Above the parapet

BWB Texts, published by Bridget Williams Books, is a series of “short books on big subjects by great New Zealand writers”, connecting readers with some of the country’s best short form books and long form journalism. Over 30 Texts are available.

In early November, Central City Library hosted three BWB Texts authors – Tracey Barnett, Shamubeel Eaqub, and Max Rashbrooke – in conversation with Bridget Williams Books publisher Tom Rennie. They talked about the connections between the ongoing debates on asylum issues, Auckland’s housing bubble and inequalities in New Zealand.

Hear the full event via our podcast. Click below to start listening, or search for “Auckland Libraries” in your favourite podcast app.

Aucklanders book themselves in for sale

Book lovers on the hunt for a bargain flocked to Central Library in October, for their first book sale in nearly two years.

Central's Senior Librarian Jenny Cutting said she and her team were delighted with the enthusiastic response from customers, as the four day sale saw a flood of extra visitors coming through the library's doors.

"We were so pleased with the sale. Due to a number of factors, like refurbishment of our goods lift and public toilets, and the redevelopment of our children's area, we haven't been able to have a big book sale since November 2013," she said.

"We know this is a very popular event and it was great to see that despite the delay, Aucklanders came out in their droves to support us - and nab themselves some great reading material too."

Over 8,500 items were on offer over the four day period and included a mix of adult fiction, adult non-fiction, musical scores and CDs.

Ms Cutting said sale goods ranged in condition from “used to good or very good”, and each item had been checked for sale worthiness. They were all older or less popular items, had been replaced by updated material or were unneeded duplicates: their sale would make room for new stock to hit library shelves, she added. See Auckland Libraries' collection assessment policy for more information.

"There was nothing in the sale priced over two dollars, so it really was good value for people. We saw lots of customers leaving with heaving backpacks and bags full of books to take home and enjoy. It's great that these items can have a second life," she said.

All funds raised from the sale will be used for special projects at Central Library. The small amount of unsold material will be donated to a local charity, or the library may provide small "free" trolleys at the library in the coming months.

Into the River: in conversation with Ted Dawe

"Writers hold a mirror up to the world, and sometimes the world doesn't like what it sees. This is true in New Zealand. If 'Into The River' has made aspects of our society look ugly, then hiding the mirror will not make it beautiful again."  - Ted Dawe, September 2015

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We were delighted to have award winning New Zealand author Ted Dawe share his thoughts on the controversy surrounding his young adult novel, "Into the River", at Central Library last week.

If you missed Ted in conversation with Auckland Libraries' Regional Collections Manager, Louise LaHatte, you can hear the full event via our podcast. Click below to start listening, or search for "Auckland Libraries" in your favourite podcast app.

The sweet sound of success at Central Library's music month storytime

A string quartet is more at home performing as part of Central City Library's Thursday Lunchtime concert series events than a children's storytime. But a bright idea from staff saw a regular Saturday programme turned into a celebration of song, story and dance for the central library's youngest customers.

Part of May's New Zealand Music Month festivities, the event was the brain child of Music Library Assistant Owen Gordon. Together with musicians Ainsley Murray, Kate Walshe and Ginny Hopkins who generously loaned their time and skills for free, the quartet incorporated music into every facet of the progamme, including the regular welcome song. They also provided special sound effects to stories The Toymaker and the Violin by Pamela Allen, and Willbee the Bumblebee by Craig Smith, The quartet particularly shone between stories with dance breaks, getting the whole audience on their feet.

Central City children's area redevelopment has the "wow factor"

A forest has sprouted up in the Central City Library, complete with stream and a friendly taniwha - it’s the magical new children’s area.

The new children's area is located on the ground floor of Central City Library. 

The revamped ground-floor space was developed in direct response to the growing needs of those living in Auckland’s central city. A survey of inner city residents and children in 2013 identified the need for a clean, safe, fun and accessible kids-only space within the CBD. The Central City Library junior area redesign flowed out of this. 

The striking and unique design includes a wooden reading tree in its centre with a hut or pā structure around it, through which children can climb and explore. A forest adorns one wall while the ceiling features a canopy of leaves. Blue twinkling lights symbolise the ancient Waihorotiu Stream, now hidden under Queen Street, while a shelving system in the shape of a friendly taniwha (that includes cushioned reading nooks) wraps around the area, creating a feeling of warmth and inclusion.

Makerspace pioneers a whole new way of imagining library spaces

Central City Library is hoping to redefine the way we think about library spaces, services and communities with the establishment of its very own Makerspace. 

A 3D-printed Yoda figure atop a robotic car. 

The term “makerspace” is tricky to define – a makerspace can be a workshop, a technology suite or simply a meeting area. It often contains tools of some type, but these can include anything from knitting needles or bandsaws to 3D printers. Others constitute simply a space in which to meet and collaborate.

When the establishment of a makerspace was suggested at Central City Library in 2013, the widespread response was “What’s that?” Even tech-savvy librarians Hamish Lindop, Penny Dugmore and Baruk Jacob, who were asked to spearhead the project, admit they had no idea what they had been tasked with.

"We didn’t know what a makerspace was,” says Digital Outreach Librarian Baruk Jacob. “I’d never heard of it before. But the best way to find out anything is to start asking questions.”

On the list of community groups to talk to and engage with were members of the Tangleball “hackerspace” collective, technology agency Mindhive, mobile app developer App la carte, digital education specialist Mindlab and Vivenda, a 3D printing business. After several weeks of emails, phone calls, head-scratching and spit-balling, a vision for the Central City Makerspace started to materialise and the team decided they wanted this makerspace to be digital.