Read to Succeed Winners

Read to Succeed is over for another year and this week we celebrate the winners for 2010.

First place getter and the winner of a new (green) iPod nano is Ashleigh Milner from Kingsway School.

Runners up were Laura Bates from Rangitoto College and Caitlin Mowatt, also from Kingsway, who both receive book vouchers. A special set of book vouchers is awarded to Sam Sinnott from Kaipara College for the most entries into the competition (very impressive Sam)

Read to Succeed is our teen reading challenge which launches during Youth Week in May and runs right through to the end of Term 3. It challenges Rodney Year 9 to 13 students to read five different types of books (e.g. historical, science fiction, poetry, etc) and is designed to support the NCEA "wide reading" criteria. The schools this year were again very supportive of the challenge and entry numbers were up. So well done Rodney, congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone for taking part.

Welcome to Auckland Libraries

Inspiring, engaging and informing you

Here is a message from Allison Dobbie, the Manager of the new Auckland Libraries which we are part of.

Kia ora and welcome to all the libraries of the new Auckland Council. I'm really excited to share the resources and opportunities that libraries bring to you...

The original Auckland City Library opening in 1880, thanks to Sir George Grey who had the foresight to gift his diverse book collection to the people of Auckland. Some 130 years later, there are now 55 libraries across Auckland. using your existing library card, you can have free access to any and all of them.

Libraries have changed enormously in recent years. They offer so much more than books - you can also check out dvds, audio books, materials in many different languages, music. They are a fantastic resource and play an important part in your communities by providing opportunities for you and your whole family to learn, to research, to attend story times and events, to browse, to study, to access the internet, to have a coffee, and to find a good book to relax with. Many library resources are available through our website so do check that out as well.

Libraries are great places to spend time - our buildings range from heritage landmarks to modern award winning spaces. Now you can use the libraries that suit you best as you go about your daily life, in conjunction with your work, sport, family or shopping. They are full of surprises and treasures, and will bring much pleasure and value to you and your family. There's something for everyone.

I invite you to discover and explore the libraries across the region. Enjoy!

Allison Dobbie
Manager - Libraries and Information

We will be posting more about all the fantastic resources at the Library (both old and new) in the coming weeks. Or pick up a brochure and bookmark next time you are here.

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.