Book Sale at Whangaparaoa Library tomorrow

The Whangaparaoa Lions Club and Rodney Libraries will be holding a book sale at the Whangaparaoa Ratepayers Hall (on the hill behind Whangaparaoa Library) Saturday 1st September between 10 am and 3pm.

There are hundreds of boxes of books that have been delivered to the hall for your reading pleasure.

Grab a bargain and support a good cause.

All proceeds to local community projects and Rodney Libraries.

Cancer Society Daffodil Day

It's Daffodil Day today. It's the culmination of a month of fundraising activities for the Cancer Society and is a time when we can support their work.

They use the daffodil as their symbol as it is one of the first flowers of spring. It's bright yellow blooms that remind everyone of the joys the new season will bring. It represents the hope there is for all those affected by cancer.

You can find out more information about the Auckland Society on their webpage.

The libraries have books about cancer including symptoms, therapies, and personal experience at 616.994.

Rodney Community Art Awards

There's only two weeks left for your entry to be in for this year's Rodney Community Art Awards. With $5000 of prize money up for grabs, it's well worth entering.



The theme this year is 'Shapes of Rodney'.



Closing date for entries is 15th September. Displays will run from Friday 5th October – Sunday 28th October.



You can pick up an entry form from all Rodney Libraries, Service Centres and the Estuary Arts Centre (214 Hibiscus Coast Highway).

Hosted by East Rodney Community Arts Council.

New Zealand Book Month

New Zealand Book Month runs from September 3 to September 30. They want to "... celebrate and showcase the brilliant writing talent we have, to support new and upcoming writers in our country, to tap into the pride we feel in our literary landscape and show you that whatever your taste, there’s a fantastic New Zealand book for you."

Although the month doesn't officially start until next week the website is already up and running with fabulous things to find. There are blogs, favourite book lists, competitions, and news articles to read.

Keep an eye on this blog too - Mondays and Thursdays through September we'll be posting on New Zealand authors and books. Let us know if you have a favourite title you want us to discuss.

C.K. Stead is a Distinguished Citizen of Auckland

The Mayor of Auckland City, Dick Hubbard, presented Professor Stead ONZ, CBE, with the Distinguished Citizen Award at a function in Auckland last Monday night. The award is Auckland City's highest honour. The citation reported "He has made an outstanding contribution to literature in our city and country."

Now Professor Emeritus, Stead was Professor of English at the University of Auckland for over 20 years. His outstanding service to New Zealand literature has brought him many other awards and honours. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, received the CBE in 1974, was elected Honorary Visiting Fellow of St John's College, Oxford in 1997, received an Honorary Doctorate in Letters from the University of Bristol in 2001, was awarded the prestigious CNZ Michael King Fellowship in 2005 and was made an extraordinary member of the Order of New Zealand in 2007.

You will find his books in the library catalogue here.

Mercury Subs

Magazines are a wonderful way to while away some hours. Rodney Libraries has a number of national and international titles for you to peruse. If you like one so much that you want to have a copy all to yourself then why not subscribe via Mercury Subs? They are "New Zealand’s largest online magazine news stand" and offer an online store where you can subscribe to national and international titles. They have a great selection and (speaking from personal experience) are super easy to deal with. You can search by subject, title, or just take a look at some new magazines.

Disclosure: Mercury Subs have sponsored the shelving for the Express Select collections.

Music CD, DVD, video and audio book sale on now

Orewa Library are having a music CD, DVD, video and audio book sale today and tomorrow.

If you are interested in some great bargains (all items $2) come on down.

Orewa Library is open tonight until 8 pm and from 9:30am - 4pm tomorrow.

The most popular!

It is always interesting to watch the trends in the book stores to see which books are selling. For instant NZ Booksellers produce lists that are updated fortnightly (or in the case of the childrens and young adults titles, monthly).

For the fortnight to 20th July the following were the Number One sellers in New Zealand according to their figures:

New Zealand Fiction for Adults
Mr Pip by Lloyd Jones (Penguin Books) remains top of the list. It is still one of the most requested titles in the library.

New Zealand Non Fiction for Adults
Kiwi Saver: How to make it work for you by Mary Holm (Random House)

International Fiction for Adults
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Bloomsbury). By the acclaimed author of the Kite Runner this is book leapfroged the latest David Baldacci to take over the Number One slot.

International Non Fiction for Adults
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Simon & Schuster) remains at Number One.

Titles for Children and Teens
Bridge to Terabithia (Movie tie-in) by Katherine Paterson (Puffin Books). In a list which covers all young peoples genres from picture books to teen fiction, the Bridge to Terabithia is undergoing a reading revival thanks to the recent movie. Other movies have also had an impact with both Harry Potter and the Anthony Horowitz Stormbreaker series featuring. Eternal New Zealand favourite Lynley Dodd of Hairy Maclary fame also has more than one entry on the list

To check the list out for yourself go to http://www.booksellers.co.nz/bk_bst_current.htm

Have a good weekend everyone.

"Book Ends" Trivia

A Warkworth Library Trivial Pursuit team “Book Ends” this week took part in the Daffodil Day fundraiser to support the Cancer Society. Run by the local branch of the National Bank we competed against 20 other teams in a fun night with Peter Mac from Times FM as MC for the evening.

And we are pleased to report that Book Ends finished the evening on top by the slim margin of 2 points (and we didn't even come to blows in our discussions about the answers).

No photographic record of the evening exists, but a good time was had by the staff and volunteers who made up the team

Trivia Nights are as popular as ever (there was another crowded trivia event the same night in Warkworth). And what better cause can there be than supporting the Cancer Society. The events for Daffodil Day on Friday 31 August are gathering momentum. I will certainly be wearing my yellow band with pride.

Turmoil in the World of Wiki

There has been claim and counterclaim recently in the world on online "encyclopaedia" Wikipedia.

Wikipedia describes itself on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About as multilingual, web-based, free content encyclopedia project. Wikipedia is written collaboratively by volunteers from all around the world. With rare exceptions, its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the Internet, simply by clicking the edit this page link. The name Wikipedia is a portmanteau of the words wiki (a type of collaborative website) and encyclopedia. Since its creation in 2001, Wikipedia has grown rapidly into one of the largest reference Web sites."

However the very uniqueness of the site in allowing entries to be edited by ANYONE can, and has led to abuses. Entries have been changed by people and companies, including biography and company profiles being enhanced by the subject, news and political organisations using the site for spin, and even the CIA and FBI becoming involved. This abuse has been verified by the introduction of new software which allows tracing of entry editors back to their home computer.

Some educational institutions have now taken the step of disallowing wikipedia as a source of information and those that do access the site for information should be aware of the possibility of bias.

You can read more about this at http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/CIA-FBI-computers-editing-Wikipedia/2007/08/17/1186857720243.html or http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2007/08/14/fox-news-changes-wikipedia-to-smear-rivals-olbermann-and-franken-comprehensive-list-of-changes

And remember, if you are look for accurate and current information, talk to your librarian about the best place to find what you are looking for, either in the library or through the world wide web.

Love Life

As you would expect from a bunch of librarians working together, we often recommend books to each other. However, it is rare that one book gets read by the team and evokes such strong reactions.

"Love Life" by Ray Kluum is such a book. It was in turn harrowing and inspiring, there were tears and rage. I veered between pity and hatred for one of the characters.

To give you an idea, the blurb reads "Dan and Carmen are hip, healthy and wealthy. They have their own companies, plenty of money and friends and are the proud parents of one year-old Luna... They live the cool life in Amsterdam, until beautiful and optimistic Carmen is diagnosed with breast cancer. With that their world transforms into a roller-coaster ride of doctors and hospitals. As his way of coping, the hedonistic Dan faithfully accompanies Carmen to her chemo and radiotherapy treatments, but spends his nocturnal hours crazily immersed in the nightlife and women of Amsterdam and Miami. Love Life is the account of a relationship and a terminal illness, devoid of fake sentiment and told with humour and deep humanity. And it is very much an ode to love."

Certainly something to check out if you want a really strong read.

Romance writers get serious

Romance writers got together over the weekend at their annual conference in Auckland.

Special guest and speaker at the conference was Jennifer Crusie. The short biography on her website notes "Jenny has written 15 novels and one book of literary criticism, edited two essay collections, and contributed over thirty essays to magazines and anthologies. Her work has been published in 20 countries.
Her work has earned a place on many bestseller lists including the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal, Bookscan, Barnes & Noble and Waldens."
Jenny's website can be found at http://www.jennycrusie.com/

The conference was run by Romance Writers of New Zealand Inc who regularly run competitions, update their site news and add author biographies and tips. Check it out at http://www.romancewriters.co.nz/.

And, for lots of gossip from the romance writers diary what about this blog site http://www.romancingtheblog.com/blog/

Romance writers are serious about their craft. And with some of our most popular items being part of this genre, so are Rodney Libraries. For romance novels we put a red heart on the spine in the adult fiction to identify the genre. But if you are looking for a favourite author, or someone that writes like her, just ask one of our friendly librarians.

After all, with all the rain around, what better time to curl up with the cat and a good book.

NZ author wins Sundial Scottish Arts Council Book Awards

Congratulations to Kirsty Gunn who is the inaugural winner of the Sundial Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year award. She was awarded the prize at the Edinburgh International Book Festival for her novella "The Boy And The Sea".

Ms Gunn is the author of "Rain" which was set on the Mahurangi Peninsula. The library doesn't have the DVD but we do have the soundtrack.

You can read more about the awards here. The Glasgow Sunday Herald has an interview with Gunn here.

Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust Awards tonight

"The Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust was set up following Ashton Wylie's death in 1999 with the mandate of having human relationships as its focus... the purpose of the two...awards is to reward excellence in writing that encompasses a wide range of beliefs and has the power to enlighten, amuse and educate the reader..."

Congratulations to Brian Broom, winner of the Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust Book Awards 2007 for his book "Meaning-full disease: how personal experience and meanings cause and maintain physical illness." Congratulations also to Keith Hill, winner of the Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust Unpublished Manuscript 2007 for his manuscript "Striving to be human: how can we act morally in today's complex world?"

The awards are run in association with the New Zealand Society of Authors.

For more information click here.

What's coming up around Auckland?

New Zealand Coffeefest
On this weekend. "...an industry get-together to discuss and taste coffee, a showcase for excellence in both roasting and delivery of fine espresso coffee. " Held at the Alinghi Base at 135 Halsey Street on the Viaduct Basin. Trade only today, public days Saturday and Sunday.

Going West
29 August - 22 September. "Each year the festival programme comprises a range of word-based events at various venues in Waitakere City throughout September."

Tempo (Dance festival)
29 September - 28 October 2007. "This year's Festival will feature a truly amazing range of performances that celebrate dance in all its diversity." Tickets on sale through Ticketek.

First anniversary of passing

A week of celebrations marking the first anniversary of the changing of the guard in the Maori monarchy continue today after yesterday's ceremonies to remember the passing of the Maori Queen.
Events move to Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia, the headquarters of the Kingitanga (King Movement), following ceremonies yesterday at Waahi Paa marae in Huntly, about 15km to the north.
Six days of events are scheduled for Ngaruawahia, culminating in the first public speech by the new Maori monarch, King Tuheitia, on the anniversary of his accession to the throne.
The king's Tainui iwi yesterday hosted an estimated 1000 visitors to Waahi Paa marae to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of the King's mother, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, who had been Maori Queen for 40 years.
Among the visitors were several Maori leaders, royal family representatives from the South Pacific, and Prime Minister Helen Clark.
Miss Clark was also given the honour of unveiling a plaque to the Maori Queen at a memorial garden planted in her honour at Waahi Paa, the queen's personal marae retreat.
Speaking at the ceremony at which the memorial garden plaque was unveiled, Miss Clark said Dame Te Ata's reign had been momentous and her tangi at Turangawaewae Marae last year at which 100,000 people attended had been a great occasion of togetherness.
"Her life and contribution was remarkable in so many ways," Miss Clark said.
"Throughout her life Te Arikinui sought to bring us together. She stood for unity and diversity and for mutual respect between us, and so it was highly appropriate and significant and a tribute to her whole life that her passing also brought us together and continues to bring us together."

For the full story see http://www.stuff.co.nz/4166890a8153.html#Scene_1

Wikipedia also has a short biography of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Atairangi_Kaahu

Ka kite ano

Love them or hate them....

.. most of us read them, listen to them or watch them. We rely on journalists to tell us the news and trust them to report it accurately and honestly through the papers, magazines, television, radio and now the internet.

Journalists gathered last weekend for a conference last weekend in Wellington entitled "Journalism Matters". With their usual wit and way with words, many attendees have commented on the sessions, which makes interesting reading for followers of the Fourth Estate.

One of the key note speakers was Chris Warren, the former President of the International Federation of Journalists, and currently representing the journalists of Australia. The text of his speech can be found at http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00165.htm

Online magazine getfrank calls itself "a no BS, spin-free alternative to other mens' publications in the New Zealand marketplace. Think of getfrank as an online lifestyle magazine with a strong business & political focus, somewhere in the realm of Arena or Details meeting the Economist for lunch and Vanity Fair for dinner, all with a sense of humour. This online site has a particularly entertaining report at http://www.getfrank.co.nz/journalism-matters.html

The Pacific Media Centre site which is run by AUT students also has some great comment on the weekends events. Link through to that at http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/niusbeat/070812_OM-MakingPublic.shtml

Ka kite ano

Baby giraffe named

Auckland Zoo's baby giraffe has finally got a name. She will be called Ntombi, meaning 'girl' or 'lady' in Zulu. For more information and a cute picture go here.

Librarians Top Books

Time for the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa to select their top books for 2007.

An announcement from LIANZA - Library Life


LIANZA Children’s Book Awards 2007

It’s that time of year again; time to announce the shortlist for the LIANZA Children’s Book Awards 2007. This year’s judges have had their work cut out for them. Over 80 entries were received from publishers large and small for all four awards. Along with titles nominated by the judges, these then had to be whittled down by the two panels (one for Te Kura Pounamu and one for the English language awards) to create a shortlist of five titles per award. They have tackled this task with great enthusiasm and created an exciting shortlist that features the best of New Zealand children’s literature from 2006. These awards are an excellent opportunity for the library profession to recognise the recent work of New Zealand’s children’s authors and illustrators.



This year 24 outstanding new titles for children and young people by New Zealand authors and illustrators are featured, including one series. The judges were very impressed by the high standard of many of the entries, especially in the area of fiction, where a few tough choices had to be made. This resulted in six titles being shortlisted for the Esther Glen Award for fiction.



The two judging panels were:

Te Kura Pounamu Award Panel: Alice Heather (Convener) Raewyn Paewai Eddie Neha

The Esther Glen, Elsie Locke, and Russell Clark Awards Panel: Bob Docherty (Convener)Katherine Chisholm Helen O’Carroll



The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Rotorua on 11 September 2007 as part of the LIANZA annual conference. The shortlisted titles for the LIANZA Children’s Book Awards 2007 are:



The Ester Glen Medal

This award for fiction was established in 1945 to commemorate the work of Esther Glen: author, editor and highly regarded journalist.

* The Whizbanger that Emmental Built by Reuben Schwarz (Puffin Books)

*Genesis: A Novel by Bernard Beckett (Longacre Press)

*Face It by Denis Martin (Puffin Books)

*Thor's Tale: Endurance & Adventure in the Southern Ocean by Janice Marriott (HarperCollins)

*The Assassin of Gleam by James Norcliffe (Hazard Press)

* Billy: A Lolly Leopold Story by Kate de Goldi (Trapeze)



The Elsie Locke Award

Previously known as the LIANZA Young People’s Non-fiction Award, this award was renamed after receipt of a generous bequest in 2001 in memory of Elsie Locke: writer, historian, and leader in peace movements and women’s affairs.

* Winging it!: The Adventures of Tim Wallis by Neville Peat (Longacre Press)

*Red Haze: Australians & New Zealanders in Vietnam by Leon Davidson (Black Dog Books)

*Birds-Eye View: Through the Eyes of New Zealand Birds by Maria Gill (Puffin Books)

*Illustrated History of the South Pacific by Marcia Stenson (Random House)

*Nature Kids: Kakapo by Rod Morris (Reed Children’s Books)



The Russell Clark Award

This award for excellence in children’s book illustration was named for renowned New Zealand illustrator Russell Clark. It was first awarded in 1975.

*Three Fishing Brothers Gruff by Ben Galbraith (Hodder Children’s Books)

* Kiss Kiss Yuck Yuck by Kyle Mewburn, illustrated by Ali Teo & John O'Reilly (Scholastic)

* Greedy Cat and Sneeze by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Robyn Belton (Scholastic)

* Shut the Gate by Elizabeth Pulford, illustrated by Jenny Cooper (Scholastic)

* Riding the Waves: Four Maori Myths written and illustrated by Gavin Bishop (Random House)



Te Kura Pounamu

This award goes to a book that is considered to be a distinguished contribution to literature for children or young people in te reo Māori and promotes excellence of library resources in Māori.

It was first awarded in 1995.

* Matatuhi by Robyn Kahukiwa, translated by Kiwa Hammond (Puffin Books)

* Rēkohu, taku kāinga e by Hannah Rainforth (Huia)

* Whakaeke i ngā ngaru by Gavin Bishop, translated by Katerina Te Heikōkō Mataira (Random)

* Tēnei Mea te Pōhā Tītī by Graham Metzger and Hana Pōmare (H.A.N.A. Ltd)

* Te Tui by Sue Corkill and Te Huirangi Waikerepuru; Te Pūkeko by Eriata Nopera and Te Huirangi Waikerepuru; Te Kererū by Sue Corkill and Te Huirangi Waikerepuru; and Te Tīrairaka by Sue Corkill, Niwa Short, and Te Huirangi Waikerepuru (Series) (Huia)

International Left-handers day

Happy left-handers day! This is a day to celebrate everything left-handed.

Left-handed people face a number of challenges in a right-handed world. Thread has an interesting article here.

There is a more personal reason for being grateful that you're left-handed here (from the Listener.)

The official website is here.

You can even buy products focused on the specific needs of left-handed people here.

Are you left-handed? What challenges do you face?

Storm Stories

How did you fare in the storm last month? Do you have a story to tell?

Rodney residents and ratepayers affected by the storms on July 10th are invited to share their stories and photos, so that the Rodney Libraries can compile a historical record for our local history collection.

The storm, the loss of power and phone, the damage, and the cleanup affected many in the district. We already know this from the number of people who have come into the libraries around Rodney to talk to the librarians and use our resources to keep in touch with people, or up to date with the latest news.

We would like to hear about it all. From the retrieval of board games from the top of the wardrobe to play by candlelight, to the sound of chainsaws and machinery in the clean up during the following week. From the work of the many volunteers to the concern of the neighbour next door.

People can bring their contributions to their local library until the end of September, when they will be put on display, then collated, catalogued and stored in a special historical collection for future generations. We look forward to hearing your stories, and some of them may even make it as far as the blog.

e-resources page now searchable by subject

When you click on the e-resources tab you'll notice that they are now displaying under subject headings. Databases can be listed under more than one heading.

The broad groupings are

• Arts, music and literature
• Business
• Encyclopedias & dictionaries
• Funding
• Health, science & technology
• History & genealogy
• Magazines & Newspapers
• New Zealand
• People and society
• Student

If you'd prefer to look at them alphabetically use the e-resources A-Z. This page also includes a short description of what each database includes.

Man Booker Longlist

The judges for the 2007 Man Booker Prize for Fiction announce their longlist of books in the running for the prize this year.

This longlist of 13 books, the ‘Man Booker Dozen’, was chosen from 110 entries; 92 were submitted for the prize and 18 were called in by the judges.

The longlist is:
Darkmans by Nicola Barker (4th Estate)
Self Help by Edward Docx (Picador)
The Gift Of Rain by Tan Twan Eng (Myrmidon)
The Gathering by Anne Enright (Jonathan Cape)
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid (Hamish Hamilton)
The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies (Sceptre)
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (John Murray)
Gifted by Nikita Lalwani (Viking)
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape)
What Was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn (Tindal Street)
Consolation by Michael Redhill (William Heinemann)
Animal’s People by Indra Sinha (Simon & Schuster)
Winnie & Wolf by A.N.Wilson (Hutchinson)

Chair of judges, Howard Davies, comments:
“This year’s longlist is very diverse, with four first time novelists as well as some more familiar names. All the books chosen are well-crafted and will appeal to a wide readership.”

"Eagle's complete trees and shrubs of New Zealand "

Montana Medal for Non-fiction and Illustrative award winning book "Eagle's complete trees and shrubs of New Zealand" by Audrey Eagle is available in the reference section of your library.

"Every known New Zealand tree and shrub is accurately painted by the celebrated botanical illustrator Audrey Eagle. This new edition brings together Eagle's botanical artworks from her award winning 1975 and 1983 publications with over one hundred and seventy new paintings to depict every presently known native tree and shrub in New Zealand. Painted from live specimens, every plant is depicted at life-size in technically superb detail, and many include detailed enlargements showing all aspects of the leaves, flowers and fruit. Each painting is accompanied with comprehensive notes on a facing page. Written in consultation with expert botanists, these provide accurate and up-to-date descriptions of each plant, including notes on its habitat, distribution, nomenclature and more"

Have a look online - local conservation websites

Auckland Regional Council "The purpose of the Auckland Regional Council (ARC) is to enable democratic local decision making to promote the social, economic, environmental and cultural well being of the Auckland region in the present and for the future. " (From 'Local Governance statment 2005'.)

Department of Conservation "The Department of Conservation is the central government organisation charged with conserving the natural and historic heritage of New Zealand on behalf of and for the benefit of present and future New Zealanders.
Its mission is "to conserve New Zealand's natural and historic heritage for all to enjoy now and in the future" (From 'About DOC'.)

Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society "The Society's mission is to preserve and protect the native plants and animals and natural features of New Zealand. Forest and Bird is active on a wide range of conservation and environmental issues." (From 'About us'.)

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc "Tiritiri Matangi was gazetted as an open Scientific Reserve in 1980. Island sanctuaries help to ensure the survival of many rare and endangered plant and animal species. They are especially valuable because they are easier to keep free of predators than mainland islands." (From 'About the Island'.)

Tawharanui Open Sanctuary Society Inc. (TOSSI) "A comprehensive ecological restoration programme is underway to transform Tawharanui Regional Park into New Zealand's first integrated open sanctuary (a 'mainland island') where farming, public recreation and conservation of native species will combine. The Tawharanui Open Sanctuary Society Inc (TOSSI) is a non-profit group formed to support this project through volunteer work, fund-raising and other activities. It is working in partnership with the ARC to realise the longer term vision for the Tawharanui Open Sanctuary." (From website homepage)

65 Roses for CF

As well as being Conservation Week, this week is also Cystic Fibrosis Awareness week.

The Breath for CF website explains "Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is New Zealand's most common life threatening genetic condition; Sadly CF significantly shortens the lives of children born with it, however medical advice is unanimous, people with CF can stay healthier for longer by participating in physical exercise from an early age."

And where do the 65 roses come in? From the Cystic Fibrosis Association fo New Zealand site..
"65 Roses is what some children with CF call their disease because the words are much easier for them to pronounce. Mary G. Weiss became a volunteer for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation USA in 1965 after learning that her three little boys had CF. Her duty was to call every civic club, social and service organization seeking financial support for CF research. Mary's 4-year old son, Richard, listened closely to his mother as she made each call. After several calls, Richard came into the room and told his Mom, "I know what you are working for." Mary was dumbstruck because Richard did not know what she was doing, nor did he know that he had Cystic Fibrosis. With some trepidation, Mary posed the question,"What am I working for, Richard?""You are working for 65 Roses," he answered so sweetly. Mary was speechless. She went over to him and tenderly pressed his body to hers. He could not see the tears running down Mary's cheeks as she stammered,"Yes Richard, I'm working for 65 Roses." For 39 years, sixty-five roses has been used by children of all ages to describe their disease. But making it easier to say, does not make CF any easier to live with. The 65 Roses story has captured the hearts and emotions of all who have heard it. The rose, appropriately the ancient symbol of love, has become a symbol of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Associations worldwide."

Rodney Libraries have books about this disease if you want to learn more. Check out the medical section of the library under reference 616.3. Or read about the inspirational Tracey Richardson who has two children with the disease and became an ironman to raise awareness. Her book "Going the Distance" can be found in our biography section 920.

These two New Zealand websites can also tell you more.

http://www.cfnz.org.nz/index.php

http://www.breath4cf.co.nz/

Get involved in Conservation Week

Conservation Week celebrations this year (6th to 12th August) are focusing on outdoor recreation and the range of things New Zealanders can do to get out and enjoy their beautiful country. You don't have to be a hardened tramper to reap the benefits of the great outdoors. There are heaps of easy tracks and walks and interesting places and sites to visit. And you may be surprised to discover many of them are just down the road.
Get out there and enjoy the following local FREE ACTIVITIES, something for everyone, from a tramp to a gentle ramble or stream study…

FREE GUIDED WALKS to celebrate Conservation week
Mt Auckland/ Atuanui (Kaipara)
Sunday August 12th Meet 9.30am at the Kaipara Hills Rd entrance, 3km up the road from Glorit
Visit this beautiful forest of regenerating kauri forest with the Kaipara Forest and Bird. Great views over the Kaipara and Hoteo estuary. This is also the site of a F&B restoration project. As this is officially a "back country tramp" participants need to bring wet weather gear and warm clothing in case the conditions worsen. Tramping boots or similar waterproof footwear, are essential. Lunch and drinks are also necessary.
The walk will take about 5 hours, returning about 2.30-3pm. For further information contact Chris Bindon 09 833 6363.

August Evening Talks: ANIMAL PESTS
Practical monitoring and control of Animal Pests
Thursday 16th August at 7pm Catholic Church Hall, Warkworth
Plagued by this little fella? This one evening is perfect for you. Don’t miss it! Dave Galloway and Rebecca Kemp form the ARC will be speaking about how to control animal pests on your property - eg stoats, rats, possums and hedgehogs (yes these are pests!). This may be followed by a workshop in September if there is demand to learn some practical skills.
Organised by the Mid North Forest and Bird. For further information contact Warwick Massey 09 425 9246

August Evening Talks: SAVING THE KIWI
How our national icon is being saved from extinction
Thursday 23rd August at 7.30pm Presbyterian Church Hall, Orewa
Michelle Impey from the BNZ Save the Kiwi Trust will be talking about the plight of kiwi and what is being done nationally to save these iconic birds. For further information contact Phillip Wrigley 09 427 8996

However, if the weather gets too bad to go out, you can still plan future adventures by checking out the selection of books on tramping and cycling tracks around New Zealand at your local library. Check our non-fiction shelves under New Zealand travel (919.3) or outdoor sports (796.5). If you can't find what you are looking for, all you have to do is ask and one of the librarians will be happy to help you.

Poetry Fortnight ends

The Poetry fortnight celebrated by Rodney Libraries finishes this weekend, so if you haven't seen the poetry walls at your local library, you still have a couple of days left. We have heard that there are some loaded walls around the district. Wellsford and Mahurangi East both held poetry reading events. Maybe we can get some of the original poems sent through to us to post on the blog next week.

In the meantime, you will just have to be satisfied with an old favourite of mine from my University days.

CONUNDRUMS

Tell me a word that you've often heard,
Yet it makes you squint if you see it in print!

Tell me a thing that you've often seen,
Yet if put in a book, it makes you turn green!

Tell me a thing that you often do,
Which, described in a story shocks you through and through!

Tell me what's wrong with words or with you
That you don't mind the thing
Yet the name is taboo.

D.H. Lawrence.

Which just goes to prove, that some things were retained in my brain from those days of study so long ago. Have a good weekend everyone.

Ka kite ano

Looking behind the News

The stories and pictures we see, read about and hear about every day on television, radio and in newspapers are often just the tip of the iceberg. In order to better understand the world we live in, libraries can provide background and interesting facts about events.

The subject of disasters is something that is often sought in the library for both study and recreational reading. Information on bridges (and other man made miracles) can also be supplied from both books and via the internet. New Zealand has had it's share of bridge failures from those farm and army built to the Tangiwai rail bridge.

For more information look at these resources.

The creation of bridges : from vision to reality -- the ultimate challenge of architecture, design and distance / David Bennett.

Bridging the gap : early bridges in New Zealand 1830-1939 / Geoffrey Thornton.

Seven Wonders of the Industrial World - DVD produced by the BBC

and check out some of these internet sites:

The Department of Conservation website
http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/page.aspx?id=34006

How Stuff Works homepage on bridges
http://www.howstuffworks.com/bridge.htm

And for a website on Bridge collapses around the world (including the incredible footage of a bridge known as "Galloping Gertie") check out this site
www.ketchum.org/bridgecollapse.html

The tragedy in Minneapolis yesterday with the collapse of the bridge, injury and loss of life will be devastating to many and our thoughts go out to those involved.

Rodney Libraries has a new Star

There is a new star in the Rodney Libraries team. A bright yellow smiley one!

The Rodney Storytime Star character made it's first appearance at Warkworth storytime this morning to an excited reaction from it's young audience. The Star stayed long enough to enjoy a couple of dances and songs with the children, and shake a few hands before waving goodbye.

Rodney Libraries run storytime and rhymetime sessions around the district for pre-schoolers. They are a popular meeting place for children and their caregivers with the combination of stories, rhymes, fingerplays and action songs. We have several aims in running these sessions.
They are designed to support the development of language skills in the very young, provide a model for parents in how to engage their child in reading and literacy, and to instil a love of reading, books and libraries in those who attend.

You can find these storytimes around the district at these times:

Helensville
Storytime Mondays 10.30 am
Kumeu
Storytime Mondays 10.30 am
Mahurangi East
Storytime Tuesdays 10.30 am
Orewa
Rhymetime Tuesdays 11.o0 am
Storytime Thursdays 11.00 am
Warkworth
Storytimes Mondays and Thursdays 10.30 am
Wellsford
Storytime Wednesdays 10.30 am
Whangaparaoa
Storytimes Tuesdays and Wednesdays 11.00 am
Rhymetime Thursdays 11.00 am
Whangaparaoa also host a special Japanese storytime on Mondays at 10.30 am

Check them out soon, as our new Star will be travellilng around and visiting all the libraries some times soon.

Mister Pip

Having already won the Commonwealth Writers Prize 2007 and the Montana Medal for Fiction or Poetry at the Montana Book Awards, word on the street is that it could be up for the Man Booker. The longlist will be announced in August with the shortlist finalised in September.



"Mister Pip" by Lloyd Jones.
Mister Pip is a love story, a story about the meaning of names and the power of words. It is about growing up, survival and the search for clues to make sense of life. Thirteen year old Matilda lives with her mother on the Pacific island of Bougainville, which suddenly becomes a violent place: Rebels want the copper mine, which is poisoning their island, to close. They are trying to drive the redskin army, enemies from neighbouring Papua New Guinea, into the sea. The abandoned schoolhouse is overgrown with jungle. In this troubled world, Mr Watts decides he will open the school once more, and read 'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens aloud to his students, a chapter a day. Stories flourish on the island. While the lives of Pip and Magwitch and other characters from 'Great Expectations' are transformed in their new tropical setting, the locals come to the schoolhouse to tell their own tales, about the meaning of the colour blue, about broken dreams, black birds, devil women and a dozen other subjects. In Matilda's eyes, Pip is as real as any living person. He has become her friend. She writes his name in the sand and decorates it with shells. That's where the redskin soldiers see it, and decide they must track this stranger down. Who is this Mr Pip? The search to find him will have devastating consequences for Matilda, Mr Watts and the entire village. Matilda may never stop looking for him.