going with Sorcer. Otherwise it’s a simple matter of registering a password which we can do at the issue desk.

Sorcer allows for a more personalised catalogue search by taking note of previous borrowing history and making suggestions for further reading based on this. Sorcer will also suggest reading, viewing and listening material based on the usage of other library patrons with similar interests to you. The more you use Sorcer, the more accurate it will become in being able to offer suggestions for books, CDs and DVDs you might enjoy. You can also customize your Sorcer view by going in to the ‘My Account’ section and ticking or un-ticking the different available options.

From your own Sorcer account you can look at information about your borrowing including any loans (or overdues) on your card, current reservations, your alert profiles, any reviews you have added, and your borrowing history. Alert profiles enable Sorcer to present books you may be interested in such as Bestsellers, Recent Biographies, or books that have been reviewed by other library users. At this point you can also check on your personal details and make any necessary updates. Sorcer also allows you to link with online ‘friends’ with whom you can share recommendations for books, DVDs etc.

It is still necessary to use the ‘My Account’ function found on the library catalogue to renew any books on your card or to cancel a reservation. All it takes to activate your own account, either for Sorcer or the existing system is the addition of a password to your library account. This will take staff a matter of minutes to activate and then you’re ready to start utilising this new addition to the library’s catalogue.

All next week (August 29 to September 2) library staff will be making a special effort to let our borrowers know about SORCER and get them signed up to start taking advantage of its many features. We will be offering help and training to borrowers, and we also have a good selection of giveaways for those who are interested in giving it a go. SORCER is an exciting expansion of our service and we hope that many library users will make use of its amazing potential.

Finding Love in the Library

2011-08-16T09:30:00.001+12:00

Although it is sometimes looked down upon, romance fiction remains an incredibly popular genre and represents a significant component of the publishing industry. With a Mills & Boon book being sold every three seconds in the UK, and with romance accounting for 37% of the total number of fiction titles sold in the US, romance fiction is certainly something anyone working with books and people needs to take seriously. It is no surprise then that Masterton Library holds a large number of romantically themed books and that these feature highly in our issuing statistics.

The romance novel can generally be defined as one which describes the development of a romantic relationship between two people, ending with a satisfying or at least promising conclusion. One of the earliest romance novels was Samuel Richardson’s Pamela or Virtue Rewarded, first published in 1740. There had of course been romance stories before this including the plays of Shakespeare, though notably Romeo and Juliet (which is often described as a great love story) fails as a romance because of the distinct lack of a happy ending.

In the 19th century Jane Austen expanded the genre with books such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, now regarded as literary classics. In the 1920s Georgette Heyer introduced the world to the Historical Romance, and the genre really took off in the 1930s when British publishing company Mills & Boon made the decision to concentrate on romance fiction. The company now publishes 50 new titles each month from a worldwide author base of 1,500, including several from New Zealand.

Today there is a great deal of variety within the romance genre including: Comtemporary romances (the largest subgenre) which are set in the time they are written; Historical romances which are those set before the Second World War and include the popular Regency romances; and Romantic suspense, in which the protagonists have a mystery to unravel while at the same time a relationship develops between them.

Paranormal romance is when the romance is complicated by otherworldly elements, vampires being a particularly popular theme at the moment; Science Fiction and Fantasy romances are set in other or future worlds, and then there is Time-Travel Romance in which relationships develop while having the added complication of the characters living in different time periods.

Inspirational Romance combines Christian themes with the development of a romantic relationship; Multicultural romances feature protagonists from different ethnic backgrounds; and for those looking for something a bit spicier, Erotic Romance blends romance with erotica (distinct from pornography in that it does still have a story to tell).

Romance writers are some of the most popular authors writing today. Along with the huge stable of authors writing for Mills and Boon, authors such as Diana Gabaldon, Linda Howard, Jude Deveraux, Julie Garwood, Nora Roberts, La Vyrle Spencer, and Amanada Quick enjoy a huge readership. Despite generally being aimed at woman, there are a significant number of men who enjoy reading romance fiction and also quite a few who have made careers writing it - including some who have written under a female pen name. The authors Monica Barrie, Victoria Gordon, and Gill Sanderson for example, are in fact all men.

Dating back to its first emergence, Romance fiction has suffered a certain amount of criticism, derision and even condemnation. Some of the early criticism can be attributed to blatant sexism and the perception that women had more impressionable minds and may have been unduly influenced by what they were reading. It was therefore felt that women’s reading should be restricted to household manuals and devotional texts.

Simply because it is genre largely written by and for women, romantic fiction is still often regarded as a lesser concern, in much the same way that women’s sport is. Ironically Romance fiction has also been the target of some feminist criticism which suggests that it is oppressive and encourages women to conform to sentimental and traditional roles. Romantic fiction also receives criticism for being formulaic and indeed the majority of Mills and Boon novels even have a prescribed number of pages.

What these criticisms don’t take into account is the ability of the readers (mostly but not exclusively female) to be very much aware that they are reading a certain style of book, and that is precisely what they want. Romance fiction provides an opportunity to read something with a reasonable expectation of a satisfying conclusion, much as most crime readers would expect the denouement of the mystery, and the identification and punishment of the killer. Romance fiction is escapist fiction in just the same way that fantasy, science fiction, even crime are. The criticism also doesn’t always take into account the huge scope the genre now embraces.

Given the popularity of romantic fiction it would be a failure on the library’s part not to make this genre widely available to our borrowers and in fact it represents an incredibly popular part of our collection. We certainly make no judgements about the reading of romantic fiction, in fact we are keen to see even more of it being read and have books to cater to every taste. So if you’ve been looking for love in all the wrong places, try the library.

Jon Adams

Community Outreach Librarian

Masterton District Library

The Ongoing Value of Libraries

2011-07-08T09:02:00.001+12:00

Over the past few months there has been a lot of debate over proposed library cuts in the United Kingdom. In total over 10% of British libraries are under threat of closure, and some councils are proposing to use volunteers to staff libraries. The recession has put a renewed focus on all public spending and while there have been no such threats here, it is important that we try to look at this issue objectively. It is ratepayers’ money we are using to fund the library after all, and it is vital that the service we provide is something that our funders both want and use.

One of the regular arguments used to support the closure of libraries is the perceived decline in the reading of printed books, due in the most part to the rise of the Internet and the emergence of E-books. International statistics would seem in part to support this argument, although it is noticeable that the reading and publishing of children’s books does seem to buck this trend. It is however an important consideration and we only need to look at the recorded music industry to see the impact new technology can have.

One of the possible misconceptions about libraries, and indeed librarians, however is that they are stuck in the past. In fact we are constantly evolving to meet the needs of our borrowers. Librarians make a great deal of effort to keep up to date with professional knowledge and technological changes and how these might be adopted to help our borrowers.

The features of a modern library catalogue for example are a far cry from the abilities of the old card catalogue. We are shortly going to be releasing Masterton Library’s redeveloped OPAC and soon we will presenting SORCER which will greatly enhance how borrowers can interact with our catalogue. We are also making moves towards offering e-books to our borrowers. More on these in future articles.

For many people the Internet is now the first port of call when they are seeking information. Here at Masterton Library we have recognised the changing use of our collection and have responded accordingly to better fit the needs of our borrowers. This has involved a large increase in the amount of fiction we are providing, and special attention to the non-fiction to ensure that what we have is still going to be used. We also now have a role to play in providing the public with access to the Internet and assistance with this when it is needed.

We are very pleased to see that our efforts appear to be working and we have been enjoying a steady growth in the number of books we issue. We have also enjoyed a regular increase in the number of people who use the library and our e-centre is almost always in use. If in the future printed books do fall out of use for most reading activities, you can be assured that librarians will be at the forefront of providing access to whatever device has replaced them.

We are very aware that the public library is much more than a storehouse for books. In addition to our books , magazines, CDs and DVDs, it is a place where the public meet, where information is shared, a facility that all members of the community are welcome to use. As librarians we facilitate all these functions, ordering, processing and cataloguing library items, arranging visits, displays and programmes. We also use our experience and knowledge to offer suggestions and advice on a range of matters - from how to set up an email account, to what book to read next. We have always acted as intermediaries between the public and the information they require – and this doesn’t change if the information is accessed through a book or a website.

The planned library closures in the UK have created a great deal of controversy and resulted in petitions, protests and in the case of the Gloucestershire County Council, a High Court Injunction. Many people are obviously passionate supporters of the public library and its role in society and from a personal perspective this is wonderful to see. Our best defence however is to remain a relevant and useful service that is utilised by large parts of the community. If this continues to be the case our funders will continue to value the public library and all it offers, and our future is secure.

Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library

Winter Warmers & Maths Is Fun

2011-06-20T09:14:00.000+12:00

There should be no complaints from children of being bored during the July school holidays this year. Along with the usual array of books, magazines and DVDs, Masterton Library will be involved in delivering two great programmes for children – Winter Warmers and Maths Is Fun. Registration for both programmes takes place at the library from the 20th of June.

Winter Warmers is an incentive based reading programme which actually begins two weeks before the school holidays on July the fourth, and runs for six weeks in total. Children enrolled in the programme receive a booklet in which they can write reviews, draw pictures, design covers etc. for the books they have been reading. Once they have done five pages they receive a prize and qualify to attend the grand finale. If they go on to fill in all ten pages of the booklet they will receive another prize and everyone who makes it to the finale will receive a book prize and a certificate. This year’s programme has a rugby theme and will take the children on a tour of New Zealand, stopping at ten venues that will host games during the Rugby World Cup.

There is no charge for participation in the Winter Warmers programme thanks to the funding support of the Eastern and Central Community Trust. It is available locally at all the libraries in the Wairarapa region including Martinborough, Featherston, Greytown, Carterton and Masterton, and also the libraries of the Tararua District at Pahiatua and Eketahuna. Spaces are limited however so make sure you get in quick.

Also taking place during the July school holidays, and also available for free thanks to the funding of the Eastern and Central Community Trust, is the Maths Is Fun programme. This will be held at Masterton Library from the 18th to 21st and consists of hour-long sessions each day for children in four different age groups (Years 1 & 2, 3 & 4, 5 & 6 and 7 & 8). Again places are limited so don’t forget to register early if you want to secure a place.

Maths Is Fun aims to develop confidence with maths, show how maths has practical everyday uses in all our lives, and how it really can be fun. Participants engage in a range of games and activities and also receive take-home packs to continue the fun at home. At the end of the programme there will be a finale evening which usually features a maths based challenge aimed at getting the whole family involved.

For more information on either of these programmes please contact the library on 06 370 6253. In the past both these programmes have proved to be very popular and the kids enrolled (and yes they can do both) have a great time. Don’t forget that registration for both begins on June the 20th and as places are limited it’s a good idea to secure your place(s) as soon as you can.

Off the Shelf

2011-06-13T08:48:00.001+12:00

Each year at the Masterton Library we issue between 250 and 300,000 books, CDs, DVDs, and magazines, something we are very pleased about and keen to grow even higher. The upshot of this however is that we also have to shelve between 250, and 300,000 library items each year, averaging at about 1,000 a day. Shelving may seem like a fairly simple task but if it is not done properly it can create a lot of problems and a book that has been incorrectly shelved can be very difficult to find, not quite a needle in a haystack but close to it.

Arranging books in an ordered manner so they can easily be retrieved is one of the cornerstones of librarianship and correct shelving is essential for this. Here at Masterton Library we use the Dewey Decimal System for classifying all our non-fiction books. Dewey is not the only method devised for ordering library books, but it is probably the most common and is used all around the world.

The Dewey Decimal System was developed in 1876 by Melvil Dewey, an American educator and librarian. The Dewey system aims to organise all knowledge within ten main divisions, with thousands of potential subdivisions. The Dewey system has been revised many times and although it can include fiction, many libraries including Masterton, shelve their fiction titles separately according to the first three letters of the author’s surname.

Each non-fiction book is assigned a call number by a cataloguer according to its subject. The first three numbers of the call number indicate where the book fits within Dewey’s ten main divisions. This may then be followed by a decimal point and further numbers which indicate the subdivision, and then the first three letters of the author’s surname. Assigning a call number can be a very difficult process but once it is done we know where to put a book, and crucially, where to find it again.

Here at Masterton Library we assign different degrees of attention to the shelving of items depending on the use they receive, and how difficult it is to retrieve them. Our children’s board books for example are simply placed in a dedicated bin because it’s easy to flick through these to find what you want. This obviously wouldn’t work for the non-fiction – it would have to be a very big bin for a start.

Our DVDs are separated into film and television titles and musical performances. All fiction (adult, junior and young adult) is shelved alphabetically according to the author’s surname. We don’t separate the fiction into different genres as some libraries do, but we do put genre stickers on the spines of our books so borrowers can identify them easily. Non-fiction shelving is the most involved process making sure that the book is correctly located according to the sequence of numbers, and according to the alphabetical order of the authors.

Shelving therefore would seem to be a fairly straight forward procedure of following numbers and knowing the alphabet, and for the most part it is. There are occasional traps such as compound surnames, authors whose surname begins with a Mc or a Mac, or Icelandic authors whose surnames are written before their first names (books by crime novelist Yrsa Sigurdardottir for example are shelved at YRS in the fiction section). Mostly however it is an ability to concentrate and maintain attention to detail that is required for successful shelving.

We suspect that some of the miss-shelving that does occur is the result of members of the public browsing the collection and returning books to the shelf in the incorrect sequence. If you are unsure of where to replace a book we are more than happy for you to leave it for us to do. We regularly tidy up books that have been left around the library and actually keep a record of these as it is good to know the books that are being looked at, even if they are not being taken out. You could also bring unwanted books to the issue desk and we can sort them out for you.

All members of staff here at Masterton Library are assigned an area to shelve and this is rotated on a monthly basis. Shelving books is a great way to get to learn the collection and it is also useful to be out amongst the shelves to help patrons with any questions they may have. To many librarians shelving can seem a bit like housework in that there’s always more to be done. But while it can be quite onerous we know that it needs to be done and that well-ordered shelves make our job of finding information so much easier.

Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library

Growing the Good Life

2011-05-31T08:43:00.001+12:00

There has been a lot of interest lately in living a more self-sufficient lifestyle and in particular people growing their own fruit and vegetables. Possibly this is a response to the economic climate, it may stem from a desire to grow more organic produce, or possibly a desire to return to the slower and simpler rhythms of life that fruit and vegetable growing both requires and encourages. Whatever the reason there are many resources available here at the library to assist those wanting to lead ‘the good life’.

Our gardening section has many titles dedicated to growing fruit and vegetables. Starter Vegetable Gardens by Barbara Pleasant provides advice and a selection of plans for small organic gardens. Get Fresh by Dennis Greville gives advice on growing vegetables and herbs, and is written from a New Zealand perspective. Also written from a New Zealand perspective is Palmers Vegetable Gardening by T.W. ‘Prof’ Walker, a regular on the much-missed Maggie’s Garden Show.

Once you’ve grown your food you have to decide what to with it. In his book Jamie at Home, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver provides sumptuous recipes related to the seasons and the fresh produce that is available. He also gives some information on growing the fruit and vegetables he uses in his recipes. Similarly Grow It, Cook It by local chef Sally Cameron is a combination cooking and gardening book which gives basic advice on growing different fruits, vegetables and herbs, and then recipes for how they can be used.

One of the disadvantages of producing your own fruit and vegetables is that often you have a whole lot of produce coming ready at the same time. You can of course give it away to friends and family or organisations such as the Food Bank, and there are an increasing number of schemes promoting the sharing and swapping of produce. Another option is to preserve your produce and we have a number of books on the different methods of doing this.

Fix, Freeze, Feast by Katie Neville gives advice on preparing and packaging homemade family meals, and storing them in the freezer for later defrosting. How to Store Your Own Garden Produce by Piers Warren gives advice and recipes on preserving a range of garden produce, something the author describes as the key to successful self-sufficiency. Preserved by Nick Sandler and Johnny Acton seems to cover every food preservation technique imaginable including drying, salting, smoking, pickling, infused oils, fermenting, bottling and canning.

For those that want to take their self sufficiency further than merely producing some of their own fruit and vegetables we also have books on keeping animals such as poultry, sheep , goats and cattle. These include Backyard Poultry – Naturally by Alanna Moore, Cows for the Smallholder by Valerie Porter, Running a Small Flock of Sheep by David G. Hinton, and Natural Goat & Alpaca Care by Pat Coleby. And to make use of your animals we have many books on knitting, several books on cheesemaking, and of course the aforementioned cooking books.

And for those who want to embrace the whole self-sufficient lifestyle we have a number of titles that cover the whole spectrum of self-sufficiency. Carolann Murray’s Mastering the Art of Self-Sufficiency in New Zealand gives advice on keeping cows, sheep, chooks and bees, maintaining an organic garden, producing alternative energy, and making cheese, bread, soap, and even wine and spirits. The Good Life: Your Guide to a Greener, Cheaper and More Fulfilling Life In New Zealand by Francesca Price gives advice on sustainable eating, shopping, housing, holidays, transport and travel, and greener parenting.

We also have a couple of magazine titles New Zealand Lifestyle Block and Grass Roots that cater to those choosing a self sufficient lifestyle. If this all seems a bit too much like hard work, or for those who just want a break, we do have Off the Radar by Te Radar which recounts the laughs, dramas, and occasional triumphs of his attempts to live off the land, and season 1 and 2 of the ever popular comedy series The Good Life available on DVD.

Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library

Rainbow Kids gone but not forgotten

2011-05-19T08:42:00.002+12:00

Masterton Library’s much loved and hugely popular Rainbow Kids pre-school programme is no more. But parents, caregivers, and pre-schoolers please don’t fret. It’s simply been given a new name, Story-Go-Round, and kicked off with the first new session on the 4th of May.

Masterton Library has been operating a free, weekly pre-school programme for approximately 19 years and for the last eight years this has been known as Rainbow Kids. It was decided that a fresh new name would be invigorating for the programme and that the old name may be causing some confusion. After much discussion and deliberation amongst staff we arrived at the name Story-Go-Round, a combination of the sharing of stories and the play connotations of a merry-go-round.

Story-Go-Round will continue to provide a fun and educational experience for pre-schoolers every Wednesday during term time. The sessions start at 10:30am, generally with a 20-25 minute period of storytelling and songs, followed by a craft activity. The craft activities are designed to encourage basic skills like cutting, colouring and pasting and result in some wonderful creations. Our preschool programme is particularly popular with those aged 2-3 years, but all preschoolers and their caregivers are welcome. There is no charge to attend the sessions and all the craft materials are likewise provided for free.

The other change to the programme was the decision to no longer produce a printed pamphlet outlining the whole terms planned activities. This was proving to have a detrimental effect on the programme as sticking to it meant the children’s team could not easily respond to events in the community, while changing it could cause disappointment amongst some participants. The Christchurch Earthquake for example was high in everyone’s awareness and could have been used for a number of learning experiences such as the work done by emergency services or ways to stay safe in an earthquake.

While this term will have an overriding theme of people who help us, the children’s team now have the flexibility to respond to new events and ideas as they come up. Jane and Cindy will still be planning ahead to relate the programme to regular events going on in the community such as Golden Shares, Balloons over Wairarapa and Mother’s Day, but now they can also present any new subjects they think would be good to cover. This will make Story-Go-Round even more vibrant, relevant, and fun for those attending the sessions.

Our weekly pre-school session has been one of the great success stories here at the library and we are certain this will continue with Story-Go-Round. We have many regular faces amongst the participants and frequently have whole families of children coming along until each in turn reaches school age. We then see many coming to the library as older children and teenagers, and signing up for the Summer Reading and Read Plus reading programmes. We have even had one former member working here at the library as a student shelver.

Pre-school programmes are a great way of introducing children to books, reading and the library and this has huge benefits for their future learning. The sessions are also very valuable for making connections between families and library staff and there are many social benefits for both children and their caregivers in attending the weekly sessions. So Rainbow Kids may be gone, but rest assured that Story-Go-Round will be keeping up the good work for our youngest library users.

Pets at the Library

2011-05-02T08:53:00.000+12:00

For thousands of years and across all cultures pets have occupied an important place in human society, from the deified cats of Ancient Egypt, to the humble goldfish swimming in a bowl. Research is also suggesting that pets have a beneficial effect on humans with pet owners enjoying a longer lifespan with lower stress levels and blood pressure. Pets form an important part of many of our lives so it is not surprising that books about pets, choosing them, caring for them, and books about particularly remarkable pets, feature strongly here at the library.

We have many non-fiction books about choosing and caring for pets ranging from general titles like The Encyclopaedia of Pets and Pet Care, to books about specific animals including dogs, cats, birds and fish, including the different breeds of each. Alternative Pets by Robin Stewart looks at keeping some less common pets including rats, axolotls, and lizards. So whether you’re after the everyday moggy, or something more exotic, there’s bound to be a book to help with your decision here at the library.

Books about our lives with animals are also hugely popular with our readers. The books of Yorkshire vet James Herriot including All Creatures Great and Small and It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet are perennial favourites with their heart-warming stories of life in the Yorkshire dales, their inhabitants and the pets and livestock they keep. Famous naturalist Gerald Durrell has written many books about his love of animals and the story of his remarkable life and contribution to conservation is portrayed in the DVD My Family and Other Animals. More recently Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan tells of the lessons he and his family learnt from their thirteen years with a good natured, but apparently untrainable, Labrador.

We have many books about remarkable pets that have made an amazing contribution to the lives of the people around them. Making the Rounds With Oscar by David Dosa is the incredible story of a cat living in a U.S. nursing home who seemed to know when people were going to die and would stay and comfort them until they passed. Cleo: the Cat Who Mended a Family by New Zealand author Helen Brown tells of how a small black kitten helped mend the broken hearts of a family after the tragic death of their son. A particulate favourite amongst many librarians is Dewey: the Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron which tells of a small ginger kitten who was abandoned in the returns slot of the Spencer Public Library in Iowa, and came to have a profound impact on the library’s staff and patrons.

Homer’s Odyssey by Gwen Cooper is about an incredible kitten who grew into a loyal, loving, yet feisty cat, despite infection robbing him of sight at a few weeks of age, and the inspiration the author took from his zest for life. A Lion Called Christian (available as both a book and DVD) is the story of two Australians who bought a lion cub as a pet while living in London. When he grew too big to live in the city they made the decision to release him onto a reserve in Africa, going on to experienced an incredible reunion with him as an adult lion. And to show it’s not all about cats, Paddy the Wanderer by Dianne Haworth is the true story of an Airdale Terrier who became a national identity during the Depression, renowned for his independent spirit and love of travel including trams, sailing ships and even a Gypsy Moth.

In his book Kindred Spirits veterinarian Allen Schoen writes about his career and gives advice on caring for animals, but also gives many examples of the incredible bond that exists between humans and animals and the things we can learn from them. Why Animals Are Smarter Than Us gives a number of examples of animals displaying amazing examples of navigation, communication and some uncanny signs of precognition. In Ask Now the Beasts, Ruth Rudner looks at our relationship with wild and domestic animals and the lessons we can learn from them about how we live our lives.

Our books on choosing, keeping and training pets will help owners ensure that both animal and human get the best out of the relationship. While sadly there are too many cases of animal neglect and cruelty, for most people pets are a delight and treated with the care and respect they need and deserve. We are richer for sharing our homes with pets, and while we give them food and shelter, they give us so much more. Pets can become a trusted companion, a comfort, part of the family. Pets add greatly to our lives so it should be no surprise that books about them can be as inspiring, heart-warming, funny or moving as books on any subject.

Jon Adams
Comunity Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library

Weddings at the Library

2011-04-18T09:21:00.000+12:00

Weddings are usually joyous occasions, a chance for family and friends to get together to support and congratulate the happy couple who have chosen to make this commitment to one another. It’s fair to say however that they can also be responsible for creating quite a bit of stress in the lives of those most closely involved. Here at the library we have books and magazines to help with most aspects of planning a wedding which will help the day run smoothly, and hopefully avoid the creation of any Bridezillas. And men don’t think you’re getting off easy as the book The Groom’s Speech & Duties outlines, there’s plenty for you to do too.

To start with we have a selection of general wedding books such as Weddings: the essential Guide to Organising Your Perfect Day by Alison Price and The Everything Wedding Checklist Book: All You Need to Remember for a Day You’ll Never Forget by Holly Lefevre. We have a book for those looking to minimise the costs of the big day, 1,001 Ways to Save Money – and Still Have a Dazzling Wedding by Sharon Naylor, and even a book for those wanting to stage an environmentally friendly wedding, Eco-Chic Weddings by Emily Anderson.

New Etiquette for Today’s Bride published by Bridal Guide magazine offers advice on many modern matrimonial dilemmas including chapters on pre-wedding parties, destination weddings, second weddings, and the renewing of vows. We also subscribe to several wedding themed magazines including New Zealand Weddings, Bride to Be, and NZ Bride & Groom. These lavishly illustrated magazines are great for providing inspiration for all aspects of weddings, but can also be very expensive to purchase. Being able to borrow them from the library is one way of keeping costs down.

Decorations are usually an important part of the wedding, with a lot of effort going into creating the right look. We have many books to support this including Beaded Weddings: 75+ Fabulous Ideas for Jewellery, Invitations, Reception Decor, Gifts & More by Jean Campbell, and The New Book of Wedding Flowers: Simple & Stylish Arrangements for the Creative Bride by Joanne O’Sullivan. Of course the look of the dress is probably the biggest concern for most brides-to-be, and to help with this we have The Wedding Gown Book by Elizabeth Shimmer.

Speeches are a major part of the big day and given that many people find public speaking a fairly daunting prospect, advice can be very welcome. We have many titles to help in this area including The Big Book of Wedding Readings: a Huge Collection of Timeless Poetry and Prose for Church and Civil Ceremonies, Heart Songs: Readings for Weddings collected by Pinky Agnew, and Speeches: What to Say at Weddings and When to Say It. Finally no wedding would be complete without a cake and again we have books to help in the form of Cakes for Romantic Occasions by May Clee-Cadman, and Romantic Wedding Cakes by Kerry Vincent.

Unfortunately we can’t do much about the weather, but pretty much all the other aspects of your day should go smoothly with information and inspiration found from our books and magazines. You may not be able to match the pomp and ceremony of the upcoming Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, but you will still be able to achieve a memorable and happy day. And for those of you who can’t get enough of the romance and drama of weddings, they do of course provide the inspiration for many of our fiction books, and a few DVDs as well. The Italian Wedding by Nicky Pellegrino, Wedding Season by Katie Fforde, and Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts are just a few examples, though if the title of Sasha Wagstaff’s Changing Grooms is anything to go by, this should possibly be avoided by any prospective brides.

Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library

A Salute to Commuters

2011-04-04T08:00:00.000+12:00

In this week’s column I’d like to pay tribute to those noble souls who contend with horribly early starts every week day, commuting to and from Wellington on the train. I did the commute for about four years so I know it’s not an easy thing to do, especially in the winter when you leave and get home in the dark. In some ways commuters enjoy the best of both worlds, but it is not without cost, and their efforts and contribution to the local economy shouldn’t be underestimated.

People have been commuting on the train to Wellington for decades and the numbers have definitely grown over the past few years with hundreds travelling on each of the three morning trains. The refurbished carriages that were introduced in 2007 have certainly improved the journey making it a much more comfortable experience. Occasional disruptions to the timetable can be very frustrating though, and even when everything is working to schedule, it still makes for a long working day.

The one advantage of the long working day is the chance to make use of the enforced downtime. Many use this time as a chance to do some work or catch up on sleep, but many others use it as an opportunity to read. And that’s where we come in.

The train makes for a great place to read with comfortable seats and few distractions. I never read more books than when I was commuting and many commuters get through several books a week. Books, and in particular fiction, are wonderful for taking us to different worlds and realities, providing an escape from the drudgery of the daily commute.

And of course it’s not just printed books you can borrow to provide entertainment as you travel to and from work. We have a large range of talking books (or audio books) and these are available on compact discs, MP3 discs and some as downloadable files. If you have a laptop or portable DVD player you could also watch one of our DVDs on the train. An episode of Fawlty Towers or The Good Life may be just the thing to lift your mood coming home in the middle of winter. Whichever you choose, there are great options available for making use of your travel time.

While the library’s usual opening hours may not be that convenient for the majority of commuters, we are open until 8pm on Thursday nights and from 9:30am to 1pm on Saturdays. Hopefully these extended hours will provide commuters with a workable time to visit the library and select some items to borrow. Thursday night is a particularly good time to come in as it’s generally quieter than during the day and ideal for the whole family to come in and browse.

Commuters are much like tourists in the role they play in our region, earning their incomes elsewhere and spending it here in the Wairarapa. They represent a significant part of the Wairarapa’s workforce and the region would certainly feel the effect if they were all to give it away. The travel can definitely be a grind but hopefully the entertainment options available from the library can help make it a much pleasanter experience.

So, on behalf of those fortunate enough to both work and live in the Wairarapa, I’d like to say thank you to all those who make the not inconsiderable effort to commute over (or perhaps that should be under) the hill each day to work. And as a token of our appreciation, we’d like to offer a free rental DVD, audio book, or book from our Hot Picks collection to all those who commute each day on the train. Simply show us a current Wellington to Masterton Tranz Metro ticket either on Saturday the 2nd of April or Thursday the 7th, and you can borrow one free item from our collection. It’s just our way of recognising the contribution you make, and demonstrating how our books, DVDs and CDs can make it a little less onerous.

Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library

Libraries after the Christchurch Earthquake

2011-03-18T08:57:00.001+13:00

The earthquake which struck Christchurch at 12:51pm on the 22nd of February will have far reaching implications for the city and the nation as a whole. On top of the personal tragedies that have been so heart-wrenching to view on television or read about in newspapers, the physical destruction of the city means it will never be the same with the loss of many heritage buildings. While there is probably nothing that I could add to the general coverage of the Earthquake that you haven’t already seen or heard, I thought you might be interested in reading about how the library services in Christchurch have been affected by the quake, and how the library community have been responding.

Thankfully it appears there have been no casualties amongst the staff from the University Library, the National Library’s Christchurch offices, or Christchurch City Libraries, although some have lost their homes and all are having to deal with massive disruption to their lives. Both the National Library offices and the Central City Library have sustained damage and at the time of writing both are still cut off within the cordon of the CBD. A number of public libraries outside the CBD have been redeployed for Civil Defence purposes, and some members of library staff are working shifts at the Earthquake Operations Centre.

The TVNZ building was damaged in the quake and as yet it is unknown if it will have to be demolished. This building contains the TVNZ Christchurch News Library which holds a unique collection of videotapes of news stories and footage of South Island people, places, events and stories. Again it is unknown if this collection will be recoverable but thankfully all staff got out of the building safely.

With the exception of Akaroa, all Christchurch City Libraries were closed following the quake but several have been able to open since. Library staff have been trying to get the message out that nobody needs to worry about overdue books. The libraries will be waiving all fines from the 22nd of February and have extended the due date of all items to the 1st of May.

Waimakariri District Libraries were badly affected by the September quake and the Kaiapoi library is still operating out of a temporary location. Fortunately they appear to have been largely unscathed by this recent event and council staff, including librarians, have been helping out with emergency operations in Christchurch.

The Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa which co-ordinates the provision of free internet services throughout the country from a base in Christchurch was also affected by the quake. Although staff have been unable to return to their building they have been able to keep the service going from remote locations with only a few brief interruptions. The University of Canterbury Library was badly shaken but appears to have avoided any serious damage. Along with the rest of the University, the library has been closed since February 22nd but is looking to re-open from the 14th of March.

LIANZA (the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa) has received messages of support from libraries around the globe including the Passerini Landi Library in Italy, the American Library Association, the Library Society of China, the Sydney University of Technology, and the Gakugei University Library in Tokyo. The libraries of Selwyn District (Christchurch’s close neighbours) have extended their library hours and invited Christchurch City residents to join the library. Rolleston library has also extended its WiFi service to 24/7 for the duration of the emergency, enabling people to check the news and contact friends and family at any time. Many public libraries around the country including Dunedin, Auckland, Wellington, Gisborne, and even here at Masterton are offering free temporary membership to evacuees from Christchurch.

Libraries can seem a fairly trifling matter when compared to reinstating essential services like water, electricity, sewerage and roading, but they definitely have a part to play in the recovery from this disaster. Books, DVDs, magazines etc will help provide some much needed rest and relaxation for the people of Christchurch and possibly a distraction from the enormity of the task ahead. Libraries themselves will provide a venue where the city’s residents can meet, talk, and take strength from each other. Perhaps most importantly the reopening of libraries will be a part of the return to normalcy, a symbol that those everyday things we took for granted are back. Libraries are an important part of our communities and as such will be just as important in restoring the social fabric that the quake has ripped apart.

On behalf of the staff of the Masterton Library I would like to extend our deepest condolences to those who have lost family and friends in this awful tragedy. And to those who are left to rebuild their lives and their city, take heart from the fact that the rest of the country (and indeed many around the globe) are here to support you in whatever way we can. It is going to take a long time, much longer than the stories make headline news, but with resolve and support it will be achieved. Kia kaha Christchurch, we’re right behind you.

Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library

NZ Book Month 1-31 March 2011

2011-03-03T08:47:00.001+13:00

March is New Zealand Book Month, a nationwide celebration of books written by New Zealanders and about New Zealand. Ordinarily NZBM is held towards the end of the year but a decision was made not to hold it last year, and instead hold it early this year to avoid any clash with the Rugby World Cup. Along with publishers, booksellers, and other libraries, Masterton Library will be joining in with this very worthwhile initiative and we hope you will join us in taking part.

The aim of New Zealand Book Month is to promote New Zealand books and to get more of the books we read to be local ones. The theme of this year’s programme is ‘Books change lives’ and there is no doubting the positive impact books can have on our lives. Reading New Zealand books helps us learn more about our country and our fellow New Zealanders, and helps foster a greater sense of our identity.

As part of our celebration of New Zealand Book Month we will be running several competitions designed to promote New Zealand books. The first of these is a crossword puzzle based on New Zealand books, and every completed entry will go in the draw to win a great New Zealand book, generously donated by Hedleys Bookshop. Don’t forget that if you need any help with the puzzle ask a member of library staff or use the library catalogue to find the answers.

The second competition, again offered in conjunction with Hedleys Bookshop, is a word-find puzzle aimed at our younger borrowers. The words to find in this puzzle are all well known New Zealand children’s books and authors. Once again every correctly completed puzzle will go in the draw to win a great prize donated by Hedleys.

Our third competition requires participants to try and match members of library staff with their favourite New Zealand books. In the past this has been a very interesting exercise and a great way to get to know your library staff. It has even caused a great deal of discussion and intrigue amongst library staff as we try to guess or colleagues reading habits. A prize will be given to anyone who manages to get them all right and if no one does then all completed entries will be put in a prize draw.

We will be highlighting New Zealand Books in our regular displays and have created a set of bookmarks showcasing bestselling New Zealand books from last year, and some old favourites from the past. During New Zealand Book Month the children’s department will be making a special effort to read New Zealand books during the Rainbow Kids preschool sessions. There are many fantastic and hugely popular New Zealand children’s books available and a certain scraggly dog from Donaldson’s Dairy is sure to feature at some point.

New Zealand has a strong literary tradition with names like Katherine Mansfield, Janet Frame and more recently Lloyd Jones being highly regarded locally and internationally. Here at the Masterton library we have thousands of books about our country and by New Zealanders and we consider the promotion of New Zealand books to be an important part of our role. New Zealand Book Month showcases the great value and variety of New Zealand books and is an opportunity for us to promote the many wonderful titles we have available here at the library. We hope you will join us in this celebration of the rich and ever-growing treasury of New Zealand books.

The competition forms are available here, at the library or from Hedley's Bookshop.

Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Librar

Summer Reading Programme

2011-02-21T10:18:00.001+13:00

The finale for this years’ Summer Reading Programme took place at the Masterton Library on Wednesday the 26th of January. Throughout the day hundreds of children came to the library to pick up their prize packs, certificates and goody bags. A bouncy castle, sausage sizzle, face-painting, fancy dress and spot prizes added to the fun, and a great time was had by all.

The theme of this year’s programme ‘The Big Bush Read’ was a celebration of the New Zealand bush (and the wildlife that inhabits it) and a recognition of the need to protect it. The children’s area of the library has been decorated accordingly and looks like it has been transported into the heart of the Tararuas. A corresponding programme, ReadPlus was also offered for older children and teens and this year’s theme was a gothic take on fairy tales, perfect for the ‘Twilight’ generation.

The Summer Reading Programme helps consolidate the reading skills children have developed during the school year, and arrests the decline in reading often seen over the summer period. It also helps them get to know the library and library staff, which in turn will help set them up on a path for life-long learning. And best of all it’s fun to do!

The Summer Reading Programme is offered by all the libraries in the Eastern and Central Region and is made possible through funding provided by the Eastern and Central Community Trust. This is the 14th consecutive year Masterton Library has delivered the programme and once again it has been an incredible success. Spurred on by the encouragement of librarians, parents and caregivers (plus the prospect of being awarded some great prizes) children enrolled in the programme have made a massive effort to read over the summer holidays.

Of the 400 places Masterton had available, 79% completed the programme and received their rewards. Another 55 places were available for children who wanted to do the programme in Te Reo and 74% of these children completed the programme. We had 55 places available on the Read Plus programme and again 74% of these achieved completion. In total children enrolled in the Summer Reading Programme engaged in 1,451 check-ins where they talked to library staff about the books they have been reading.

Congratulations to all the children who completed the Big Bush Read and Read Plus programmes and thank you to all the parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles and others who enrolled them and brought them to the library to report in. The efforts you have made in supporting their reading will be of great benefit to your children in the future. Thank you also to the Eastern and Central Community Trust, without who’s sponsorship the programme would not be possible.

Well done also to librarians Mary, Jane, and Frances, and their helpers Pat, Jeremy, Ingrid, and Georgia-Mae for running such a great programme. If you’re interested in future programmes keep an eye out for registration information in November, and don’t forget we also offer the Winter Warmers programme in the middle of the year.

And after describing the success of the Summer Reading Programme, it seems the opportune time to bid a fond farewell to Children’s Librarian Mary Buckner who has played such a big part in its’ success here at Masterton. Mary has resigned from the library after some 16 years and her enthusiasm and passion for children, books and reading will make her greatly missed by her colleagues, children and their parents. We are all very sad to see Mary go but wish her every success with her exciting new plans.

Mary Buckner on her last day at Masterton District Library

Jon Adams

Community Outreach Librarian

Masterton District Library

Looking Ahead to 2011

2011-02-07T09:14:00.001+13:00

Welcome to my first article of the New Year and I hope you all enjoyed a happy and restive Christmas and New Years break. With the holidays and Summer Reading Programme now over, the library is settling back into normal routines. It has however been very wisely said that the only constant is change and that is certainly true of the library. This year there are several big changes coming up that we are preparing for – and probably a few we don’t know about yet!

When we switched to managed services for our library computer system late last year we also introduced a few small upgrades. We can now send borrowers an email of their issued books in addition to, or in place of, the printed slip. Borrowers can even choose to have no issue slip produced at all – a great option for people who always bring their books back early. Soon we will also be able to send automated txt alerts to let borrowers know when their reserved book is available.

Another change coming soon is the addition of Sorcer to the libraries OPAC. The OPAC (or Online Public Access Catalogue) is the computer software which members of the public use to check the libraries catalogue, either in the library or through their own computers at home (or work if the boss isn’t looking). Sorcer allows for a much more advanced and personalised use of the library catalogue, utilising a range of Web2.0 concepts and tools.

Borrowers who sign into Sorcer will be able to view new and recently reviewed books and recommendations made for them based on their borrowing history, and the borrowing habits of others who read similar authors. This will also extend to the movies and television programmes in our DVD collection and music in our CD collection. Sorcer will allow borrowers to do much more advanced searching of the catalogue and create savedlists of searches to come back to at a later time. Borrowers will also be able to link to ‘friends’ through Sorcer and share reading interests.

We are currently working on a major overhaul of the library’s website. We hope that the finished product will be visually more appealing and we are certain that it will be easier to use. The website is also being designed so that it will be much easier for us to update which will allow us to make more regular changes and ensure the information is kept timely and accurate.

Probably the biggest change coming to the library this year will be the realisation of the SMART consortium of libraries. SMART (Shared and Managed a Region Together) is a joint venture by the public libraries of Masterton, Kapiti, Porirua and Hutt City, and the tertiary libraries of the Wellington Institute of Technology and Whitirea Community Polytechnic. These libraries all use the Spydus library management system and the goal is to create a shared regional library resource for our patrons to utilise.

It is planned that ultimately borrowers will be able to use their library card and drop their books off at any of the member libraries. They will also be able to request books from the other libraries and have them dropped off at their nearest library. This will give our borrowers access to over 550,000 books, magazines, DVDs etc and allow them to borrow from 23 libraries across the lower North Island. SMART is a very exciting initiative for us and will hugely increase our capability to meet our borrowers information needs.

While there will be changes at the library you can rest assured that some things will remain the same. The Book Club had its first meeting of the year on the 18th of January, we will be resuming our Rainbow Kids preschool programme on the 9th of February, and Seniors Celebrate will be back on the 22rd. So for this year what you can expect is more of the same – the introduction of some new initiatives and the continuation of existing programmes and events, all with the intention of offering the best and most helpful service we can.

Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

2010-12-21T09:13:00.000+13:00

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

Music at the Library

2010-12-13T09:08:00.003+13:00

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

Books Grow on Trees this Summer

2010-11-29T09:43:00.001+13:00

The Summer Reading Programme is back for the 14th consecutive year and this time kids are being encouraged to go bush with The Big Bush Read. This hugely popular programme is delivered throughout the Eastern and Central region through funding provided by the Eastern and Central Community Trust. This year’s Big Bush Read theme celebrates the fantastic New Zealand bush and the wildlife that inhabits it, and recognises the need to protect it. Here in the Wairarapa we enjoy some wonderful wilderness areas such as the Tararua ranges and of course the Pukaha Mt Bruce National Wildlife Centre, so the programme should have special appeal to the children of our region.

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

Good Sports at the Library

2010-11-15T09:33:00.000+13:00

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

Many Happy Returns

2010-11-01T16:43:00.000+13:00

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

From Over the Ditch

2010-10-18T09:01:00.000+13:00

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.

Talking About Talking Books

2010-10-04T09:30:00.001+13:00

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

Overdue fines

2010-09-21T09:13:00.000+12:00

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.

Fiction/Non-Fiction changes

2010-09-06T11:37:00.000+12:00

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.

Books and blokes

2010-08-23T09:03:00.000+12:00

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

Masterton, Moera and Mr Muggs

2010-08-18T14:58:00.003+12:00

Masterton Library Pre-School Programme
(with Moera on the screen)

On Wednesday the 18th of August Masterton District Library and Moera Community Library combined for an online pre-school programme as part of our Library Week activities. Using Skype we were able to link the programmes being offered at each library, talk to, and see each other, and hold a combined reading of ‘Mr Muggs the Library Cat’ for our part of New Zealand’s largest storytime. Explaining to children of this age that there are other children in other libraries reading the same book can be a bit abstract, but being able to see other children really made an impact. The kids really enjoyed interacting with the technology and far from proving a distraction, it seemed to focus their attentions.

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

Library Week

2010-08-09T09:20:00.002+12:00

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.

Getting Crafty at the Library

2010-07-26T09:36:00.001+12:00

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.

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

Take a mid-winter break at your library

2010-07-14T09:00:00.001+12:00

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

Reference Services at the Library

2010-06-28T09:30:00.002+12:00

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

Kete Masterton Information Evening

2010-06-14T14:46:00.002+12:00

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

Weed any good books lately?

2010-06-10T16:05:00.007+12:00

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

Winter Warmers 2010

2010-05-27T11:01:00.004+12:00

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!

Alexa Johnston

2010-05-24T11:48:00.000+12:00

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.

Goodbye Jannelle

2010-05-21T11:54:00.000+12:00

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.

Libraphobia?

2010-05-18T10:14:00.003+12:00

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

Books are boring… Yeah right!

2010-05-18T10:11:00.000+12:00

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

Baby Boomers and libraries

2010-05-18T10:09:00.001+12:00

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

Yarns In Barns

2010-05-18T09:26:00.001+12:00

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.

DVDs at the Library

2010-05-18T09:16:00.000+12:00

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!