The Great New Zealand Book

There are as many different voices of New Zealand to be found in the books on the shelves of the Rodney Library as there are different people who walk through our doors. So when our conversation the other night turned to adult reading, you can imagine that there were many different names that sprung to mind.

My school and university days were filled with the stories and poems of Katherine Mansfield, Maurice Gee, Stead, Shadbolt, Baxter and Frame. I could giggle and relate to the tales of Murray Ball and Loosehead Len being of good farming stock and with weekends spent at the local rugby club. The romance authors Susan Napier, Essie Summers and especially ex-local Robyn Donald could conjure images of our countryside while authors such as Keri Hulme, Alan Duff, Patricia Grace and Witi Ihimaera explored our psych and unique culture. These authors and more are all available at your local Rodney Library. And we haven't even started to mention popular historical (Deborah Challinor) or young adult (Margaret Mahy and Sheryl Jordan) authors yet. Or our award winners such as Lloyd Jones with Mr Pip or Elizabeth Knox who just received an honorable mention in the American Library Association The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature.

For something a little light-hearted, I’ve just finished a New Zealand based chick-lit novel by a new author which was an easy summer read.


Bonkers – Michelle Holman
After a head-on collision between a glamorous sports car and serviceable but very plain little car, a kind-hearted angel does a swap in Heaven's waiting room. A short, fiesty rugby-loving schoolteacher gets a second chance and finds herself in hospital in the body of a tall, glamorous, philandering American wife. She has a wealthy, drop-dead gorgeous husband who looks as if he's just stepped out of a romance novel - but for some reason he can't stand the sight of her.


If reading Kiwi was a New Year's resolution, do a key-word search for "New Zealand Fiction" in our Library Catalogue you will be able to find enough to keep you going for the rest of the year.

The "HOW TO" series #2 - Reserving

So you’ve found the book you want to read in the Rodney catalogue (http://www.rodneylibraries.govt.nz/).
It’s on the shelf of your local library so you figure the next time you go in you will grab it. But when you get there, someone else has got there before you. Or maybe it is out and due back in a week. But when you come back a week later it is still not there because the other person renewed it. How do you make sure the book is there for YOU!

It’s simple. You just need to request it. And once you have found the book on the catalogue it is really easy to do. If you have the record of the book on screen in front of you (using the same example as last week here is the link through to Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs). At the top of the page are a number of options with blue buttons. All you need to do put your cursor on “Request” and left click.

The next screen that comes up will ask you for your Library Card number (the barcode) and your PIN number. You need to enter the whole barcode off your library card (don’t worry about the spaces). You then need to type your PIN number into the second box. If you have never made a request or used a PIN number before, leave this box blank and you will then be asked to choose a PIN (which has to be at least four digits or numbers long). If this still does not work, please contact your local library so that we can set your PIN for you.

Push Go and the Request Verification screen will appear. This will ask you to choose which library you would like the book to be sent to for you to pick up. From the drop down menu select the most convenient library. This screen also gives you the option of choosing to cancel the hold if it is not received by a certain date (most convenient if the book is for a school project or a holiday). Or you can simply leave this blank and left click on “Go”.

A screen will come up telling you that your request was successful and confirming which library the book will be sent to. You then just have to sit back and wait for the phone call, email or letter letting you know that the book has arrived (this depends on the method you have chosen. Please note that we cannot call mobile phones with notification).

If you have any problem, please don’t hesitate to phone your local library or ask next time you come in to see us. The librarians are always happy to explain the procedure to you or can place the holds for you.

The "Kiwi" Book

At the end of a glorious Anniversary Weekend (I even braved the sea twice), I was chatting with a friend who is about to fly off to Australia for the imminent arrival of her grandson. We were all offering advice as to what she needs to take over the ditch with her so that said grandson gets his share of kiwi culture amongst all the green and gold of Australia.


The Buzzy Bee and the Silver Fern were near the top of the list but it wasn't long before we got onto the subject of books that every Kiwi child should have. Hairy Maclary was a favourite of us all, as was Margaret Mahy (although we all had different books that we identified with). A traditional myths and legends book is a must and then there are the identities such as Nanny Mihi, Mrs Pareta, Granny McGarvey and Kapai. I particularly like A Book of Pacific Lullabies edited by Tessa Duder. There are just so many fantastic picture books and young peoples fiction being written by New Zealanders for New Zealanders that there really is something for everyone. I haven't even mentioned authors like the prolific Joy Cowley or David Hill yet.


Of course then we went on to adult reading ... but that's another story.

What's on this weekend?

It's Auckland Anniversary weekend. The Libraries will be open our usual Saturday hours. We will be closed on Sunday and Monday.

Did you know that the arrival of Hobson in the Bay of Islands is celebrated as the anniversary of the founding of the province of Auckland? Apparently the official day for Auckland Anniversary is 29 January but it's usually observed on the closest Monday. I guess we need the long weekend so we can get to all the events that are on...

In Rodney...

Mahurangi Regatta
Saturday 26 January 2008 BEACH EVENTS @ Sullivans Bay Entries at 9.00am

Full day of beach and coastal entertainment. Bring your family and a picnic. Prizegiving and a Dance@ Scotts Landing from 5.30PM with live music from Prohibition Big Band.

Whangateau Country Fair

Sunday 27 January 2008 Whangateau, 10.00am to 2.00pm

Foodstalls, bouncy castle, cake stall, book stall, Devonshire Teas. Fundraiser for Whangateau Hall

94th Waitemata A&P

Sunday 27 January Western Reserve, Orewa, 9.00am to 4.00pm

Equestrian and farm event show - fun for the whole family!

Elsewhere in Auckland...

Aquatica 08

Friday 25 January - Monday 28 January

A celebration of Auckland's sailing heritage including spectacular tall ships, the Naval frigate Te Kaha and classic and contemporary yachts and the Auckland Anniversary regatta. ( I like the sound of the Ports of Auckland dancing tugs!)

Have a great weekend everyone. Remember to "slip, slop, slap" because the weather is supposed to be gorgeous!

Picture from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

ARC artist in residence opportunity

The Auckland Regional Council's inaugural artist-in-residency project offers artists a place to stay and create on one of our Regional Parks.

The residency provides a park-like setting for creative work; with features of natural and cultural significance nearby. It is intended for established artists with a proven track record who are self-sufficient. Accommodation is provided free and a weekly grant given to help create a work or body of work.

Visual and performing artists are welcome to apply. Because it is a short term residency opportunity (max 4 weeks) it might suit in particular writers, poets, composers, choreographers, and visual artists ‘of all kinds’ e.g. photographers, printmakers, ephemeral and installation artists etc.


Applicants have a choice of 10 different sites in stunning settings but there are restrictions on timeframes. Most lodgings are bach-style in scenic settings - many by the sea.


Applications close Monday Feb 4th 2008.

For more information including application details and photos of most of the sites visit the ARC website for more information.

The "HOW TO" series #1 - Searching the catalogue

Searching for books in the Rodney Libraries catalogue is easy. And you can do it from the comfort of your own home simply by logging onto http://www.rodneylibraries.govt.nz/.

When you arrive at our webpage, choose to “search the catalogue”. There are several options for you here. If you know the name of the book, you simply do search by Title and then put the name of the title in the second box

You can also search for other books by a favourite author by changing the criteria to Author and entering the name (put Surname, then first name e.g. Reichs, Kathy) and a full list of all the books (including audio books) will be displayed for you to see which library in Rodney is holding them, where on the shelf they are (this is the Call Number) and if they are available. Click here to see the result of my search this morning for Kathy's books.

When you do your search and if you want to see more information, if you put your cursor (the arrow or pointer on your screen) over anything that is in blue and left click your mouse, this should take you to the next screen for a fuller description. For instance clicking on the first of Kathy's books in our results Bare Bones will reveal that we have a number of copies on our shelves, not just the three or four that were showing in our original summary.

The other common option for searching is to carry out a search by subject. Whether you want to know about dinosaurs (a favourite subject of our boys) or cooking, simply change the criteria in the first box to subject and then enter your subject into the second box. If you have a very specific subject that you are looking for, another option is to use the keyword search (this is a bit like a google search and can give you both useful and varied results).

A useful tool to use when you are first starting out is the Guided Tour or ask one of the librarians to show you next time you are in your local library.

Have a fantastic day.

New Years Resolutions - Give up Smoking

The last of the Big New Year’s resolutions is generally the “Give Up Smoking” one. It was for me a couple of years ago, so the beginning of 2008 was a celebration of TWO smokefree years.

I know lots of people who have tried lots of different ways to give up the tobacco sticks. From hypnosis to patches to gum to books and tapes or just good old cold turkey, different things work for different people. And what works for one, might not work for you.

If you want to check out the options for giving up smoking you can do a library catalogue search under “Smoking – Cessation Programmes” and you will find a number of good books on our shelves to help you get started.

One of the most popular books has always been Allen Carr’s Easy Way to Stop Smoking, but this is certainly not the only book we have, and in fact not the only title written by Allen Carr. So have a look at the shelves in the region of 613.85 to see what else we have on the subject.

There are also some great support networks and websites available via the internet. A New Zealand site is the Quit Me Mutu website which has some great resources and links.
GOOD LUCK.

Farewell Sir Edmund

The official funeral ceremony is underway in Auckland today but on Saturday Rodney District residents and visitors said farewell to Sir Edmund Hillary at a commemorative service in Hillary Square, Orewa.

Mayor Penny Webster, church leaders, kaumatua and a representative from our Nepalese and Tibetan communities contributed to the moving ceremony. The surprise fly-over of the Catalina flying boat, identical to the one Sir Ed served on as a navigator, added a special touch.

Here are some photos courtesy of the RDC Communications Unit.

Book of the Week - Children

We have been processing heaps of new books to get them onto the shelves for holiday reading for our young customers.

A picture book which I think is going to be incredibly popular is The Runaway Train(Ben Blathway). Extra fun because it has flaps and pop-ups as the train chuff-chuffs through it's day as Duffy the Driver tries to catch up with the little red train using a speedboat, a lorry and even a helicopter.


On the children's fiction shelves, The OK Team (Nick Place) have arrived. Hazy Retina wants to become a superhero but he can't do it alone. First he has to find some equally low-grade superheroes to join his team. Supported by it's own website http://www.herohints.com/ (which includes Teacher Notes), this is the beginning of a new series.

Summer Reading Programme Finale parties on this week

The Summer Reading Programme at Rodney Libraries is always a great success and this year is no exception. The programme runs for 5 weeks over the summer school holidays. Children signed up for the programme in December to discuss books they have been reading with librarians and learn how to use the library. At the end of the five weeks there is a party to celebrate completion of the programme.



AND THIS IS THE WEEK when we congratulate the more than 350 children who have been part of the programme this year by throwing them (and their families) a party with special invited storyteller Andy Wright. Here are the places and times for each library.




Wednesday 23 January

Wellsford 10.30 am at the Bible Chapel Hall.

Mahurangi East Library 1 pm at the library.

Warkworth Library 3.30 pm at the new Masonic Lodge rooms.

Whangaparaoa Library 6 pm at the library.


Thursday 24 January

Kumeu Library 10.30 am at the library.

Helensville Library 1 pm at the library.

Orewa Library 3.30pm at the library.

Memorial in Hillary Square, Orewa

We have a number of photos of the memorial in Hillary Square, Orewa in our Flickr photostream. Other organisations and individuals are sharing their photos also. You can find them by searching under "Sir Edmund Hillary" in the search box on the front page of Flickr.

What's on this weekend?

Saturday
Commemorative service for Sir Edmund Hillary, Hillary Square in Orewa at 10am.
Florence Avenue immediately adjacent the square will be closed from 8.30am to 11.30am. The service will last approximately 45 minutes. A condolence book is available for people who would like to contribute messages of condolence with Sir Hillary’s passing. The book is currently in Orewa Library until Saturday 19 January. Books are also available at the council’s Warkworth and Kumeu Service centres.

Marvellous Maui Morning
Orewa Beach, from 10am to 12.30pm. Open event for everybody 5 to 10 yrs appx. (Children must be accompanied by an adult.) Find out about our Marine environment and New Zealand's very special Maui Dolphin. Lots of fun games and prizes to be won plus a sausage sizzle.

Warkworth A & P Show

Warkworth Showgrounds Saturday and Sunday 19th and 20th January. 141st annual event; so popular its now a TWO DAY EVENT! Animal events, trade displays, entertainment for all ages.

The Auto Trader 14th Annual Kumeu Classic Car & Hot Rod Festival
Kumeu Showgrounds January 19-20 2008
Saturday 7.00am - 6.00pm. Sunday: 8.00am -5.00pm. Entry $10, adults, Kids under 13 Free FREE PARKING

Sunday
Marvellous Maui Morning
Omaha Beach, from 10am to 12.30pm. Open event for everybody 5 to 10 yrs appx. (Children must be accompanied by an adult.) Find out about our Marine environment and New Zealand's very special Maui Dolphin. Lots of fun games and prizes to be won plus a sausage sizzle.

'Free Parking' George FM concert
Orewa Beach Reserve 1pm to 6pm. Sponsored by Fresh up and good water, games and live music.Featuring: Wendy Douglas (Wednesday 2pm), Stormin Norman (Sunday 10pm), and Jason Eli (Monday 4pm). Alcohol free event.

Another Great New Zealander passes

Hone Tuwhare, one of New Zealand's most celebrated poets, passed away in hospital on Wednesday afternoon following a long illness but apparently in good spirits right to the end.
Prime Minister Helen Clark says Tuwhare made an outstanding contribution to New Zealand literature.
"Hone Tuwhare was a distinguished poet, playwright, and writer of short fiction. His poetry contained powerful imagery of our land, sea, and legends, and often expressed strong views on contemporary issues," Clark, who is also Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage said in a statement.
Hone Tuwhare's Tangi will be held in Kaikohe but a service will also take place in Dunedin. He is survived by three sons and many grandchildren.
Source (including picture credit)and full story: ONE News

Hone Tuwhare had his own website with news, poems and history at http://www.honetuwhare.co.nz/.
The New Zealand book council site also has a comprehensive biography of Hone Tuwhare and you can search the Rodney District Libraries catalogue here for the books we have in our collection.

Here is one of his poems from his 2005 collection entitled "Oooooo.....!!!

Just thinkin', and dreaming

I cannot cajole
the threatening herd
of clouds
in the sky, to
'back-off', nor
the rising insanities
of wind-whirls, and
an up-beat song
of blues tainted

morning-moanings,
rising
from my gravel-ly
Maori throttle -
just like a blues
song and comedic
solo, by my favourite
interpretive vocalist
horn-blower - Louis
Armstrong!!! O, yea!!! Bring it on
LOUIS... Bring
it on, Man!

Another Resolution - Study and Improve

If another one of those New Year's resolutions in your household was to study and improve yourself, this is the month to confirm your enrolment at all those tertiary educations.


For those of us that are earning a living to pay a mortgage, study and personal development is usually done by distance learning. The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand has a wide range of courses from interest and hobby right through to degree programmes. I have always found this a very practical way of studying and have just enrolled for my next semester.


Closer to home both Orewa and Mahurangi College Adult and Community Education booklets for Term 1 are in the libraries now. Or you can check out the websites http://www.orewa.school.nz/ or http://www.mahurangi.school.nz/ and click on the Community Education links to find the up-to-date course information. There is always a huge demand for this information and we were asked for the Term 1 booklets as early as 28th December this year. Just shows how many keen people there are out there, interested in trying something new in 2008.


Ka kite ano

Sir Edmund Hillary - Commemorative service

Commemorative Service – Sir Edmund Hillary
The Council and Destination Orewa Beach have organised a commemorative service for Sir Edmund Hillary to be held on Saturday 19th January at Hillary Square in Orewa at 10am.
Florence Avenue immediately adjacent the square will be closed from 8.30am to 11.30am. A stage and speaker system will be erected as well as a shade area for speakers and invited quests.

Speakers will include Her Worship the Mayor, church leaders, kaumatua, and possibly a representative each from our Nepalese and Tibetan communities. The Council and Destination Orewa will provide and distribute single carnations for laying at the statue. The service will last approximately 45 minutes.

Another reminder is that a condolence book is available for people who would like to contribute messages of condolence with Sir Hillary’s passing. The book is currently in Rodney District Council, Front of House, Centreway Road, Orewa and will be taken to the Orewa Library from Thursday 17 January to Saturday 19 January. Books are also available at the council’s Warkworth and Kumeu Service centres.

Book of the Week - Teen Picks

The young adults appear to be reading overtime this summer (well at least up here in the north). Here's a few new titles that are hitting the shelves for them this month.

I'v just finished reading Rocking Horse Road (Carl Nixon) a New Zealand novel. The body of a local girl is found washed up on the beach a few days before Christmas 1980. It's an event that makes a huge impact on all those who live along Rocking Horse Road for one hot summer. It brings together a group of fifteen-year-old boys and then keeps them linked for the rest of their lives. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the writing of this book which started life as a short story.

The end of the world as we know it (Lesley Choyce) tell the story of 16 year old Carson who hates everything in his life, including himself. Then he meets fellow struggler Christine and together they work out how they can survive in an unwelcoming town in an imperfect world.

What if... All the boys wanted you (Ruckdeschel and James) is a "Choose your destiny" novel where you get to choose if new girl Haley is going to be in with the "in crowd" and if she gets a boyfriend.

Teacher's Dead (Benjamin Zephaniah) "My name is Jackson Jones. I stood and watched a teacher die." People liked Mr Jospeh so why was he stabbed by two students in front of the whole school. The new novel by a highly acclaimed author.

Condolence book for Sir Edmund Hillary

Rodney District Council is making a condolence book available for staff and members of the public who would like to contribute messages of condolence with Sir Edmund Hillary’s passing.
The book will be available from 12 noon today at the council building in Centreway Road, Orewa until Wednesday 16 January and then at the Orewa Library from Thursday 17 January to Saturday 19 January. Books will also be available at the council’s Warkworth and Kumeu Service centres.

After having learnt of the passing away of Sir Edmund Hillary on Friday, the Council laid a wreath in his honour at the statue of Sir Edmund Hillary in Hillary Square Orewa. The message reads: "Another mountain scaled, Sir Edmund Hillary, from the community and council of Rodney District".

Want it? Can't find it? Reserve it - it's free!

If you want an item and you can't find it on the shelf you can place a reserve on it. Your name goes onto a list attached to the item record so when it comes back library staff are alerted that you want it. You are contacted and then have 7 days to pick the item up from the library before it is reshelved or passed onto the next person on the list. (In some cases (as with the new Ken Follett "World without end") you might have to wait a while as there is more than one person on the reserve list.)

To place a reserve on an item, search for it on the catalogue. Once you've found the item you'll see a blue button (like the one at the top of this post). Click on it. You'll be asked for your library card barcode and your pin number. Once you've entered those details the next screen will ask you where you want to pick the item up from. You can choose any library in Rodney - it doesn't matter where the item is coming from. Click 'Go'. The next screen should be a confirmation message that the item has been reserved for you. If you don't want to place any more reserves the next thing to do is to logout of "Your info" - the orange 'logout' is at the top right of the screen.

If something goes astray during any part of the process please contact us.

Sir Edmund Hillary 1919-2008

Well respected and much loved Sir Edmund Hillary died in Auckland this morning.

The Hibiscus Coast has a special affection for 'Sir Ed'. This statue was unveiled in 1991 and is sited in Hillary Square in Orewa.

The library has a number of resources on this extraordinary man.

What's On - Summer Music and other things

If you are a music fan, then the next few weeks, you will be in heaven with heaps of events, gigs and concerts to keep everyone in the summer mood.

The Leigh Sawmill at Rodney welcomes Billy Bragg on the 15th of Jan.
Plus next week also sees Rod Stewart, The Police, Kings of Leon and The Big Day Out.

Later in the month will find music on the beachfront (Orewa), the vineyards and on the mountain (Matakana), as well as all the normal places such as bars, pubs and cafes.

To find out what is on in your area there are some fantastic event sites you can access on the web. Look for events in Auckland city and surrounds (including Rodney) at View Auckland. This site includes music, sports, festivals, art galleries and lots more. Or there is a “What’s on” column in the local Rodney Times. The Rodney District Council also has their own events site (and don’t forget to send your details to them if you are organising something).

If you are after something a little more cruisy this weekend, just lie back on one of our fantastic beaches. The weather is supposed to be hot and sunny this weekend.

Have a good one.

My New Year's Resolution - Part I

I am probably the same as many people in New Zealand (or around the world). As I said previously I don't really do New Year's resolutions - I just have the 101 things I want to achieve in life which means that getting fit and losing weight are always near the top of my list, as they are on many people's New years resolutions lists.

But I am feeling quite chuffed with myself this morning as ten days into the year, I am still walking every (well... most) mornings and today I even built some running into it. Mind you, I'm going to have to do a lot more fitness work if I want to achieve my netball umpiring goals this year. And if I happen to lose a few inches on the way, that's just a very big bonus.

There's plenty of inspiration and advice to be had on the shelves of the library as well. If you do a keyword search in the catalogue for "fitness" a huge list comes up (click here for the list). There is everything from a "Bootcamp360, a complete fitness program for brides : the few, the proud, the fit. The no excuses, no-pain, no-gain plan of attack that will get you fit for your wedding day and happily ever after" by Tamara Kleinberg to the K.I.S.S. guide to fitness by Margaret Hundley Parker. Most of our fitness books are on the shelves around either 613 (in the health section) or the 790's (sports). And don't forget to check the magazine shelves for our fitness and sports magazines. If you need some help and motivation to get started just ask one of the librarians and we will find the right book for you.

Unfortunately none of these books has yet told me the magic secret of how to get fit while lying on the couch, so I will be out pounding the pavements again tomorrow. Wave if you see me.

Book of the Week

One of the most intriguing books to hit our library shelves recently is titled “My Lobotomy - A Memoir”.

At twelve, Howard Dully was guilty of the same crimes as other boys his age: he was moody and messy, rambunctious with his brothers, contrary just to prove a point, and perpetually at odds with his parents. Yet somehow, this normal boy became one of the youngest people on whom Dr. Walter Freeman performed his barbaric transorbitalor ice pick lobotomy. Abandoned by his family within a year of the surgery, Howard spent his teen years in mental institutions, his twenties in jail, and his thirties in a bottle. It wasn’t until he was in his forties that Howard began to pull his life together. But even as he began to live the normal life he had been denied, Howard struggled with one question: Why?

Readers so far have commented that it was interesting and well written. Certainly one of the stranger books to come in. If you don’t see it on the new books displays in your local library, you can find it in the biographies section of the non-fiction collection under number 920 DUL.

Where do you come from?

If one of your burning desires in 2008 is to find out your heritage, Rodney Libraries has plenty to help you.

Start out with tips from the people that have already done this. Books on geneaology are on our shelves in the 929 section. There are plenty to choose

from if you do a subject search in our catalogue. Click on this link for a quick result.

Our Orewa branch houses the collection and records of the Hibiscus Coast Geneaological Society. These are now available for loan but can be viewed at the library. The Hibiscus Coast is just one of the local geneaology groups. They can also be found at Helensville, Warkworth and Wellsford.

And if you need to get further afield, you can use your library card at any of the Rodney Libraries to access the Ancestry Library through the e-resources link on the catalogue home page. Ancestry can only be accessed at the library (unlike most of the other databases we subscribe to for you which you can easily look up from your home computer).

Good luck with your search (or as someone referred to my search once as "tomb tours").

Those radio book reviews

Do you often catch the end of a book review on the radio and think to yourself "That sounds good"? But then you can't remember the name of the book or the author, so when you get to the library all you can do is stare vacantly at the shelves.

We try to help out with this as much as we can by having the local newstations on our bookmark page so please ask if you need help (that's what we are here for). If you can remember the station and the day you heard the review it helps us to track down the book you are looking for. Or you can try it yourself. The NZ Booksellers site book review page has details of all the books reviewed on the National Programme. Other radio and television websites also have details of their book reviews.

However check with us if you are not sure and we can usually track it down for you.

Good reading everyone.

Tennis on a high

Wow - a New Zealander through to the semi finals of the tennis champs and beating the number one seed to get there. I'll certainly be cheering on Marina Erakovic today as she plays to make the final tomorrow. It would be a bit of a fairytale for organisers if the New Zealander would find herself playing comeback queen Lindsay Davenport but whatever happens there has beens ome fantastic tennis.

If watching the games has inspired you to get out and pick up a racquet, there are plenty of local courts and clubs. Rodney Libraries have plenty to help you along the way as well. Check out the catalogue at www.rodneylibraries.govt.nz and enter a subject of keyword search for "tennis" (or if you a feeling lazy just click on this link and you will go straight there). There are plenty of hints and tips for the young and the old.

Or if the weather packs it in at some stage and you are still inspired, there are biographies on the Williams sisters, Agassi, McEnroe and Seles (among others) or read about the history of tennis in New Zealand.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone. Go Marina!!

No late nights

Just a reminder to all our customers. Once again this week there will be no late nights. Today and tomorrow all libraries will be closing at 5.00 pm. All libraries will be open their usual hours on Saturday and Mahurangi East is open on Sunday morning from 9.30am to 12.30pm.

We return to normal hours (including late nights) next week.

Happy New Year!

Hopefully this will be the beginning of a fantastic and fun year for everyone (although our hearts go out to those families whose start to the New Year has been marred by tragedy).

It's traditional around this time of the year to take stock of where you are in life and make some New Year’s resolutions. I have forgone the usual resolutions and have for the past couple of years been working on a list of the 101 things I want to achieve before I die. Which means sometime in the next 50 or so years (being from a line with a gene for longevity) I want to get fit, lose weight and throw myself out of an airplane (to name just three). I may not get to them all this year but it certainly takes some of the pressure off so I can enjoy the summer.

If you've made one (or some) resolutions, and aren't sure where to start let us know either by commenting on this post or by email and we’ll find some resources for you. We'll be posting on this theme over the next couple of weeks so stay tuned...

Don't foget to slip slop slap and wrap today. Ka kite ano
Kowhai Reader