Kia ora and welcome to the Christchurch City Libraries blog.
Our mission is to keep you in touch with our world, sharing views, opinions and ideas on reading, listening and watching. Our world is the world of information, so our team spend their working (and private) lives exploring books, movies, magazines, music, the web and more.
We’re sharing our experiences of our world through an on-going digest of reviews, and we want your comments on the things we’ve got to say. This is a two-way street, so we want to know what you think about what we do. After all, the library is your library.
The views expressed on this weblog may be those of individual authors and therefore do not necessarily represent the views of Christchurch City Libraries, part of Christchurch City Council. We welcome comments but reserve the right to moderate or edit those comments prior to publication.
Christchurch City Libraries Blog 
Loving the blogs on the Festival from Donna.
Really makes you feel that you are there.
Beautiful blog! I love the Header image and the colour scheme – very restful and meditative, very ‘Karen Walker’
Like Sarah I LOVE the design of the blog – that landscape image stretching across the top of the blog is so inviting and for me, so much part of our landscape. (I like the content too -interesting and written with a nice tone.)
Hi I’m doing research on blogs for a revamp of the Townsville Library website. Have to say that your blog really stand out – well done!
In particular the book cover images really help to jazz it up. I was wondering what the process was in grabbing those and what restrictions/hurdles you had to overcome. Any help/advice would be great – thanks – Norma.
Thanks for your comments Norma, I will contact you with information on how we use the book cover images.
Hi Donna
I have a similar question to Norma’s regarding your use of book covers – it would be wonderful if you could also send this information on to me.
Hi Courtney,
Book covers are purchased from Nielsen Bookdata and may only be used in our catalogue and on our web site(s). They do not provide covers for CDs or DVDs.
Simone Hindin,
Online Services Specialist
Christchurch City Libraries
Hi there,
I am doing a research essay for my publishing diploma about Literary Blogging, and was wondering if you could please tell me when you established this blog, and how many entries you have put in.
It would also be great if you could complete a survey I have about literary blogging in New Zealand – I will send it through if you agree.
kind regards
Sarah Hughes
Whitireia Polytechnic Diploma of Publishing
Hi Sarah
I will contact you about this
Donna Robertson
Editor
Hi all, I love what you’re doing here.
I’ve set up a network on Ning for NZ librarians who are interested in blogging or other Web 2.0 “stuff”. Might be of interest to you (apologies if not).
ed. SdH – link removed because this has now disappeared
I like libraries. I will be back often. Nice library, good library.
Hello,
I work for west sussex library service in the united kingdom. Like many others i really like the design of your blog and i am going to start a blog for our own website. This will cover the 2008 National Year of Reading intitally. I would like to use wordpress as you have done can you tell me how easy it is to use and any other hints or tips. Also, is wordpress free to use.
Thanks for the inspiration!
James
Hi,
Thank you for this very interesting and informative blog. It gave me a pretty good idea what books people in New Zealand read.
Please keep up the good job you are doing here!
This is a very informative blog. Thanks for the interesting read
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you down the road!
writing from france only to tell you that I red Derek Hansens Sole Surveyor , got the book from the library in our small town and loved it so much that i bought it.Looking forward to next book translated into french.
What a wonderful website! You might be interested in Narrative Magazine since they are also in the business of promoting works by existing and emerging authors. They are a prize-winning, online publication based out of San Francisco, CA. You can go to http://narrativemagazine.com for more information and to check the website out for yourselves.
Best,
Natalie
This is a wonderful blog! Being a visual person and interested in Christchurch history, I especially like the historical photos.
Thank you so much!
Hello, yes I concur, an interesting and unobtrusive blogsite, thanks. This is also to let you know I’ve just put a video of a performance at the Blue Ladder Theatre in Christchurch from 1984 on my myspace site… see Bride of the Wheel under videos. http://www.myspace.com/bill direen
cheers and thanks 4 being there, bill.
sorry that address for the Blue Ladder video should be http://www.myspace.com/billdireen
bd
Monday Dec. 28, 2009 USA
Pardon me but are we talking about Christchurch NZ? I am in central Virginia USA and obliged to read to get good conversation. DO get the TLS every week, but it is lovely to imagine all of you reading and thinking and writing each other…So no I have not been in a cell but simply never attempted to contact the global readers who are out there reaching out to each other. Bravo.
Got to you from the “Bad Sex Award” on Bookbabble. Knew such a thing existed when I first read about it in the NY Times years ago but of course my local library had nothing about it- too provincial though the U. of Virginia is a center of learning…
Glad to know many of you are reading and thinking “deeply”.
Zak
Hi Zakananda
yes we are located in Christchurch New Zealand. Nice of you to come visit and let us know!
Great Blog! Interesting design and topics. I like your “About” page. It is clearly written. From a librarian working in Wellington.
Just wanted to stop by and say how lovely the Graham Condon Recreation Centre turned out. Truly a wonderful place to take the kids. 🙂
Can Library Assistants do blog entries on this blog? I am interested in writing about Libraries engagement with local writers.
Hi Andrew, yes we have a range of staff contributing to the blog. I’ll be in touch!
Hi Donna
I would like start a conversation about having opening hours of the library extended after 4pm on weekends at some libraries. I am interested in what other users might think. Can you comment, or suggest where I can discuss this in a forum others library users
can be part of.
Hi Steven I am going to ask our leadership team to see what they think, and if there is a possible forum for this discussion. We’d be interested to hear what you and others think.
Hi Steven, just had a chat to one of our managers. He said the team are looking at our options regarding opening hours. Next week’s Twitter Q&A is a chance to put a question. https://twitter.com/ChristchurchLib/status/296381796281614337 I will also start a discussion on our Facebook page now. ^Donna
Hi
I don’t use twitter, so how else can I access the q and a session?
I will check in with your fb discussion
Hi, I can submit the question on your behalf. We will publicise the questions and answers. Do have a look on Facebook – I’ve just put the question there now.
Have made a post Donna. I used fast-poste.
Hi there, I have noticed there have been a lot of people in Christchurch suffering from sleep or insomnia problems lately. I am running a study at the University of Canterbury looking at the effect of nutrients (vitamins and minerals) of symptoms of insomnia. The formula we will be using had been found to lower levels of stress, anxiety and intrusive thoughts in previous participants, and is anecdotally reported to improve sleep. I was wondering if this study might be of interest to people following your blog and may be a relevant topic to post about? If anyone is interested they can visit http://www.mentalhealthandnutrition.co.nz to read more about the study and fill out the eligibility questionnaire.
kind regards,
Joanna Lothian
I have nominated you for the “Very Inspiring Blog Award”. See the nominations post and the rules, to decide whether you would like to accept and pass on the award: http://zeesouthcombe.com/2013/07/06/inspiring-blog-award/
Hello from Canada,
I am a student in the Library and Information Technology Program at Langara College in Vancouver, BC. We are studying blogs at the moment and I came across your weblog on the Technorati site. (I was drawn to it because I was born in Christchurch). I am really impressed with the blog’s layout, content, and professionalism. The community is really blessed to have this resource.
I was just wondering about the authors (for both the home blog and the bibliofile blog. In Canada, we have librarians (with a master’s degree from a university) or library technicians (with a diploma from a college and whom support the librarians).
1. Do you have the same kind of hierarchy?
2. Are all authors librarians or do you have other staff contribute?
3. Is there a single person who oversees the blog’s content, and if so, what is their title?
I noticed that often just first names or nicknames are used so I was not sure of how to find out this information.
Thanks for your help, and congratulations on an excellent blog.
Helen LIang
Hullo Helen,
Thanks for your questions.
The blog was initially started by the library web team, most of whom are librarians. (we have had editors/team leaders with a journalism, technical writing or marketing background but librarians are the main contributors)
In New Zealand librarians can gain a Masters degree through Victoria University or a diploma through the Open Polytechnic. Our team has a mix of Masters and diploma equivalent qualifications.
Once the blog was established we encouraged colleagues from throughout our network to become bloggers. We offered training in writing for the web and using the blog. This has built up a wide pool of people – some of whom contribute quite regularly and some just occasionally. We also have one off contributors.
You might be interested in how we used the blog following the major earthquakes which hit Christchurch on 4 September, 2010 and 22 February 2011. In the following days the blog was a medium for sharing useful information to people in the city. Although you will notice that there were less in 2011 – the earthquake was much more severe in impact and people in the team took a while to get up and going again.
We have one person who oversees the blog (and website content and social media content) whose title is Editor, Digital Content. However all the web team members are able to edit and schedule blogs and do so. Forward content is planned at regular editorial meetings.
We also run a Kids blog which is managed by a children’s librarian and has a well established schedule of contributions from local school children and monthly guest authors who write 2 or 3 blogs.
http://christchurchkids.wordpress.com/
As well we have a professional blog where colleagues can share information from courses, conferences, reading and other professional and service matters.
http://cclbibliofile.wordpress.com/
Hope this helps
Marion
Thank-you so much for the helpful reply, Marion. Your blog(s) are truly outstanding.
Helen L
That is a great reason to have a blog.