Take a mid-winter break at your library

The saying goes that “Everybody complains about the weather, but no one does anything about it”. One thing you can do about it is visit your library. The library, and books, are a great option for getting through the winter months and we have many library users stocking up on books for when it’s too horrible to do anything outside. With precious few daylight hours available at this time of year, coupled with the cold, the wind, and the rain, the idea of sitting down in front of a warm fire with a book or two is certainly an appealing one.


The winter months can provide an opportunity to do some research and planning for projects you may want to undertake when the weather eventually improves. Our gardening section in particular gets a great deal of use at this time of year as people plan ahead for the Spring and Summer. Whether it’s for landscaping projects or the care of specific trees or plants we have books to cover most gardening activities.

Some of you may be fortunate enough to be planning an overseas trip to somewhere a bit warmer and our extensive range of travel books are available if you want to do some research on where to go and what to do. For those of us staying at home the smell (and taste) of a hearty casserole or fresh home baking is a great antidote to the winter blues. If you’re looking for inspiration we have a huge selection of cook books here at the library, written by celebrity foodies like Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and Nigella Lawson, as well as local cooks like Jo Seagar, Allyson Gofton and Alison and Simon Holst.

Winter days can be especially tough on children (and their parents and caregivers) if they can’t get outside because of the weather. Our Winter Warmers Reading Programme is now well underway, providing the children enrolled with something to do for six weeks in the middle of winter. The library can be a source of some much needed distraction in the form of books (either for reading or to get indoor activity ideas), DVDs and magazines. Just as a chance to break cabin fever, a visit to the library can be beneficial for all.

The Masterton Library, and its staff are here for you rain or shine. The library itself is a nice warm space thanks to our heating system, and many people comment on how nice it is when they come in from the cold. If you have the time to sit down and grab yourself a hot coffee or chocolate from our vending machine while you look through some books or magazines, it’s a very pleasant way of avoiding the cold.

However if the weather is so horrible that you really don’t want to go out, or you are struck down by one of the winter bugs, remember that you can always give us a call if you need your books renewed. Our phone number is 370 6300 and if you have access to the Internet, and a PIN number on your card, you can even renew the books online yourself. If you would like more information on this please ask at the library Issue Desk.

Like an extra blanket, a hot-water bottle or a warming drink, books and your library can make the winter a much more pleasant experience. Books can provide a means of escaping the cold and the grey, and fiction books in particular can take you to any location the author can conceive – some a great deal less pleasant than the Wairarapa in the winter! Fortified with books from the library, the enforced time inside can be a time to be savoured and enjoyed and an opportunity to read up on subjects, to further our knowledge and learn new skills.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District library