We are Sailing!

The Volvo Ocean Race – previously known as the Whitbread Round the World Race – has arrived in Auckland. Six of the world's fastest monohulls, including top contender Emirates Team New Zealand entry CAMPER (pictured) , have been racing since October last year, tackling a nine month marathon around the globe, deep into the bleak latitudes of the Southern Ocean and through the world’s most hostile seas. And you get the chance to check them out between now and the 18th of March when they take off again on the next leg of the trip to Brazil. Before they leave they will be competing in a couple of short races in Auckland Harbour.

For more information on the stopover check out the official website.

If you don't get the chance to get down to the Viaduct to check out this year's entries, you can always relive the past by checking out the books and other resources at Auckland Libraries on the Whitbread and some of our best boats.

Or maybe you have a dream of competing in the future. Check out our sailing and yachting resources to help you be the best you can be.

And as for me, I have tried sailing a couple of times and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would like to do more. But the sort of things these guys get up to in the oceans is a little too rough for me. While I like the wind to fill the sails, I like somewhat calmer waters than I see on the TV coverage. I take my hat off to you.

Kia Kaha Christchurch - One Year On.

"Absolutely dumbstruck. As one of my colleagues said "I half expect the whole world to stop, stunned like I am...". I think for me it was probably made worse because when I think of disasters like this, I think of other places. After all, we have all seen the documentaries of the volcanoes blowing in Auckland, and Wellington being rocked by an earthquake. But even after September and Boxing Day, as bad as that was, I never really thought that Christchurch would be struck and devastated like it was yesterday. The images are more powerful than the words and I can't imagine how it must feel down there after a long cold wet and empty night. As someone else said "Give them a break - How much more can they take".

That was my blog a year ago after the devastating earthquake on 22 February in Christchurch. I look at it today and my feelings are still the same... Give them a break!!

Over the past year much has been spoken and written and photographed and debated and drawn as the city continues to shake. Lives have been lost and changed beyond recognition. I now work beside colleagues who have relocated from the city and who still have family there. For them Christchurch will always be home, but some of it is unrecognisable to them still.

And over the past twelve months Auckland Libraries has gathered a selection of resources on Christchurch before and after (which is a phrase you never want to see). A simple keyword search for Christchurch Earthquake brings up results of books published from scientific evaluations and pictorials to picture books and personal narratives.

Today I will be wearing red and black for Canterbury and taking a moment to remember all those affected by 22/2.

A Special Monday

Yes it is Labour Day. Yes I am at home and finally awake after a fantastic night. But I just wanted to say...

We can do it with speed and skill.
We can do it with strength and guts.
We can do it loose or tight.
We can do it ugly or pretty.
We can do it by many points or we can do it by one.
We can and have done it all ways.
You had faith and so did we.
You are a team of champions and a Champion team
You make us feel like champions too.
ALL BLACKS - We salute you!
Enjoy !!!!

On the rocks

Once upon a time stories of shipwrecks and vessels in trouble was confined to the pages of the history books, with pirates and castaways struggling through heavily romanticised fiction to a happy (usually) ending. Pilgrims to far off lands sometimes managed to safely set foot in new worlds, while for others, the only things that made it to shore were the snapped timbers of boats that didn't make it into safe harbours. New Zealand coasts have many stories to tell of ships that didn't make it across some of the infamous bars guarding our harbours. And people can understand how a storm can create tragedy for those on the high seas, such as the sinking of the Wahine.

But a calm sunny day on the east coast of New Zealand just out from some of most pristine beaches is a strange place for the latest maritime tragedy to unfold. However the unfolding disaster of the cargo ship Rena will place it near the top of what some in Aotearoa must be thinking of as our very own "Annus Horribilis".

To find out more about Shipwrecks in New Zealand visit the link for a subject search here.
To find out more about what the authorities can (or might) be doing to mitigate the effects of the current disaster, here are the results of a keyword search on oil pollution

And to investigate the effects of oil pollution on wildlife, try this recently released non-fiction title from the Gulf of Mexico explosion. The tarball chronicles : a journey beyond the oiled pelican and into the heart of the gulf oil spill / David Gessner tells a story that extends beyond the archetypal oil-soaked pelican, beyond politics, beyond BP. Instead he explores the ecosystem of the Gulf as a complicated whole and focuses on the people whose lives and livelihoods have been jeopardized by the spill. He reintroduces this oil spill as a template for so many man-made disasters and the long-term consequences they pose for ecosystems and communities.

Top 5 for Friday - Go the Warriors

There can be only one topic on the Top 5 today and although it involves an oval ball, it does not centre around the world tournament currently taking place in New Zealand. Today's Top 5 is in celebration of the New Zealand Vodafone Warriors taking on the Manly Sea Eagles in the NRL Grand Final on Sunday. To top it off, the curtain raiser is between the Vodafone Junior Warriors and the North Queensland Cowboys, as well as the NSW Cup Grand Final between the Auckland Vulcans and the Canterbury Bulldogs. So here are a sprinkling to get you in the modd for Sunday.

1. Warrior nation : a celebration of 15 years of the Warriors / John Matheson. Going back to where it all began and tracing the highs (and lows) in the history of the Warriors. Original interviews, along with accounts from former players, coaches and CEOs, make Warrior nation a compelling read for any New Zealand sports fan as the fortunes of the club's 15-year history are spun together for the first time." -- Front flap.


2. The mighty Warriors [DVD videorecording] : [New Zealand's sporting heroes]. if you prefer your history visual, check this out. The Warriors hold the unique position of being the only NRL club to represent an entire country. The Warriors are recognised as future Premier contenders by everyone who sees them play. A profile of this powerhouse League performer, and players past and present, whose massive strength on the field contribute to the bone-crunching mix called the mighty Warriors! - catalogue summary. I particular like the bit about being "future Premier contenders".


3. The Players. When it came to picking a biography of one of the current or past Warriors (or any Kiwi league hero), I just couldn't do it. There are just too many quality bio's out there. In no particular order, here are a few I have either read or considered in the past. Tawerau Nikau (inspirational), Steve Price (leader), Stacey Jones (sparkling), Dean Bell, Ruben Wiki, Monty Betham....


4. The Kiwis : 100 years of international rugby league / John Coffey and Bernie Wood. Anecdotes, history, photographs, statistics. It's all here in one volume.


5. What a ride, mate! : the life and times of the Mad Butcher / Peter Leitch with Phil Gifford. Pride of place in today's Top 5 has to go to Sir Peter Leitch. Peter Leitch, aka the mad Butcher, is a legend in his own lifetime, a larger than life character who left school at 15 and went on to build a nationwide chain of successful butcher shops and a reputation as a foul mouthed league supporter with a heart of gold. They broke the mould after they made this one.

Go the Warriors - Keep the Faith!!

Saving Daylight

First up let me say, I am a BIG fan of daylight saving. I look forward to those lovely long summer evenings filled with family and friends and relaxing in the outdoors rather than snuggled under a blanket watching the All Blacks beat France on a cold spring night (although that has it's attraction).

What I detest is the first week (or so) of the change. I can (almost) cope with changing all the different electronic appliances in my house over to the new time. The time piece I have the most trouble with is my own body clock. Crawling out of bed this morning was just a little harder than normal. I just have to keep telling myself that it will get better if I persevere.

Just for fun I did a keyword search for Daylight Saving in the library catalogue. It's amazing what it turned up.

Seize the daylight: the curious and contentious story of daylight saving time / David Prerau. The author weaves a tale of science, history, and politics - a story grand enough to involve luminaries such as Ben Franklin, Winston Churchill, and FDR, but personal enough to revolve around railroad conductors and schoolchildren waiting at bus stops on dark mornings - all about the simple act of setting the clock forward an hour in the spring and back an hour in the fall (publisher's summary).

Saving the daylight : why we put the clocks forward / David Prerau. The same author gives us another title. For several months every year, for better or worse, daylight saving time affects billions of people throughout the world. Every spring, the clocks go forward, and every autumn they go back. And for centuries this has been the subject of recurring controversy. Saving the Daylight explores for the first time the contentious and surprisingly entertaining story of this deceptively simple atempt to regulate the sunlight hours

And if that is all too profound for you, the other thing that turned up when I did the search was Brooke Fraser's album What to do with daylight which is much more my scene.

Have a great day all.

Top 5 for Friday - This Girl's Guide to Yelling at the TV during the Rugby

I admit it. People around the neighbourhood will probably always know when I am at home and watching a really exciting game of rugby (or netball, or league, or....). A certain amount of shouting goes on and even my poor cats now know that lying on my lap during a game in progress will not get them a relaxing sleep.

As a netball umpire, I will also be the first to admit that it is far easier to umpire (or ref as we are talking rugby) a game from the comfort of your own lounge. However, that doesn't stop me becoming extremely vocal if I think things are going wrong. And I do have quite a few years as a rugby supporter under my belt to back me up. I think I once won a bet in a pub when I named the 1978 Grand Slam All Blacks faster than a certain member of the male gender (remember that was the year when Andy Haden fell... I mean was pushed out of the lineout in Cardiff). So I think I have the right to yell the odd thing at the TV during a game.

To help less experienced readers of this blog, here are a few ideas of books you can pick up at the Library so that you can hold a conversation during a game, get involved in the passion and stamp your feet in the grandstand at the right moments.

1. Rugby Speak: The essential Kiwi guide (Justin Brown). With the help of this book you will be able to yell instructions with the best of them. "Drive", "Support" and "hospital pass" will all be explained, as well as "Smash em" in several different languages.


2. Having a Ball: A cartoon history of New Zealand rugby (Ian F. Grant). This small volume looks at the All Blacks triumphs and disasters. From our award winning cartoonists the entries are funny, perceptive and often too close to the truth in a way that only these commentators can manage.


3. Four More Years (Graham Hutchins). Rugby World Cup trivia gathered just in time for the latest instalment. Great for the quiz buffs, and like the first entries, easy to pick up and put down.


4. All Blacks Don't Cry (John Kirwan). It's the Japan vs All Blacks game tonight so it is appropriate to include this book by one of our best ever wingers, who is now the coach of the Brave Blossoms (that's the Japanese rugby team). This is not strictly a rugby book but a story of the player's battle with depression and some tips on how he fought it. His earlier autobiography Running on Instinct also touches on this battle but goes into much more detail about his rugby career.


5. The All Blackography: the indispensible guide to every All Black (Ron Palenski editor). From Ali Williams to Zinzan Brooke and everyone inbetween who has worn the Black jersey. Whether it was one game or many, they are all in here from the very beginnings of All Black history.

If you want to hunt out more on All Black history, try a subject search for All Blacks

If you are looking for a biography on a certain player it gets a little more difficult. Try Rugby Union Football Players and then choose your country.

Personally this weekend, I am looking for wins by the All Blacks (of course) and my second team Samoa over Wales. It would be great if Ireland could get up over Australia and I don't think they will be lacking support in the stands - that will be a great game. Have a great and safe weekend everyone.

What a week

Bad blogger - Bad bad blogger. The fact that I have the voice of a frog and a broken finger is no excuse for the distinct lack of blogging last week... BUT what a week it was! Fantastic weather and fireworks. Lots of visitors to Aotearoa. Wonderful sport (no walkovers) but bad traffic. And the tenth anniversary or 9/11 to bring a more sombre note to the weekend.

Rugby World Cup Events. Check out this page on our libraries website for displays and event information during the Wolrd Cup.

Auckland Libraries. For all those visitors to Auckland (and some of the locals), why not check out what's on offer at the library. From free wifi and community spaces, to some wonderful exhibitions and displays of books and other items held by the library. There are over 50 locations araound Auckland that you can find us.

Auckland Council website. For more information on services and attractions around Auckland, check out the Council website.

I heard a young boy on talkback last night asking why we called it the 10th "anniversary" of 9/11 as to him anniversary was a celebratory word and it felt wrong. He had a point but I can't think of how else to put it. We mourn the dead and the death of innocence that day, but at the same time we do celebrate something - the bravery of those who worked to save and rescue, and those who were left behind.

Ka kite.

R.I.P. Sir Paul Reeves

The State funeral was held today for a man of much mana. Sir Paul Reeves passed away over the weekend and the sincerity of the tributes that are being paid to him are revealing as to the heart of the man and his standing, not just in New Zealand, but internationally.

A keyword search in the Auckland catalogue Reeves, Sir Paul. The most interesting to me would be the Replay Radio interview and the biography of his wife Beverley Playing the part.

A wealth of information about Sir Paul, his life and his thoughts can be found through the Libraries Digital Resources, especially such databases as The KNowledge Basket and Matapihi.

He tangata kii tahi
A man who speaks once

RIP

Who do YOU trust?

Trust. It's a simple little five letter word but there is so much to it both in everyday life and again on a much deeper level. Is trust believing everything you hear, everything you read? Do you need to see the evidence? Or is it a gut instinct? Maybe (if you are anything like me) it depends on the circumstances. You want to believe what people tell you, but sometimes you take that with the proverbial "grain of salt".

The reason for this discussion is the publication of the seventh annual Reader's Digest Most Trusted list. It makes interesting reading and in some respects ties into the whole concept of trust and needing to have people prove or provide evidence that they can be trusted. Because several of the most trusted people on this year's list are those that look for evidence and proof. They are the scientists and they rank as first, second and third most trusted Kiwi's in 2011.

New Zealand's most trusted man is Sir Ray Avery. You can find out more about him in his very popular biography Rebel with a Cause published in 2010. Ray Avery is an amazing person. He is the current New Zealander of the Year because of his clever work in the Third World using his scientific and business knowledge to provide cheap cataract operations, cheap and more effective incubators for babies and other creative scientific solutions. His childhood was very 'Angela's Ashes', brought up in an orphanage (his own mother had tried to sell him!), then running away and living on the streets. But Ray went on to become a scientist, a millionaire, a very successful businessman and now someone who literally does help to change the world. During the mid nineties Ray spent most of his time working in Eritrea and Nepal, setting up two world class intraocular lens laboratories. At that time the cost of an intraocular lenses was about US$300 but Ray managed to put the technology together to produce lenses for under US$10.00, making modern cataract surgery accessible to the poor throughout Africa and Asia.Today these laboratories produce over 10% of the world's supply of intraocular lenses. Today he encourages other talented people to get on board and tackle some of the really big problems confronting the poor in developing countries. From his garage in Mt Eden Auckland Ray manages a global network of experts to work on specific projects and somehow everyone finds themselves donating their time and knowledge for free and they are rewarded by making a difference" --Publisher description.

Number 2 on the list is Sir Peter Gluckman, the Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister. He is the author or co-author of several books held by Auckland Libraries including Mismatch - Why our lives no longer fit our bodies. He has also recently produced, at the request of the Prime Minister, a comprehensive piece of research into youth and looking at factors affecting the high rate of suicide amongst Kiwi teenagers and possible ways to prevent this.

Making it a trifecta for the scientists is number 3 on the list, current New Zealander of the Year, Sir Paul Callaghan. He is a physicist who is also author and editor of several titles on our shelves. Amongst the most intriguing is As far as we know : conversations about science, life and the universe As Far As We Know answers some of the oldest and most perplexing questions that have been posed about science - from what existed before the Big Bang to the rise of Homo sapiens. In their discussions, Kim Hill and Paul Callaghan consider some of the most momentous concepts of our time and in the process make science understandable, and, above all, entertaining and interesting. Reading this may go some way to also answering the question as to why we are ranking scientists so highly in the trustworthy stakes.

There are a fair smattering of entertainers, sportspeople, heroes and celebrities in the list. Politicians don't fare so well this year. The full list of the Top 100 people is on the Reader's Digest website (which contains lots of other interesting information). If you want to do your own research into whether you think the list is right (or wrong) then check out the biography section at your local library or one of our digital resources.

Is it really the end of the story?

Osama bin Laden is dead. The figurehead to many of us of all things bad and evil about the world has passed into whatever afterlife awaits him. It is the end of a chapter, but is probably not the end of the book. Why do I feel this way? Probably because I find the reaction to his death somewhat unsettling. I can't stress enought how I abhor the actions of and inspired by Osama bin Laden, the terrorist attacks of September 11 and subsequent warfare. However while on the one hand I can understand the jubilation and reaction, especially of those in America who were directly affected by tragedy, I found the scenes just too reminiscent of those many dislike and rant against from the extremists in Islamic countries. In the tit-for-tat world of punch and counter-punch, I doubt the tale of terrorism will end with Osama bin Laden's death. However that's just my personal opinion.

How did we get to this point? If sometimes the events get muddled in your mind head into your local library and grab one of the many books and other resources to help you get a fix on where it all started. Here are a few examples.

Osama bin Laden A keyword search in our catalogue results in almost 200 resources including biographies of the man, his family and how he became leader of Al Queda.

Terrorism There are thousands of resources ranging from children's non-fiction to adult, books to DVD's and also our digital resources, explaining terrorism and it's effect on the world we live in.

Islam When many people in the world think of the Islamic religion they think of extremists and the acts of terrorists. But the reality is that this is definitely not true of all Muslims. To give yourself a more balanced view, have a look at one of these resources.

September 11 For many of us where this all really began. The event and how it has impacted the years since can be found in the resources at this link.

Peace The eternal optimist in me is the reason why I have included this link to resources in the library. If the power of the words and pictures in some of these books can help make a difference then there is worth in the place of libraries in society for sharing them with you.

From the words of a 14 year old Yugoslav boy (and the title of a book reviewed for Anzac Day on this blog) I dream of Peace

Top 5 for Friday - Earthquakes

Today's Top Five comes to you courtesy of one of my Auckland Libraries colleagues Tosca, who posted the following list on the Manukau Libraries Top 5 Blog on Wednesday. I forget in my struggles with my own emotions about this disaster, how it must be for our young people. Both those suffering through the personal experience and those watching the TV coverage from afar.

5 books from Manukau Library that I hope will help explain earthquakes to a child and provide ideas for helping
List by Tosca
I, along with the rest of the nation, have spent a good part of the last 24+ hours scouring the internet for snippets of news and updates about the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that affected Christchurch yesterday afternoon. It should not have been a surprise, then, that my nephew Kalani - or Mr. 7 as I call him - came home bursting with questions about earthquakes and volcanoes. And yet...it was. So we set some time aside last night to talk about what he knew about earthquakes already, what he'd been told by his teacher and what was actually happening in Christchurch right now. Thanks to numerous online news clips we were able to see how things really are. It left Kalani feeling anxious and concerned - he kept stroking the screen in sympathy - and led to his asking some very technical questions about how earthquakes happen. It left me feeling appalled and saddened and teary eyed. It also made me realise how unprepared I was to discuss seismology with a child and that if I expect him to understand anything about it I need to refresh my own knowledge.

Thanks to Manukau Library I now have a selection of books to look over with Kalani that should, hopefully, answer a lot of questions. Last night I wasn't in a frame of mind to build on his initial questions and encourage him to think of ways in which he and I can help the people of Christchurch so tomorrow night that's what we're going to do - list ways we can help and then actually put them into action. I'd imagine it was a lot for a 7 year old mind to process just before bedtime - it was a lot for me to process and I'm 35 - and so it was a very sombre pyjama-clad boy who said to me: 'I'm glad I'm safe but I'm so very, very sorry for Christchurch.' So am I.

Ordinarily my lists proclaim themselves to be the 'Top 5' of anything and are, more often than not, tongue-in-cheek. Today, I'm simply listing 5 books that I'm hoping will tell me how to explain what happened and provide a 7 year old with some ideas for how we can help.

Otautahi: nga whakaaro aroha me nga inoi atu ki a koutou katoa.

1. Volcanoes & earthquakes / Ken Rubin - Take a trip below Earth's surface and discover a planet that is alive with molten lava and shaking with continents in motion. See Earth's secrets and witness destructive eruptions and quakes throughout history and find out how we might avoid disaster in the future.Tosca's comment: 3-4 pages with very brief information about the how and why of earthquakes.
2. Volcano / written by Susanna Van Rose - Be an eyewitness to truly terrifying volcanoes exploding with molten lava, and devastating earthquakes that rip apart the landscape and uproot buildings in an instant.Tosca's comment: Roughly a quarter of the book looks at earthquakes and discusses intensity, magnitude, state of emergency and preparing for disaster.
3. Earthquakes and volcanoes / Russell Ferrett - From earth-shattering earthquakes to terrifying tsunamis and violent volcanoes, When the Earth Moves looks at how and why these events occur and how they affect our planet.Tosca's comment: Contains a section on the science of earthquakes.
4. Earthquakes / Judy & Dennis Fradin - "Earthquakes" uses eyewitness accounts and pulse-racing narrative to bring readers into the terrifying heart of an earthquake. The first chapter documents the 1964 Alaskan quake that shook Prince William Sound with a 9.2 magnitude force, and set off a tsunami that ultimately caused most of the deaths attributed to this frightening act of nature. The following chapters explore the deadly history of earthquakes and the seismic and geological science of this phenomenon. Readers learn how and why earthquakes occur, and what scientists can do to prevent casualties. The expansive back matter includes a list of sources to discover more about these fearsome catastrophes.Tosca's comment: Contains witness accounts from scientists, photographers to everyday people. Looks at the science of earthquakes, including the history of famous earthquakes and predicting them.
5. Earthquakes / by Chris Oxlade - Examines the Earth's physical processes and investigates causes and effects.Tosca's comment: Discusses the effect on buildings and landscape, where they happen and why, advice, predicting and seismology.

Kia Kaha Christchurch

Absolutely dumbstruck. As one of my colleagues said "I half expect the whole world to stop, stunned like I am...". I think for me it was probably made worse because when I think of disasters like this, I think of other places. After all, we have all seen the documentaries of the volcanoes blowing in Auckland, and Wellington being rocked by an earthquake. But even after September and Boxing Day, as bad as that was, I never really thought that Christchurch would be struck and devastated like it was yesterday. The images are more powerful than the words and I can't imagine how it must feel down there after a long cold wet and empty night. As someone else said "Give them a break - How much more can they take".

And while we watch it all unfold there is a feeling of helplessness. What can we do? Here are some ideas:

(a) It would still be great if we stayed off the phone as much as possible - If you can use text message (but not pix). This will leave the networks clear for the emergency personnel and help the power supplies.
(b) Give blood. There have been contradicting reports about this so the best thing to do is to keep track via the NZ Blood Service website. For those in Rodney, the Blood Service are on their regular visits to Albany and Glenfield Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week if you do want to make a contribution. For times and venues click this link.
(c) Support friends and family who have close ones in Christchurch. If you or anyone you know has people affected, this Web Page has the links you will find helpful, including a People Finder link.
(d) Donate to Red Cross or one of the other support organisations. One initiative that I have just heard of is to go mufti in red and black on Friday to support the city. And just like any other mufti day, pay a gold coin for the privilege, donating it to one of the charities.
(e) Pray... for more miracles, courage and support for the rescue effort and comfort for the survivors.

Arohanui from all your library colleagues and customers in the North.

Top 5 for Friday - Waitangi Day

"He iwi tahi tatou" - "We are now one people".

These are the words that Hobson purportedly spoke to each Chief on the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. I wonder what these words meant to him back then, and to those around him. Now, in the 21st Century we are still struggling to agree on a meaning and how far we have come (and in some observer's opinions receeded again) in achieving the goal. Personally, I wish that we could truly celebrate Waitangi Day as a national day and celebrate our uniqueness and unity (although I struggle, as do many, with finding a fixed picture of exactly what our 'oneness' should look like).

In terms of what the Library has to offer for Waitangi Day, today's Top 5 for Friday starts with the children and highlights the Treaty in many different formats.

1. The Treaty House by LeAnne Orams (illustrated by Roger Twiname). Journey with Olley as he learns not only is the Treaty house special, but so are the events that have happened in and around it, events that have shaped New Zealand to become the nation Olley is part of today. Suggested level: junior, primary. This picture book is a little wordy for a storytime session with a big group, but is a great title to sit down with your children and introduce them to our history.
2. Mission girl : the writings of Atapo, Paihia, c.1840 by Fleur Beale. Originally published as: A new song in the land. 2004. (My story series). Atapo, a young Māori girl, tells her story, from her capture and slavery as a young child through to her escape to the mission house in the Bay of Islands as a 14-year-old. Here she learns the new ways and language that means she is present at the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Although born into an important family her capture has meant she has lost her standing in her tribe, but she hopes the new skills she has acquired will mean she can return home with her head held high. Suggested level: intermediate, junior secondary. I love the My story series as they delve into our history in diary form but from the point of view of the children who witnessed the events.
3. Canvassing the Treaty [DVD videorecording] : six New Zealand artists explore our history and create shared visions for our future / directed by Jane Reeves ; produced by Kay Ellmers. The documentary is about a group of artists (Maori and non-Maori) exploring the Treaty. Three pairs of artists of various cultural backgrounds and artistic styles are challenged to create collaborative artworks in response to the Treaty of Waitangi. Guiding them are Ngāpuhi kaumatua Kingi Taurua and treaty educators, Moana Jackson and Ingrid Huygens ... With stunning locations, eclectic artistic visions and provocative discussion, Canvassing the Treaty offers a fresh look at the legacy of the Treaty of Waitangi, through artists' eyes. I haven't seen this but when I was looking for an artists perspective of the Treaty it appealed, not only from an artistic point of view but also because of the collaborative nature and future visions. It will be going onto my viewing list.
4. An illustrated history of the Treaty of Waitangi / Claudia Orange. This account begins before the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 and tells the story to the present day. This edition covers the challenges and settlements of the last decade of the 20th century, and includes photographs, paintings and drawings - including copies of the treaties themselves. This is just one of the many non-fiction books on our shelves dealing with the Treaty of Waitangi. I have to confess to a slight bias in including it on today's Top 5 as apparently the author is a cousin of mine (several times removed). I was unaware of this fact during my study at Auckland University. But my mother has the magic power to produce a relative for me wherever in the country I may be so VOILA! Which just goes to show what a small country this actually is.
5. Digital Resources Combined Database Search. Our digital library of electronic databases has a wealth of information at your fingertips if you can't physically make it into the library. The most up to date news articles and editorials from around the country as well as historic pieces such as the 1934 celebrations. You need to play with this to find exactly what you are looking for but there are some very interesting looking titles, especially looking at New Zealand from an international perspective if you do a Combined search using the History databases.

So that's my top 5 for Friday. Have an awesome Waitangi Weekend everyone. I am hoping to get together with some librarian friends and we are going to hit the Auckland Museum, something I have been keen to do for a long time. I'm sure it will give me inspiration for more blogs next week. Ka kite

Long live the pyramids

Some of the saddest news over the weekend came from Egypt. The unrest and deaths surrounding the call for the President Hosni Mubarak to step down is bad enough but it was heart rending to hear that some priceless and irreplacable relics from Egypt's (and the worlds) past were being looted and destroyed under cover of the chaos. As both a librarian and a lover of the history, the disrespect of such actions is appalling to me. Losing items from our history, means that we lose some of the ties to the lessons that history can teach us. And to lose them in such a fashion, really just proves the point.

However, it is also heartening to hear that ordinary citizens are rallying to protect the treasures. This National Geographic news article from yesterday provides some up to date information, especially in relation to preservation of antiquities.

Egypt is a fascinating country. It has never been my first choice of a place to visit, but I have a friend who loves the place and it's history. A couple of years ago she took the opportunity and visited the country, returning with rave reviews. Along with the pictures of her on camels in the desert and horses at the pyramids were recollections of experiences with the markets, the historic sites, the food, the Nile and the people. Visiting Egypt at the moment is pretty much out of the question, but you can still indulge your passion (or interest) for things Egyptian through the Library.

A Keyword search in the catalogue produces results at both child and adult levels (71 pages of results). However you can narrow this down to:

• Digital Resources - DVD's and electronic resources available through our catalogue.
• Children's resources
• Audio-Visual
• Music

A Subject Search in the catalogue allows you to narrow your search down as well. Egyptian History is a good start for both ancient and modern history. And of course most news websites are carrying news of the on-going troubles.