Friday Top 5 - Where to find us

You would have to be some sort of hermit, or have just been rescued from two years on a desert island, not to know that this is the last week of the Rodney District Council and that from 1st November we will all be part of Auckland City.

We've already touched on what that means for Library goers (more books, more resources, the same friendly smile). But today I just want to point you towards where you can find us on the World Wide Web because, we're not going anywhere.

1. Rodney Libraries website. We have changed and updated our website. This only went live a couple of days ago so there may still be a couple of glitches to work out (let us know if you find anything). It looks a lot like the Auckland Libraries website which covers all 55 libraries, but if you want to look for specifically local content, this is the place to come.
2. Rodney Libraries blog. Our daily diary of book reviews, library events and news from the library and literary world (plus local snippets) stays in the same place with the same look. With the departure of blogger rodneylibraries (Kris - Good luck for the future), regular posts will happen Monday, Wednesday and Friday. But there may be posts on the other days, so don't forget to check us out.
3. Rodney Libraries Facebook page. Your chance to interact with us on one of the most popular social networking sites in the world. Links through to our catalogue and our blog. Tell us what you like best, what you want, and watch out for news of events happening in your local library.
4. Rodney Libraries Twitter. Get quick updates and news by following rodneylibraries and/or kowhaireader on Twitter.
5. Rodney Libraries Flickr. Relive the action from Clifford storytimes, see the team in action at work and out promoting the libraries at schools and Shows, watch as we make improvements to our libraries and find out what display has gone up in your local library.

Of course, for a catch-all the place you really need to check out next week is the new Auckland Libraries website. I know I will be.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone.

Settler's Creek - Carl Nixon

I loved Carl Nixon's novel Rocking Horse Road so I was eagerly looking forward to getting to grips with his new book Settlers' Creek.

The Publishers description is intriguing and designed to get people to pick up the book. "Box Saxton just wants to bury his teenage stepson's body in the churchyard near the farm where Box grew up. What happens, though, when the boy's biological father, a Maori leader, unexpectedly turns up in the days before the funeral and forcibly takes the boy's body? According to Maori custom the boy must be buried in the tribe's ancestral cemetery at the small coastal town of Kaipuna. According to the law there is very little Box can do. With no plan and little hope, Box gets in his old truck and drives north, desperate and heartbroken." This blurb conjures up memories of newspaper headlines, endless calls to talkback radio and racial tensions. And it is true that the book does explore the ties that the Maori and the Pakeha have to the land that they call home.

But to me that is not the real story behind Settlers' Creek. As Box says at one point, ethnicity has nothing to do with it. It is personal. And this to me is the real power behind the journey we go on with the central character Box as he tries to come to grips with the loss of the young man he has always considered to be his son in one of the worst possible circumstances - suicide. It is a journey of many unanswered questions, which is perhaps as it should be in the situation and the reader is left to draw many of their own conclusions. The book does not preach or come down on the side of either party. It simply tells a story, real and gritty and one that I will probably go back and read again to fully appreciate it's power and all the different nuances. I have to say it wasn't what I expected, I wasn't sure how I felt as I was reading it, but on writing this review I have discovered that it will stay with me for some time.

In short - highly recommended.

Celebrating our History

We are into the last week of Rodney District Council and there can be no better time than to celebrate our history - a lot of which you can find out about at ... your local Library (of course).

Here are just a few of the resources we have at Rodney Libraries for you to be able to find out more about the wonderful place we call home.

Books
The easiest way to find books on the area you want is to carry out a Subject Search. Simply enter the area you want to investigate, say Helensville, followed by NZ History and you will find a whole range of items. So your search will look like Helensville N Z History

Digital Resources
The Local History button on our home page takes you through to some wonderful resources including the websites of most of our local Museums and the website for carrying out a local Cemetary search.

In addition our e-resources (which will soon be known as Digital resources) contain old newspapers, a library edition of Ancestry Online and much else that will be of use.

Geneology
The district's Geneology resources are now housed at the Whangaparaoa Library. We do this in partnership with the Hibiscus Coast Geneology Society. For the keen geneologists amongst you, this is an absolute treasure trove that can account for hours of your time.

Indulge yourself and take a look at our history, bearing in mind that some of these books and items are irreplaceable so you may only be able to view them in the library.

Changes for the northern libraries online

Just to give you a heads-up that things will be changing a little bit for the Rodney Libraries online sites when we become Auckland Libraries, in Auckland Council. We'll still be on Twitter, Flickr and Facebook as "rodneylibraries". This blog will still exist and will change focus to reviews and community news. The Rodney Libraries website will be part of the new library website for Auckland Libraries. We'll be updating our weblinks over the next week or so.

Probably the biggest change you'll notice is the way that you will be able to search our collection. There will be 3.5 million items and the new 'Catalogue and site search' will let you find what you want. There are lots of different options to refine your search so ask a librarian (after 1 November) if you want a tour.

Remember - after 1 November - there are 55 library sites you can use your library card at AND you can reserve anything from any of those libraries to be sent to your closest library in the Auckland Council region for FREE.

On a personal note this will be my last post as rodneylibraries. I am going to start a new job in November as well. I'll be leaving everything in kowhaireader's very capable hands.
Thanks for your comments and feedback. Have fun with the new collection!

kris aka rodneylibraries

Kiwi Author receives Australian Award

Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards in 2010 have awarded a Kiwi author one of their top awards.

Best Book for Language Development:Young Children 2-5 years went to Our Daft Dog Danny by Pamela Allen (Penguin Group Australia)
Our Daft Dog Danny is the story of a brother and sister who visit their Uncle Peter and his dog Millie at the beach. But one day they took their dog Danny with them and everything went wrong. The judges said the book "has a wonderful pace and natural flow. There are lots of opportunities for children to pause, think, reflect and predict – to really engage with the story. The language is strong and introduces children to a range of important literacy skills like questions, commands, different verb forms and tenses.
Pamela Allen makes effective use of alliteration and descriptive language, presenting characters and a story everyone can relate, all enhanced by the delightfully captivating and colourful illustrations."

The Awards were started in 2003 to enhance people’s awareness of the role speech pathologists play in literacy development, gradually develop a nationally recognised pool of books that speech pathologists can recommend for the development of oral language and speech and/or sound awareness and to promote the Association. For more information on the Association go to their website.