Community connections

Twenty libraries across Christchurch and Banks Peninsula is quite a formidable community network and these days they are all fairly humming with activities. Just taking a quick look at our Community Connections for adults programmes will give you the idea. There is a February/July programme well under way and while the bookable courses may be full up, there are always plenty of drop in opportunities to learn computer skills like this one at Central Peterborough Library.

Libraries have always been places of community. Librarians and customers get to know one another, reading suggestions, plants and cakes are swapped and lots of learning facilitated. Post earthquakes this seems more important than ever and these days you can pop in to your local library and find many useful things like Citizens Advice Bureau on site, J.P clinics, craft groups, card groups, book clubs and art displays. Just take a look at our Classes and events calendar.

Recently South Library hosted the Migrant Quilt Exhibition which has become a spectacular annual event and currently Upper Riccarton is hosting an exhibition by Chinese artist Xiao Hong Deng. (runs until May 1).

Soon our libraries will be resonating with dozens of free music events by local musicians for New Zealand Music Month.

Libraries in your community – there is always something going on.

 

Learning how to use your computer

You’ve been given, or have finally decided you must have, a computer/tablet/e-book reader, but you’re haven’t really worked out how to use it? What to do?

Libraries are very aware that their customers have a need to know more about using computers, both generally and  specifically in relation to libraries – using our e-books or databases for example. We are endeavoring to meet that need wherever possible. Here’s some of the things we can offer you:

• Pop down to  your local library and ask someone to help you locate some useful computer  books
  like the Computers for dummies series or other introductory computer series
• Get yourself booked into a free or low cost session at a library.
  The Learning Centre brochure lists six week courses which are run each term. Other sessions are sometimes offered at individual libraries. For example, Central Library Tuam is about to start a four session course called Introduction to your new laptop (beginning on 3 April) and your local library may be planning something similar.
  Many libraries also run regular drop in sessions which are tailored to individual needs, from using a mouse to downloading an e-book.

If these don’t work for you try our community information database known as CINCH . It will direct you to any number of other computer study options around the city.

All too hard? Just have a chat to your friendly librarian about how to access our classes and resources.

 

I’m bored…..

Six weeks of summery holidays sounds idyllic. In reality by early January, my  parental grey hairs are rapidly sprouting and I need my kids to have some routine and focus. We all enjoy routines so the opportunity conduct some home schooling is nigh!

Over the summer period it is known that academically there is a slide in children’s abilities. Professor Tom Nicholson from Massey University talked on Nine to Noon about Stopping the summer reading slide . Here’s where we at Christchurch City Libraries can help.

The libraries latest database Busy things is a fun and highly acclaimed early literacy programme. Other great databases we offer include Literacy Planet, Tumblebook Library and, for  12 to 17 year olds, TumbleBook Cloud . They all offer books, graphic novels, videos, games and puzzles that will keep all ages in your family entertained and learning.

Summertime inspiration from our libraries include the Holiday reading booklist which is a great place to start. Back this up with our  Summertime reading club competition (closes January 18) which has great prizes and you could have some inspired readers. As well our learning centres at South, New Brighton and Upper Riccarton Library are running holiday programmes in January.

Exploring our Kids website will also throw up heaps of ideas and activities.

Happy holidays and happy learning!

Tania Gibson, Children’s Network Specialist

 

Samoan Language Week: Picturing Canterbury

Samoan Language Week.  Jan-Hai and Wiremu at Mini Linwood Library.

• See our pictures of learning
• More local images on the blog
• Browse our image collection

 

Shirley School 1924: Picturing Canterbury

Shirley School class photo, 1924.

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• More local images on the blog
• Browse our image collection

 

Sunbeam Kindergarten 1915: Picturing Canterbury

The Montessori system in operation at the Sunbeam Kindergarten at St Albans [1915]
Children attended here from three to five years of age. The children are shown at their morning’s activities

• See our pictures of learning
• More local images on the blog
• Browse our image collection

 

Life classes: Picturing Canterbury

Life classes at the Christchurch School of Art [1910]. The School had a roll of about 400 students.

• See our pictures of learning
• More local images on the blog
• Browse our image collection

 

Take a left turn to Māori Language Week

What if we learnt Te Reo to delay Alzheimer’s?

That’s what the slogan on the bus in front of me said. I felt a range of emotions:

• First, I smiled – it’s the new “What if” advertising campaign for Canterbury University – and it’s clever.
• Next, I felt despair about all the world languages that we have lost (one every 14 days on average according to an excellent article in the July 2012 National Geographic). Could a bus slogan have saved them?
• Finally, resignation set in. After all, why not? There’s going to be a lot of old Kiwis soon and if we all spoke Te Reo and kept our marbles while we’re at it, how great would that be?

All that emotion and I was only half way to work.

This week is Māori Language Week, so it is a good time to do a bit of reckoning. I’ve lived here for 12 years now and I’ve just made a list of all the Māori words I know. It’s embarrassing – let’s just say that if you took the number 12, multiplied it by 3, found the square root of that and added 14 you’d be close (I’m hoping you will have given up long before you get there). Pathetic.

Everyone knows that being multilingual is hugely advantageous. Most of us also know that we have to keep active and keep learning as we get older. In fact, Alzheimer’s can be staved off if you do even one new thing every day. My new thing is to write with my left hand. Up till now my left arm has just hung there sporting a few bits of bling on its tips – it’s high time it came to the party. But left-hand writing is really hard. I can feel the right hemisphere of my brain screaming for mercy.

Then, as I overtook the bus and pulled into Shirley Library, it came to me. How about if I learnt Te Reo writing only with my left hand?

Ehara mai!*

* Don’t know what Ehara mai means?  You can find the answer on this page of basic phrases from Kōrero Māori.

 

Sure to rise – breadmaking adventures

The other  night I ventured out in a torrential downpour and returned with a tray of Chelsea buns somewhat blackened on the bottom. Yes I had been to night class. It doesn’t sound very encouraging but the buns tasted delicious once the blackened bits were removed. The burning was the fault of a somewhat dodgy oven.

I’ve been to a number of night classes over the years – woodworking and yoga revealed my personal inadequacies in those fields but breadmaking has been fun and I have been learning heaps – not to mention eating some delicious fancy breads. My multicultural classmates and teacher bring all sorts of interesting traditions and ideas to the class. The course culminated in me producing a very nice wholemeal loaf. (Pictorial evidence provided on request).

Now I feel ready to practice what I have learnt and follow up by dipping into the great collection of resources at our libraries.  One of the best known baking gurus writing these days is Dean Brettschneider who began his training at the famous Rangiora Bakery.

 

Mana wahine – Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan

Whetu Marama Tirikātene-Sullivan passed away in July. She is renowned as the first Māori woman cabinet minister. But she also had a major influence in the world of fashion and design, as this article Snapshot: A Māori Fashion Designer in the Berg Fashion Library reveals:

She commissioned a large number of garments incorporating Māori motifs by contemporary Māori artists, such as Sandy Adsett, Para Matchitt, Cliff Whiting, and Frank Davis. She wore these at her many public engagements, and they were generally regarded as her signature style. For many New Zealanders this was the first time they had seen such traditional elements in a new context.

• Search our BiblioCommons catalogue for books on Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan
• Search BiblioCommons for Mana wahine
• Information on Māori women from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs

Mrs Tirikatene-Sullivan (M.P.) at art exhibition (image on Kete Horowhenua from Horowhenua Historical Society Inc.)