Christchurch City Libraries Blog

Whether you have a new entrant or a not-so-little-one off to high school, our libraries have the resources to guide you through.

For the little ones, we have readiness for school books including New Zealand titles.

We have many books about school for children to read. These range from beginner reader up, and include titles in Maori, Tongan, Niuean, Samoan and Rarotongan.

For the big kids off to high school we have a great school page on our teens website The Pulse which has links to NCEA topics, exam info, school survival, further education and the online resource Student Research Centre.

We also have resources on family involvement in schools and conflict with schools.

Don’t forget to be organised for school lunches.

There are great homeschooling resources on shelf in our libraries and many online resources available through our website for all students and parents.

The library website has a homework help page and our librarians are online to help with find resources for homework.

So good luck for the year ahead and remember your local library is here to help.

At 10.47am on 3 February 1931, a violent shock, followed closely by a second, rocked Hawke’s Bay for almost three minutes. New Zealand’s deadliest earthquake devastated the cities of Napier and Hastings, Hawke’s Bay. At least 256 people died in the magnitude 7.8 earthquake 161 in Napier, 93 in Hastings, and two in Wairoa. Many thousands more required medical treatment.

It was 80 years ago today.

Our page on the disaster lists facts and information on the earthquake.

Many 0f us have connections with this disaster – my Grandad was at school in Napier when the building collapsed. And Christchurch people can comprehend of what a major earthquake is like, having experienced a 7.1 quake last year. The people of the Hawke’s Bay had to cope with fire, devastation and loss of life as well as our shared issues around demolition of buildings, loss of chimneys and damaged water supplies.

Those who lost their life are commemorated at The Earthquake Memorial in Park Island Cemetery, Napier.

Hastings Street after the Napier earthquake [Feb. 1931]	Hastings Street after the Napier earthquake [Feb. 1931]
Hastings Street after the Napier earthquake [Feb. 1931]	Emerson Street after the Napier earthquake [Feb. 1931]

Find out more about the Hawke’s Bay earthquake

Bored already of making your lunch each day for work? Tired of filling the kids lunchboxes with the same old things? It’s time to try something new!

Be inspired by the wonderful art of bento.

Simply put, bento is the Japanese concept of a lunch box filled with single portions of deliciousness. You may have come across the similar idea of a tiffin from India, the distinctive stackable metal containers of single servings.

Makiko Itoh’s book Just Bento will give you ingredients lists, timelines for cooking and ideas for making everything kawaii (trans. cute).

So get your library card to the ready and put your holds on :

• Just Bento : everyday lunches to go by Makiko Itoh.
• 500 bento boxes
• Bento Love by Kentaro Kobayashi.
• Yum-yum bento box : fresh recipes for adorable lunches by Maki Ogawa.

Make sure you snap some pictures to share on Flickr, and see our page on school lunches - it includes some tips on creating interesting lunches provided by Canterbury District Health Board dietitian Nicola Fraher.

I have recently read The Cardturner by Louis Sachar (of Holes fame).  Believe it or not it is a young adult novel about bridge – yes the card game.  The ‘cardturner’ of the title is Alton, who ends up turning cards for his blind uncle at his bridge games. Of course with Louis Sachar, it’s never just about the situation but all about the characters in them with a bit of surrealism thrown in.

Some of the bridge may get a bit much for those without an interest in card playing but Alton, who narrates the novel, puts a whale before technical bridge talk and gives a summary at the end of it, for those who want to read the story without getting bogged down in technicalities.  I read the technical bits, as a long-time card player, although not of bridge, got suckered in and now want to learn how to play.

For other potential players you can 

• search for bridge clubs in CINCH
• search for book on contract bridge in the catalogue  

So anyone else out there fixated on contract bridge or some other slightly guilty pleasure?

This sharp-dressed man  is one of dozens of images on display on the second floor of the Central library this month.

We’re celebrating New Zealand culture with wonderful images of the changing face of Cathedral Square and the people who pass through it. The display has been put together by Julie Paterson in the Aotearoa New Zealand Centre and feature images and maps from our collection.

Check out more images on the library website or visit our flickr collection.