Back to School

The 2011 school year has kicked off. I know this for several reasons:

• the uniformed children (some tidier than others) gathered at the top of my road as I leave for work in the morning
• the school buses I have to follow to work every morning
• the traffic jam that has suddenly sprung up again every morning at the notorious Hill Street intersection (those around Warkworth will know what I am talking about)
• the sense of peace and tranquility (almost resembling...a library) in the Warkworth Library until 3pm every day

After 3pm every day we kick into high gear as children of all ages come into the library (with or without parents) and hit the shelves or the internet (hopefully for homework purposes). So I thought it was the right time to provide the A-B-C of finding what you want in the library.

A - ASK. Simple isn't it. The easiest way to find the information you want is simply to ask the librarian (we all have name tags so we are reasonably easy to find). We can not only show you where items are but also how to use our catalogues, how books are shelves and even some great Internet resources only library members can access.

B - BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE. Talk to an online Librarian at AnyQuestions.co.nz. That's Real Time, Real people and Real help by specially trained librarians who can help you find the information online if you can't make it into the library. As well as logging in for online help, there are also tips here for both students and their parents on how to do research.

C - CHILL. We are not just about homework. If you are just looking for a book to read to relax, how to pull the latest skateboard move, music to listen to or a DVD to watch - we have those to. And we can order in items from any of the 55 Auckland libraries at no charge. If you are doing NCEA English and want to get your credits for Wide-Reading we can help with that as well as our librarians know which books have won awards, are about different cultures and which fit the criteria.

We are here to help, so come into your local library and have a look around. If you haven't been for a while (or before) you might be surprised by what you find.