New to Christchurch? Settlement Support

Many agencies in our city provide specialised support for migrants and refugees but navigating those services can be confusing. Our Central Library is currently hosting a new information service to help migrants find their way around the range of agencies – Settlement Support is a Department of Labour initiative which funds a service in all main centres of New Zealand.

The Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce is managing the initiative in Christchurch. Shirley Van Waveren is available Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 am to 2 pm on the library’s first floor. She is happy to help with any enquiries relating to the settlement of migrants – employment, education, health and housing in particular.

Useful links for migrants:

• Migrants guide to Christchurch – Christchurch City Council
  Key information to help you get settled, from transport to banking, and tax to medical care. The migrants guide has also been translated into some other languages.
• New Migrants
  A listing from the library of relevant websites for new migrants arriving in New Zealand.
• New settlers
  Information from Christchurch City Libraries on library services and collections for new settlers, including books in other languages.

Record Store Day

Saturday 17 April is Record Store Day.

From top 20 stuff to second hand 12 inch 80s vinyl, from the hottest French electropop to Kiwi dub  –  it’s all good at your local record store.

Christchurch is well served by a mixture of chain stores, and local landmarks like Galaxy, Radar, Pennylane and Real Groovy (there is a list of Christchurch retail music stores from CHART).

Some record store related reading:

• High fidelity (Nick Hornby book, and movie starring John Cusack)
• Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Cafe books
• Old rare new : the independent record shop – a homage to the independent record shop, with interviews of a variety of music types like Everett True, Devendra Banhart and James Lavelle having their say on the joys of discovery.

The Library caters for music lovers well, we send you off to the record store better informed and give you the chance to try before you buy. See our Music pages for more information – and don’t forget next month is New Zealand Music Month and there will be performances in our libraries to liven up your May.

What do you think of record shops? Are you all about online music purchasing, or do you still love that vinyl?