School Holiday Programmes

The holidays are over - it's back to school on Monday.

We had great attendances at the Spring holiday programmes and are looking forward to the start of the Summer Reading Programme. Watch our website and this blog for starting dates.

Photo: Some of the children at Flaxmere Library watching a magic show.

Publisher's Road Show

NZ Book Month finished on a high note with another Publisher's Road Show. This was held on 30/09/08 at Havelock North Library and was a great night enjoyed by 65 people. Reps from 5 publishing companies were present, plus staff filled in for one rep unable to attend because of illness.

We were very pleased to have local historian Michael Fowler (see photo) as our special guest author talking about his new book "The Reel Story : a history of Hawke's Bay cinemas 1896-1996", as well as his experiences with publishing his two previous books. See http://www.michaelfowler.co.nz/

Book Sculpture Competition Results

Congratulations to Sheryl Eustace (entry below at left) and Glyn Harrison (right), winners of the New Zealand Book Month Book Sculpture Competition, held by Flaxmere Library. They will each receive $50 worth of art supplies and a bottle of wine.

The sculptures will be exhibited at the Flaxmere Library until 10/10/08, then they will move to Havelock North Library until 24/10/08, then on to Hastings Library until 7/11/08.

Bookish Betsy devours NZ books

It’s official. Books are delicious!! Thank you NZ Book Month for saying it loud and clear in this year’s campaign…a good book is almost edible!

I have a hearty appetite for books at any time, but I especially love celebrating NZ Book Month each September. Like you, I have a passion for New Zealand books and writing.

However, I must make a confession; I haven’t always had a taste for New Zealand literature. When I studied it at university, the classic works we looked at were so dark and grim that they sent me into a veritable fit of depression. But now that I am quite grown up I can appreciate the NZ classics. Through their pages we can piece together a picture of our country’s history and of ourselves; the struggles and hardships of the country’s past that make us who we are today; especially our stoic strength and determination, and our deep-seated love of nature.

Looking at NZ Book Month’s top 75 books for 2008, we can see books that reflect those same characteristics. The essence of strength, determination and a love of nature are evident throughout the stunning collection, but the flavour of NZ writing has clearly changed along the way. As a culture we have extended our taste buds, we have travelled the world, climbed mountains in countries other than our own, and have created a new recipe for a literature that is still however so utterly our own.

The NZ Book Month posters and brochures are a smorgasbord of colour and texture, with works as diverse, cheerful and moving as you could hope for. The books showcased are just a taste of what this country has to offer…..and they are truly almost edible!!

Do join us at Hastings District Libraries as we raise our (figurative) glasses and make a toast to our country, our books and ourselves – a nation of readers.

The events still to come are:
Kids Preschool story time (Hastings Library) every Wednesday 10.30am – free entry

Kids NZ story time (Hastings Library) every Sunday for the month of September 2.30pm – free entry

Poetry Writers and Readers Group (Hastings Library) Tuesday 23rd September 5.30pm

Book Sculpture competition (Flaxmere Library) entries close Wednesday 24th September

Book Sculpture Exhibition and winner announced (Flaxmere Library) Friday 26th September 6.30pm-7.30pm

Publishers Book Expo (Havelock North Library) Tuesday 30th September 7.00pm with special guest speaker local author Michael Fowler

Bookish Betsy sings the praises (if slightly out of tune) of life as a librarian

I have vivid memories of being young, swaying backwards and forwards on my swing bellowing away, conjuring up in my mind a great crowd of admirers gathered to hear my song. I was (in my imagination at least) a famous singer – Tiffany or Cyndi Lauper – working the audience with my wacky hair and groovy clothes. Or, on other occasions, I was in front of the mirror practicing my arabesques wowed into paralysis by my own splendor – surely one day I would be Margot Fonteyn at the Winter Gardens. In my imagination I would be all sorts of things when I grew up, but never, ever in my wildest dreams did I imagine myself as a…..librarian.

Why, I wonder, when my childhood nickname quickly became Bookish Betsy, did it not occur to me that being around books all day would be my perfect vocation?

I guess I didn’t know then what I know now: that being a librarian is really good fun!!! That apart from all those amazing books, as a librarian I get a window into a rich, colourful world of art, culture and inspiration. That as a librarian I work alongside some of the most interesting, humorous, innovative people, with the most diverse array of hobbies. That as a librarian, everyday I meet interesting new people with stories to tell. And best of all, as a librarian my darling little polka dot mary-jane’s don’t look too out of place – in a library, I am free to just be myself. That’s something to sing about!

Next week is Library week and we are celebrating libraries and librarians, so do make sure you pop in and see us.

Bookish Betsy