Tuesday 11 January 2011

The First Post


In November 2010, New Zealand’s most populous region became a ‘supercity’, uniting seven discrete territories. As a result the public libraries of the whole Auckland isthmus are banding together to become one big public library system — the biggest, they say, in the Southern Hemisphere. That means that instead of borrowing books from 17 bricks-and-mortar libraries as in the old Auckland City, I can now roll up and borrow from 55. (There are also mobile libraries and the digital library. More about those another time.)

The thought of All Those Libraries is invigorating, and I’m not the only person to feel that way. From the moment of amalgamation, Aucklanders started ordering library books as never before. But I’m not content merely to note that my reserved books come from such exotic and far-flung locations as Pukekohe, Wellsford War Memorial and Glen Eden: I want to go there. It would be nice to know more of this now even larger place called Auckland. So I’m launching the Latitude of Libraries blog project, in which I plan to visit approximately one library a week over the next year.

Auckland is, according to Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand, at latitude 36° 51'. I could have asked a reference librarian to find this out for me, but I worry that they’re busy right now, answering all the extra enquiries they’ve had since the superlibrary came into being. I did consult the Encyclopaedia Britannica, that fount of knowledge to which my public library membership gives me free electronic access. Although it didn’t tell me what the latitude of Auckland is, it told me this:

In November 2010 the greater Auckland region became a unitary authority that combined the governments of its constituent parts into one entity, the Auckland Council; these included the cities of Manukau, North Shore, and 11 others.* [italics mine]

I have it on better authority that the number of local bodies the new Auckland Council swallowed up is eight (four cities, three districts and a region). Maybe I should ask one of the reference superlibrarians how I can contact Encyclopaedia Britannica to put them right.

First, though, I’m starting this blog. As well as being about geographic locations, latitude is all about range and breadth, or, as the online Oxford Dictionary of English (also free with Auckland Public Library membership) puts it, ‘scope for freedom of action or thought’. A latitude of libraries seems an appropriate collective noun — like flocks of sheep, gaggles of geese, etc. My ‘latitude of libraries’ allows me to meander, and I promise you I’ll do that. I hope others will join me for the ride.

* Auckland. (2011). In Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved January 11, 2011, from Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Library Edition: http://0-www.library.ebonline.co.nz.www.elgar.govt.nz/eb/article-9011208

16 comments:

  1. where are you going first Claire? can't wait to read your comments!

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  2. I plan to pop up somewhere in West Auckland in the next few days. Should be fun!

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  3. Fantastic Claire, we will enjoy following you.

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  4. It is great, especially the now reduced price for renting DVD's. I have had books delivered from Papakura and it is free to request books now, yeehaa!

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  5. Welcome to the blogosphere Claire. Sounds like a great project. The Auckland City Library is my 'local', but I've also enjoyed visits to Takapuna Library (they often have the best author events across the Auckland libraries), and Papatoetoe Library, where I stumbled across Paul Cleave and Vanda Symon's books for the first time (which started the whole crime fiction reviewing and interviewing thing for me a couple of years ago). I hope you enjoy your project, and I look forward to reading about it over the coming weeks and months.

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  6. Craig, I’m going to start a blogroll (oh, this is all so new), and I must put your important Crimewatch blog on it. Thanks for the support.

    Claire

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  7. Brilliant idea Claire. Like others, I love requesting books that turn up from far-flung places. And the fact that it's all FREE is great. Looking forward to your posts.

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  8. Welcome to blogland, Claire! Great idea - looking forward to following you. Takapuna is my local but I venture "over the bridge" frequently and I've been quite excited by the library developments.

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  9. Wonderful Claire. I look forward to your discoveries. Are you going to let them know you visited? Jacquie

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  10. I'll enjoy following your tour Claire. Auckland City Libraries is a great service and it's now even better - I have books from all over Auckland piled up. But I've almost run out of space for recording TV programs. When will I watch them ...

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  11. Jacquie - I believe Claire will be letting everyone, Auckland Libraries included, know what she's doing here. ")

    Claire - Britannica Online have a "Comments and Questions" page linked from the bottom of the initial search page - if you provide them feedback on this issue it would be interesting to hear what their response is. No need to be a superlibrarian to give your feedback to an encyclopedia!

    Direct link here, if it helps: http://help.eb.com/bolle/intl/index.htm#Contact_Us.htm

    As well as the exciting project, I have enjoyed your writing style in this first post.
    Sean

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  12. Claire, this is going to be great fun -- I look forward to your comments. As a regular at both Point Chevalier & Brown's Bay libraries, I'll be interested to see how you develop this project.

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  13. Sean, you’re right: people can check the blog. I’m looking, though, at communicating directly with libraries — there’ll be times when I want to check something about their services, and it might be nice to let them know I’ve been there. There’s nothing Secret Squirrel-ish in my intentions.

    Thank you all for your feedback, and Sean for the Britannica info. Guess I’d better get out there and give you something more to read soon!

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  14. This might raise a competition - can you return and issue an item each time you visit and not get overdue charges?

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  15. I wonder if after visiting all the libraries Claire you will be able to post on whether you think Auckland is developing a 'oneness.'

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  16. What a great project! My library love affair is with the Wellington Public Library, which gives me full membership even though I live outside the WCC area, because I do some work in Wellington.
    It's particularly heartening to see this blog, Claire, given the dire news about public libraries in the UK, with them being cut back, branches closed and so on. This is also going on in the USA.

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