tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229179063483250422024-03-06T17:21:17.734+13:00A Latitude of LibrariesOne woman visits her town’s 55 public libraries, and gets to know the neighbourhood.Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-78614826342295002502013-08-22T17:27:00.000+12:002013-08-24T22:52:12.939+12:00Blandness, Beauty, Surprise: The Making of Albany<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nN_uswivl5X7R52Sw4CkjUZX83dFP3iAYIo_EDLI0IHJ_ho-RTxGm1iu-Vj_mY_LT8Q2O9hCDAYtUiLdIKEgnH0ENIXLwSM_dO_IQ0RYSz59vaTrWaMLhNO99okFCmA4LzDjNE81VII/s1600/Albany+Map.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nN_uswivl5X7R52Sw4CkjUZX83dFP3iAYIo_EDLI0IHJ_ho-RTxGm1iu-Vj_mY_LT8Q2O9hCDAYtUiLdIKEgnH0ENIXLwSM_dO_IQ0RYSz59vaTrWaMLhNO99okFCmA4LzDjNE81VII/s320/Albany+Map.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A small chunk of today</span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">’s Albany. The expanse <br />of water is the North Shore sewage ponds.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">On her way to the north of the north, a South Island friend of mine once drove through what she remembers as “a small settlement some significant time out of Auckland”.<br /><br />Since that trip three decades ago, the settlement — Albany — has spread south and east to join Auckland itself. My friend, Alison, has migrated north to settle in the city and now spends her weekdays in a boxy building that’s part of an Albany office park. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Getting there from her home in central Auckland is quite quick, she finds, except on public transport: “Two hours and two buses to get to work,” she exclaims, “and 90 minutes and three buses to get home. And that was the best effort.” <br /><br />Mention Albany to another nine-to-five Albanian, Catherine, and she thinks of “driving from shopping barn to shopping barn, squeezing my car in between badly parked SUVs”. Feeling mean, she adds that it has “a wealth of great sushi, you know. There are at least five different and excellent places to get it within a stone’s throw of work.” </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BHDCONYpKceEsSIO3gEKdCmEALryPAi-ntZ2MLfo6tko-86ArcloFm2h8tcyQF9XHDMXKgmm5JQYsCBv70yfHwH6DdkcigDes4RXRsc7IOKg3OonrfZdZBkjVZyiwlYhK-2yvSquacQ/s1600/Albany+industrial.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BHDCONYpKceEsSIO3gEKdCmEALryPAi-ntZ2MLfo6tko-86ArcloFm2h8tcyQF9XHDMXKgmm5JQYsCBv70yfHwH6DdkcigDes4RXRsc7IOKg3OonrfZdZBkjVZyiwlYhK-2yvSquacQ/s320/Albany+industrial.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Albany</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> blandness: an industrial area.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aucklander Gabriel White’s film about Albany screened at this year’s New Zealand International Film Festival. <i>Oracle Drive</i> shows the area’s “guarded blandness” and “the well-mown desolation of the light-industrial urban fringe”, says the <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://www.nziff.co.nz/auckland/film/8b842c60-cfe0-437b-a68b-f7d6d03175ba">festival programme</a></span>, but also its “beauty and eerie immanence”.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">’s in a Name?</span></span></b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The film’s narrator raises the question of whether the local streets live up to their names, some of which carry classical connotations or are more famously attached to locations overseas. Nile Road for instance is “long and meandering”, he muses, but “there’s nothing especially Egyptian about it”. Nobody appears to live in White’s Albany, though numerous cars circle its roundabouts. <br /><br />Albany does have residential pockets; I happened upon one recently. The bird-related street names there were decidedly not of a feather (and should therefore not flock together): Condor Place, Black Teal Close, Rifleman Rise, Rook Place, Bluebird Crescent, Egret Court... </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The developer must have run out of birds, or perhaps I reached the next subdivision, because suddenly I was sailing through the Caribbean — Barbados Drive, St Lucia Place, Calypso Way — and then, disconcertingly, streets such as Capri Place, Devonshire Road. <br /><br />Some new suburbs in Albany have pre-existing local names, such as Schnapper Rock (a fishing spot that gave its name to a gum diggers’ camp, a road and a cemetery before accommodating row upon row of the living). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Historically, though, the heart of the area is Albany Village. This isn’t the quaint haven that the word “village” suggests, but there’s a square, and on a small green island between two major highways, the coronation hall (1911) and memorial library (1922) still stand. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUcp8FQjMx-KDcK7CEIq29NJNEjBB_3VhGe_xD752rZDu_8t0kkXmKBwdWRGBFcAaBNO9oBHHGHpADRbBdNS6ZGYIeBQ_xfI2ofkj9qN6bvg_-pmzt1JsOJbedTLbiqNJJFkswAKoBWRg/s1600/Albany+Memorial+Library.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUcp8FQjMx-KDcK7CEIq29NJNEjBB_3VhGe_xD752rZDu_8t0kkXmKBwdWRGBFcAaBNO9oBHHGHpADRbBdNS6ZGYIeBQ_xfI2ofkj9qN6bvg_-pmzt1JsOJbedTLbiqNJJFkswAKoBWRg/s320/Albany+Memorial+Library.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Albany beauty: The memorial library.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Cultural Centre</b><br />The library commemorates the 23 local men who died in the First World War. When it was built, the <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=AS19221216.1.17&e=-------10--1----0Albany%27s+new+cultural+centre--"><i>Auckland Star</i></a></span> described it favourably as “Albany’s New Cultural Centre”.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In fact it’s so tiny — just one room — that it looks like a children’s playhouse (the <i>Star</i> also said it was “Small but Powerful”). Seventy years after its initial and rather <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19221222.2.99&srpos=38&e=-------10--31----0library+albany--">grand opening</a></span> by the Governor-General Lord Jellicoe, it was still open for customers every Thursday morning, thanks to local senior citizen June Chitty. <br /><br />Few of the books left the premises, June told me in an interview for the <i>North Shore Times</i>. She recalled some titles from her childhood; newer volumes were throw-outs from Takapuna Public Library. “She would be glad to receive more recent publications”, I noted at the time, “and also see Albany gain a well-equipped, larger library”. <br /><br />My Mrs Chitty exclusive appeared in the paper in May 1992. The same month, I broke the news that Albany would soon receive its first set of traffic lights — a small but significant marker of urbanisation in a one-time rural idyll. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLtv8yfUYqihoFNtMa0ek5JSNjTKTjOabrERQjZvqVK3-bOiNJ06jdRXdo4_yz2GRX6qqmHc0hFZoPQ5NV2xdw1eHjejwLNFRha0JcnqWRgIKl0t4lDJ_5AT_Gicm6EUFYow8zddV0PI/s1600/Albany+Library+Window.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLtv8yfUYqihoFNtMa0ek5JSNjTKTjOabrERQjZvqVK3-bOiNJ06jdRXdo4_yz2GRX6qqmHc0hFZoPQ5NV2xdw1eHjejwLNFRha0JcnqWRgIKl0t4lDJ_5AT_Gicm6EUFYow8zddV0PI/s200/Albany+Library+Window.jpg" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The present public library</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Boy and books.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Albany had joined the new North Shore City as part of the Glenfield ward. In 2004, when North Shore Libraries opened its official Albany branch, June Chitty was the first to borrow a book. In 2011, however, the<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> <a href="http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/representativesbodies/LocalBoards/UpperHarbourlocalboard/Pages/upperharbourplans.aspx">local board plan</a></span> would comment that “Our library at Albany, although well used and loved, is too small for our population.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The floor-to-ceiling windows there must be buggers to clean but thanks to them, the present Albany Public Library shows off the vibrant colours inside. It’s inviting — whether you’ve come via the green strip that is Kell Park, or the rather grey village square. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Free Rangers</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Looking straight through the library door to the shelves behind the counter, you’ll see numerous knick-knacks in the shape of chickens. These and various images around the village are reminders of the feral flock (mainly roosters) that roamed Albany Village for decades, becoming its emblem as well as its main claim to fame. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvW-wRoCGdgDD5Qlrhp0O3woeWYwmjn0zkoptHXDAQcX6jkkNSkY7-FbR8s6EScafT9PJCSz-ccm_Hhr-nFU1UVl6_9KVU7QRl2q3e4enAOMfXO-fcrhIFNQQo7NTKLTkFP1A13_X9z4c/s1600/Albany+Village+Rooster.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvW-wRoCGdgDD5Qlrhp0O3woeWYwmjn0zkoptHXDAQcX6jkkNSkY7-FbR8s6EScafT9PJCSz-ccm_Hhr-nFU1UVl6_9KVU7QRl2q3e4enAOMfXO-fcrhIFNQQo7NTKLTkFP1A13_X9z4c/s320/Albany+Village+Rooster.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The rooster emblem <br />in Albany Village Square.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In 2008, the North Shore City Council sought their removal. Amid opposition from the local business association but with support from animal welfare groups, some of the wanderers were “rehomed” and others that had evaded capture were shot by council officers.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The library had its own role in these events, I’ve heard, when a distressed member of the public ran in clutching a fugitive fowl that she’d rescued from the line of fire. It was given sanctuary in a back room until the fuss died down. <br /><br />Dawn Evans, who grew up in Albany, speculates that the wildfowl were descendants of the chickens her family raised across the road from present-day Kell Park: “ours used to roost in trees as well as using their chook house”. <br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Uncovering the Past</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Her personal account of Albany’s 1940s and ’50s restores — to mind at least — the settlement that disappeared beneath the bulldozers, the diggers, the suburbs and the office parks. It’s heartening, perhaps, that the Auckland Libraries’ sole copy of her book, <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=|library/marc/supercity-iii|b2689196"><i>My Roots, My Place, My Albany</i></a></span>, is constantly out on loan, and that the library has now ordered plenty more. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />It seems to me that a private initiative such as Dawn’s evokes the past and pays tribute to it more effectively than a public construction such as Albany Lakes, said by the local board plan to “tell how Albany has developed from a quiet rural orchard area to a bustling centre of Auckland”. <br /><br />Over these stormwater ponds looms what is sometimes claimed to be New Zealand’s largest shopping centre (one of several thus described). The mall was full of people the day I called in, but the lakes were deserted save for a romantic couple huddled out of the wind. <br /><br />I couldn’t read Albany’s development narrative in the inscrutable ripples of the water, nor in the shrubs and grasses at its edge. The board plan admits there is room for improvement: “We need to explain better this story and its significance, so we will ensure that this story is appropriately signposted to visitors at the lakes.” </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The suburb of Rosedale <br />was the base for</span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> growers <br />such as </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Clemow</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> and Pannill</span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuXQxSFnUQXSjUH-I22QEDRSeSLzsQG3-1LJGH2sIlC7_ByCG4qBpkLGdvjR1T0XmShI4Dwuq-DgqUMbFBq7MXW7fRisT-iUCB2bALbbnFz-yYh05fkcGnHHTqDv5FKBxb6qtCFeYQc5o/s1600/Rosedale+Walk.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuXQxSFnUQXSjUH-I22QEDRSeSLzsQG3-1LJGH2sIlC7_ByCG4qBpkLGdvjR1T0XmShI4Dwuq-DgqUMbFBq7MXW7fRisT-iUCB2bALbbnFz-yYh05fkcGnHHTqDv5FKBxb6qtCFeYQc5o/s200/Rosedale+Walk.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Albany surprise: </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pannill</span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">’s <br />grape discovery<br />was made near this <br />Alexandra Creek walkway, <br />says a council sign.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Former Fruits</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The last orchard was <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://www.localhistoryonline.org.nz/cgi-bin/PUI?a=d&c=supercol&d=nsim-T6567&cl=CL2.O.Orchards%20-%20Albany&av=T6567_access.png&e=0--------0-----------0-1-0-0-">Clemows’ in Rosedale Road</a></span>. It closed in the 1990s, but some of the old apple trees remain in a public park at the back of “Clemows Orchard”, as the subdivision is named. <br /><br />The fruit-growing fame of Albany lives on, too, in Albany Surprise and Albany Beauty. The first is a grape that local orchardist <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19420305.2.31&srpos=6&e=-------10--1----0Pannill%E2%80%94">George Pannill</a></span> propagated from a sport (mutation) of the American grape Isabella, as the nineteenth century drew to a close. It became, for a time, the most widely grown table grape in New Zealand. The second is an apple variety that another early grower of the area, Mark Phillips, propagated after finding an unusually coloured Gravenstein. <br /><br />One (probably erroneous) theory about the name of Albany itself is that it was inspired by a town in a fruit-growing region of Australia. The European settlers had earlier called our Albany “Lucas Creek”, after the waterway that was the main supply route for about 70 years.The creek in turn had taken its name from one Daniel Lucas or Clucas, who had started a flax mill nearby before disappearing from the local story. <br /><br />Residents pressed for the name change. The <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH18901230.2.51&srpos=5&e=-------10--1-byDA---0lucas+creek+albany+name%E2%80%94"><i>New Zealand Herald</i></a></span> reported in 1890 that this was because “the old name represented the good old days when settlers were few and bushmen plentiful” — a euphemistic way, perhaps, of saying that “Lucas Creek” had unsavoury connotations, being associated with drunkenness, illegal stills and the smuggling of liquor (which made headlines from <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=DSC18651118.2.15">1865</a></span>, if not before). <br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Layer after Layer</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you want to literally unearth the past and to do it in a skilled manner, you need to be an archaeologist. If you want to get an accurate and detailed picture, you need to be an experienced historian with utter dedication, like<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> <a href="http://timespanner.blogspot.com/">Timespanner</a></span> blogger Lisa Truttman. But simply to discover that a place has layer after layer of history, you need only to be interested and to take time — to look, to read and to experience. The library will help. <br /><br />Even over the narrow span of 150 years, much has happened on this small portion of the North Shore. More than one old Albany has been replaced, and more than one is remembered and recorded. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7ryjLFvI4mhdm6TokxJh1t5sbOCFn_2tHqvQwmBmhnaZRthtHRUkFh3F1-aoEK3FIjdU3TAf22i-TuUYddOg2i5c0iy07r7DgTJpnWXseJJMRETzUuumpCc78LTvSs1IxznghAy1Xr8/s1600/Albany+Weirdness.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7ryjLFvI4mhdm6TokxJh1t5sbOCFn_2tHqvQwmBmhnaZRthtHRUkFh3F1-aoEK3FIjdU3TAf22i-TuUYddOg2i5c0iy07r7DgTJpnWXseJJMRETzUuumpCc78LTvSs1IxznghAy1Xr8/s320/Albany+Weirdness.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The front window of the Wine Box Caf</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">é</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <br />looks out to a Swiss chalet-style <br />construction that houses a garage and the <br />Uncle Delicious East European Delicatessen.</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My own memory, focusing on the 1970s–90s, includes visits to the Albany Village Pottery, home to many great movers and shapers of clay. The business at 239 State Highway 17 still claims to be (like the potters’ co-op) a “<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://www.thewineboxcafe.co.nz/">known and trusted North Shore icon</a></span>”. Recently, though, I discovered that it’s now the Wine Box Café — and has been for some years. <br /><br />Platt’s Native Plant Nursery, near the Greenhithe turnoff, is long gone, but Graeme Platt</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">’s</span></span> trees still grow in my garden and many others. And the long slog just past the village, the Albany hill, was an unforgettable feature of the main route north. Now it’s just part of the road to Dairy Flat. <br /><br />Dawn Evans’s Albany, dating before the Auckland harbour bridge, is different again. Remnants of this can be seen as well. “For years after we left, each time I had occasion to pass our old place, I would wish ‘my’ trees saved,” she writes. “I loved those trees, the ancient puriris... Wonderfully, my wish was granted. A part of the hill where the best specimens grew was designated as a reserve, Gills Reserve.” <br /><br />There are, too, the versions of Albany that are older than any of us: those of the gumdiggers, the sly-groggers,* the flax miller; of the earlier Maori who first forded the creek and perhaps left the patu that, many years on, Dawn would find nearby when her father was building a road. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">* * * * *</span> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0rLxLTzx1e2XAGL629I9BpEYHS-tFrsKk5kCVPEs3Lq7HJt25eHvBaV51xxG5DUg5iL8_CZSsxj09wEe1ky8AtrfcpAM5DVh3EF2jq3TPeq0QrDS095iqpGwWEv2ubAsY7eXa8fu5bY/s1600/Kells+Park+Reading+Throne.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0rLxLTzx1e2XAGL629I9BpEYHS-tFrsKk5kCVPEs3Lq7HJt25eHvBaV51xxG5DUg5iL8_CZSsxj09wEe1ky8AtrfcpAM5DVh3EF2jq3TPeq0QrDS095iqpGwWEv2ubAsY7eXa8fu5bY/s320/Kells+Park+Reading+Throne.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Reading in the playground<br />at Kell Park.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">* The word</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> ‘</span>sly-grogger<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">’</span></span> is a New Zealand and Australian word for someone who deals illicitly in alcoholic liquor. A patu is a short club; a weapon made of stone, bone or wood.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Dawn Evans sells copies of <i>My Roots, My Place, My Albany </i>as well as another small book she has written and illustrated, <span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=|library/marc/supercity-iii|b2689199"><i>Heavenly Valley</i></a></span>, on losing a loved pet. Contact her at rondawnnz [at gmail.com].</span><br />
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Other books consulted for this blog post were <i><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=|library/marc/supercity-iii|b1499399">Once There Were Green Fields</a></span>: The Story of Albany, New Zealand</i>, by Alison Harris and Robert Stevenson (the book being read in the photo at left) and <i><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=|library/marc/supercity-iii|b2513684">The North Shore: An Illustrated History</a></span></i>, by David Verran.<br />
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Auckland Libraries<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">’</span></span> <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://www.localhistoryonline.org.nz/cgi-bin/PUI?a=p&p=collection&collection=newspapers&e=0--------0-----------0-1-0-0-">Local History Online newspaper collections</a></span> were invaluable for indicating dates of local events. National Libraries<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">’ <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast">Papers Past</a></span> was another excellent resource, and aerial shots of a former Albany can be seen at the National </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Libraries<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">’ <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://natlib.govt.nz/items?utf8=%E2%9C%93&il[category]=Images&text=whites+aviation+albany">Timeframes</a></span> site</span></span>.</span></span><br />
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For other sources, click on the hyperlinks in the text above.<i> </i><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-42289943108015102502013-06-30T13:54:00.000+12:002016-05-16T20:35:16.067+12:00A Library in Every Pocket?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdwEgWAUI6kUwb7oG8ngXfe3Vyp_MZ9dnoJ9TwOcWhJc0gs2SZMJF1Gw2lm3fj8G4jHf0JMMzKaZnZEUqfS0h8TvDmQQPDzCntJbM3EyOepQiM-0-gpXvHcMge6rEhKYdauhwU2TrJkc/s584/equipped+for+the+beach.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdwEgWAUI6kUwb7oG8ngXfe3Vyp_MZ9dnoJ9TwOcWhJc0gs2SZMJF1Gw2lm3fj8G4jHf0JMMzKaZnZEUqfS0h8TvDmQQPDzCntJbM3EyOepQiM-0-gpXvHcMge6rEhKYdauhwU2TrJkc/s320/equipped+for+the+beach.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do they have their membership cards and/or mobile <br />devices for instant library access? People, <br />probably Aucklanders, on a Coromandel beach.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Have library card, will travel. That was my feeling about Auckland public library membership, even before the local government amalgamation that gave us “1 city. 55 libraries” on 1 November 2010. Close cooperation between the region’s public library systems, starting years earlier, meant that members of one already enjoyed access to the benefits of all, at least when it came to online subscriptions. <br /><br />Thus from the first decade of the twenty-first century I used the digital library. It was an amazing experience to be at home, at work, in another town, or even overseas, and still to be able to enter the world of knowledge that came with being a member of the Auckland Public Library. <br /><br /><b>Love, Mustard, Black Holes and More </b><br />Most valuable to me was Oxford Reference Online (ORO), a library in its own right, and one that I could search in a couple of clicks. The access to this Oxford University Press resource prompted me to take my library card everywhere, just in case there was something I needed to know and an internet connection was available. <br /><br />It was like the heady feeling of being in love. In fact, that particular word came up: “Dear —” I emailed friends of mine once, “I love the Oxford Reference Collection. Please find below some info regarding ‘keen as mustard’...” <br /><br />The ensuing message quoted three of the online titles — <i>The Oxford Dictionary of Idioms</i>, <i>A Dictionary of Phrase and Fable</i>, and <i>An A–Z of Food and Drink</i> — on the origins of that spicy condiment (mustard, not love) and various expressions relating to it. I was, quite probably, an Oxford bore.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpu2feAYISRPjWmGpKMJrza53AP5O4TtcybWdU3Wu186TpF_9zE546Hk4y0f13aY1R-RPFcIrt8RrlZELgBEDr28Px-nxi_9ydWKFgkcUwp_-u0YCTGHIeg5MnaOnD59aq5IXQQg9PLdU/s567/keyboard.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpu2feAYISRPjWmGpKMJrza53AP5O4TtcybWdU3Wu186TpF_9zE546Hk4y0f13aY1R-RPFcIrt8RrlZELgBEDr28Px-nxi_9ydWKFgkcUwp_-u0YCTGHIeg5MnaOnD59aq5IXQQg9PLdU/s320/keyboard.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Are these the keys to the Information Kingdom?</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In preparing posts for my <a href="http://www.eggventurous.blogspot.com/">Egg Venturous blog</a> and this Latitude of Libraries blog, I’d rate consulting ORO as a favourite activity. I’ve also found opportunities to search there while immersed in other projects: among my papers, I recently rediscovered something I’d printed out an aeon ago from <i>The Oxford Companion to Cosmology</i>, to aid a poetic quest relating to black holes.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As an editor and proofreader, too, I’ve found ORO invaluable. If I need to query something with an author, that particular publisher carries more weight than Google or Wikipedia — even than <i>Encyclopaedia Britannica</i>. My Auckland Libraries membership offers me free use of the latter, and I refer to it now and then, but ORO used to be open on my internet browser at all times and I consulted it daily. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Waitakere Central Public Library.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>A Connection Severed</b><br />I talk of ORO in the past tense because, although the university press continues, as does the online presence, our connection has been severed: Auckland Libraries has cancelled its subscription (though online subscriptions to two stand-alone Oxford publications remain; see the end of this post). One morning early in April I logged on to find that... I couldn’t. I emailed my library — “Help, help!” I implored — but to no avail. <br /><br />“Unfortunately,” came the reply, “the Oxford Reference Online database is one that we no longer subscribe to. The reason given is that in order to ‘keep rates reasonable for ratepayers, Libraries reviewed their list of eResources in October 2012 and rationalised them to keep a broad range of content while still providing best value.’” <br /><br /><b>Cutting Coats and Costs </b><br />About a year ago I had expressed concern about the funding cut that the Auckland Council proposed for our libraries: “When I look at libraries”, <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/while-theres-life-theres-hope.html">I wrote</a></span>, “I see pretty lean operations whose people are practised at stitches in time and saving nine, seeing pins and picking them up, taking care of the pennies, cutting their coats according to their cloth, and (not least) wasting not.” (I was quoting <i>The Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs</i> at the time, courtesy of ORO and my Auckland Libraries membership. But that and various hyperlinks on A Latitude of Libraries are now redundant, due to the closed ORO connection.) </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Former library entrance at <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/04/return-ticket-to-glen-eden.html">Glen Eden, <br />which does still have a public library</a></span>.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The reduction mentioned then was one per cent, but the figures since seem to have been larger; nothing like the cuts that have closed public libraries all over the United Kingdom, but large enough to affect services. <br /><br />After budget cuts were announced, Auckland Libraries made a fair bit of noise, in a discreet and strategic manner, about how they might have to reduce services. The Grey Lynn and Snells Beach libraries might have to close, they said, though Mayor <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10837771">Len Brown put the kibosh on that</a>. More recently <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/EN/News/NewsArticles/Pages/freegalmusiclaunch.aspx">Freegal, the free music-download service</a></span> that the libraries promoted heavily following its arrival early in 2012, was mentioned as a possible sacrifice. <br /><br /><b>Use or Lose; Fear and Favour </b><br />But despite the posturing above, and when push comes to shove, library managers will understandably seek to save money where it will be least noticed. That is probably among certain electronic resources of whose existence library members are largely ignorant, and which they therefore do not use very much, if at all. <br /><br />Oxford Reference Online is probably an example of this. It is only by accident and extreme curiosity that I found, some years ago, that I could slip through some fur coats, out the back of a wardrobe, and into Oxford, equipped only with my library card. I went there ever after. Googling was mundane and limited by comparison. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Exhibition window, National Library, Wellington.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Few others may feel like this about something that is just, when you boil it down, a database. All the same, I would like to have seen the libraries promote ORO as a resource before they decided to get rid of it. Perhaps its usage figures would have gone up, prompting them to keep it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />That’s not to say that the contents of a library catalogue should depend on a popularity contest. My understanding is that on principle, librarians collect and supply diverse information from diverse viewpoints; that it is against some primary law of librarianship for them to show fear or favour. So even if ORO isn’t the most used resource, that alone shouldn’t exclude it.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppQkI9zwqZFwXhVYqo8baOJngbdsdw8fbfqWJeWkWBkkpY0r6wUkthouKrAUVihlzWsMSml5qkLpbt7OsZrygGmwR-TyZKdWr4HlOd4IlpM1fAJsEcH_j_Vsi4aCwAhsxMOkmFlxf6Yo/s567/Takapuna+Library+sign.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppQkI9zwqZFwXhVYqo8baOJngbdsdw8fbfqWJeWkWBkkpY0r6wUkthouKrAUVihlzWsMSml5qkLpbt7OsZrygGmwR-TyZKdWr4HlOd4IlpM1fAJsEcH_j_Vsi4aCwAhsxMOkmFlxf6Yo/s320/Takapuna+Library+sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Helpful sign, Takapuna Public Library.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Vexed and Valid Questions </b><br />The category of information expertise that the Oxford collection inhabits — “reference” — has suffered in the last decade or so, because so many people think that Google answers everything. It doesn’t. Questions always remain. One valid question might be, how are we to know that the answers — or even our questions — are right? </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’m an information snob, I suppose. Google, Wikipedia et al are sometimes perfectly capable of giving me what I’m looking for, but on occasion perhaps I crave the gravitas that Oxford invokes; its hallowed halls, its centuries of scholarship, its air of superiority and the stamp of approval that comes when I bandy that particular brand-name about. Perhaps this snootiness is a colonial cringe and a misguided Anglophilia, too: preference for an apparently British source over American ones.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At the same time, I’m the opposite of a snob: I want everyone to say, like the unnamed character in <i>When Harry Met Sally</i> (1989; see video clip below), “I’ll have what she’s having” — and, what’s more, to get it.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/F-bsf2x-aeE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Auckland Libraries’ subscription to the online Oxford University Press resources seemed to me a very modern expression of a traditional idea: that a public library should be </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“</span></span>the people’s university”, unlocking more of the world of knowledge for all.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So it’s not entirely self-interest that leads me to ask if we can please have ORO back. Nor am I entirely a free-loader: as a freelance editor, I have invested at least $1000 in my own reference library. But without electronic access to Oxford, I feel like a freelance whose lance has been confiscated.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIf0Sq0avy1nJeghFFrJvgseQOpb3L0WXj96TWgHfhnyFDicmI6W9cjdaPFE3xa79WyZ_74ysxJEg424k8J4e7hQbOqBISQhq1q-N9qRWNOfgvQunSvOWysJXu6AY_kpGIypkqnYr00U0/s586/Papakura+Books.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIf0Sq0avy1nJeghFFrJvgseQOpb3L0WXj96TWgHfhnyFDicmI6W9cjdaPFE3xa79WyZ_74ysxJEg424k8J4e7hQbOqBISQhq1q-N9qRWNOfgvQunSvOWysJXu6AY_kpGIypkqnYr00U0/s200/Papakura+Books.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Withdrawn reference books <br />that my partner bought at<br />Papakura Public Library <br />(see </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.co.nz/2011/11/navigational-aides-auckland-edmonton.html">Navigational Aides</a>).</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What We’ve Lost </b><br />The Auckland Libraries subscription to ORO gave remote access to more than 300 reference books. Any member of the public can enter a direct relationship with Oxford University Press and subscribe independently to about a third of these, the Quick Reference set, for £80 a year. <br /><br />The rest of Auckland’s Oxford online list featured more indepth “companions” and some other titles of general interest (including <i>The New Zealand Oxford Dictionary</i>, the full-length <i>Oxford Dictionary of Quotations</i>). These belong to a second group of online tools available only to subscribing institutions and their members: individuals cannot buy these subscriptions from Oxford, and in some cases the print editions of these books are not currently for sale. The number of hard copies in public libraries is limited. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqKAGoxun6n91Ks0Vcry0m-3bx5Tjbm9s1wZ3CuM1TTZOXbCcvk80seHYD69ZLtTkW5jY9R_EJonmJszPVJoKXmqlj1KWfY2eT1v0HWjkLQ64ve0GepLyuTPOAF7dELfLCE_vd4upjlo/s567/Bookshelf.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqKAGoxun6n91Ks0Vcry0m-3bx5Tjbm9s1wZ3CuM1TTZOXbCcvk80seHYD69ZLtTkW5jY9R_EJonmJszPVJoKXmqlj1KWfY2eT1v0HWjkLQ64ve0GepLyuTPOAF7dELfLCE_vd4upjlo/s200/Bookshelf.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bookshelf (I forget where).</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Nothing Compares... </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On its <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/DigitalLibrary/newsandupdates.asp">e-library “News and Updates” page</a></span>, Auckland Libraries suggests several alternatives to ORO. Among them are databases of numerous journals and periodicals, an index to New Zealand magazine articles, and the open-access <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://www.teara.govt.nz/en">Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand</a></span>. In my view, none is like ORO. <br /><br /><i>Encyclopaedia Britannica</i>, listed there too, is the closest — but it’s a single publication, while within the Oxford collection I could compare information on one topic from numerous and diverse books. I think Oxford offers more depth and authority, as well as diversity. <br /><br />The Gale Virtual Reference Library, to which Auckland Libraries also subscribes, might be regarded as another alternative to Oxford, though the libraries’ list doesn’t mention it. Gale, too, seems to cover subjects in less depth.</span> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ukxaYdNwnVnkX5sUJjW_NKh7ZH1-a-mRdChZxsW1iC_HRhdoX3PIVqp4cDC-VeDFDd_yP0sDjJyrATX32tdhCDEF8i4bI8YORwkFNoUCvgDtVqLpl1w9DXwRBs866K6g2HN2CYarHOQ/s1376/South+African+mantis.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ukxaYdNwnVnkX5sUJjW_NKh7ZH1-a-mRdChZxsW1iC_HRhdoX3PIVqp4cDC-VeDFDd_yP0sDjJyrATX32tdhCDEF8i4bI8YORwkFNoUCvgDtVqLpl1w9DXwRBs866K6g2HN2CYarHOQ/s200/South+African+mantis.jpg" width="154" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">South African praying <br />mantis, my arm.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Out of interest, and because I recently<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://www.eggventurous.blogspot.co.nz/2013/06/let-us-prey-looking-mantid-in-eye.html">posted on the topic at Egg Venturous</a></span></span>, last week I compared <i>Britannica</i>’s and Gale’s entries on mantids (praying mantises) with the ORO source I had consulted about these fascinating insects.<i> Britannica</i>’s amounted to one A4 page and Gale’s to three. The Oxford information, gathered earlier from <i>The New Encyclopedia of Insects and Their Allies</i>, was four pages. “More” does not always mean “better”, but it did in this case.<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The local body amalgamation of 2010 made library “rationalising” inevitable. But when it came to the libraries’ holdings I would have expected cuts to journals and periodicals rather than a collection like Oxford, because the libraries’ relationships with several large suppliers at once may have resulted in overlapping journal and periodical subscriptions. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3A56a5hJGiq7mh_yP8nTumBJ8wU4Ept2bqyrqBZRvMpbVPwd4V1jER65_J3lj8G0ss1r2Pi2W6eNXQhSvx8e-2BdCRRUG7WRYKRAMliAznU5KPEtzTsXVvHxXp10ImDOKAYHyMft15Q/s567/future+of+swearing.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3A56a5hJGiq7mh_yP8nTumBJ8wU4Ept2bqyrqBZRvMpbVPwd4V1jER65_J3lj8G0ss1r2Pi2W6eNXQhSvx8e-2BdCRRUG7WRYKRAMliAznU5KPEtzTsXVvHxXp10ImDOKAYHyMft15Q/s200/future+of+swearing.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Intriguing title, <br />Takapuna Public Library.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>And What of the Future? </b><br />I don’t know the ins and outs of supplier relationships, or plans for other subscriptions. A few other e-resource cuts were announced in November, and recently the libraries announced that they would not renew a subscription that ran out on June 30. Maybe there will be more. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In December, Auckland Libraries reported on its directions for the next 10 years. Oxford Reference Online seems an excellent fit with two of the ‘<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/EN/About/plansandpolicies/futuredirections/Pages/futuredirections.aspx">Te Kauroa — Future Directions</a></span>’ report’s six focus areas. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The first of these, “the digital library”, aims to have “your library available anywhere, anytime”. The media release about the report took this angle in its heading, “Auckland prepares for ‘a library in every pocket’”. It was a nod to mobile devices such as smart-phones and tablets.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oUIGEUtF6F_ZreoGmh49_qW7GeQ8Nsq2SIiQTmCy9sCV43Nxap6JzEkRYf4cJCB7VLyqjWADsYztJRoY6bIWgIvOTCLNHkwflDXu0JOzj5lIVON_a-gAv0o_s1WYdxsA7dZNa5qFKWg/s567/Outside+Central+Library.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oUIGEUtF6F_ZreoGmh49_qW7GeQ8Nsq2SIiQTmCy9sCV43Nxap6JzEkRYf4cJCB7VLyqjWADsYztJRoY6bIWgIvOTCLNHkwflDXu0JOzj5lIVON_a-gAv0o_s1WYdxsA7dZNa5qFKWg/s320/Outside+Central+Library.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">On the phone outside Auckland Central <br />Library during a book sale.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The last focus area in the report, “collections”, notes intentions to “safeguard open access to a broad and deep range of library materials... grow the range and ease of use of digital content”, adding that “more of our spending on library resources will move to purchasing access to online subscriptions and databases, e-books, and access to streaming media sources and downloadable content.” ORO comes to mind there as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The ORO subscription would also tie in with focus area 3, library spaces, where one priority is to “investigate and develop alternative delivery options for those who face access barriers to a physical library, e.g. rural Aucklanders or homebound”. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The report talks of delivering a “world-class” library to Aucklanders: it uses those words eight times. I can’t help feeling that we already had a world-class library, but that a budget cut has slightly reduced its value. With the connection to Oxford Reference Online severed, my library card doesn’t seem to take me quite so far any more. <br /><br />* * * * * <br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Other Oxford E-Resources</b> <br />Auckland Libraries currently retain a separate subscription to the <i>Oxford English Dictionary</i> online. Its historical thesaurus is a favourite hangout of historical novelists such as Geraldine Brooks (she mentioned this at a Women’s Bookshop event a couple of years back). Like ORO, the <i>OED</i> is a treasure; for this post it gave me background on the wonderful word ‘bandy’. (It is a game related to tennis, its exact nature now lost in the mists of time. One meaning of the verb, however, is “To toss or pass from one to another, in a circle or group; to toss about.”) <br /><br />The public library also still offers full access to <i>The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography</i>, which concludes many (if not all) entries with a summary of the subject’s liquidity — financial — at the time of death. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoyaH6t4MbsnSDzWArm0hwtXwCepUlOcrmBPjjOlwCcDKA7vSf2GmAvC3BNdbR4Vvc-BH-Un2OQ17r7HnlqOG55yylODVo_809Lq-mMg4oNtcfPq3xSK4NYNaXn4rOFfiCutS1S9ECAc/s603/OUP+elsewhere.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoyaH6t4MbsnSDzWArm0hwtXwCepUlOcrmBPjjOlwCcDKA7vSf2GmAvC3BNdbR4Vvc-BH-Un2OQ17r7HnlqOG55yylODVo_809Lq-mMg4oNtcfPq3xSK4NYNaXn4rOFfiCutS1S9ECAc/s320/OUP+elsewhere.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Auckland Libraries copy of Emily Carr <br />autobiography, <i>Growing Pains.</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Oxford Elsewhere </b><br />A quick check of several other cities’ public library holdings showed me that the Wellington and Christchurch libraries currently offer Oxford Reference Online to their members, as do Melbourne and Darwin in Australia.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The full lists of ORO titles are <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://www.oxfordreference.com/page/titlelists/title-lists">here</a></span>.</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Institutions can select any number of online publications from the Oxford Reference Library list.</span></span>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-39500116358342649392012-06-17T15:48:00.001+12:002012-06-17T17:13:42.130+12:00What Goes, What Stays? Time in a Western Library<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgOYUNl-ymBB-__G5He3vk7SoqdwDVaedyec58sdEcqlSqsrb446QtnFAUhilgnLuf38qOA3rgX3Cu_HWchGbY9E2cJ18ntNPgpISRrKBFdgV0j5L9DMgPMteuTfPvo6DBBGWViYN1fE/s1600/Making+Local+History.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgOYUNl-ymBB-__G5He3vk7SoqdwDVaedyec58sdEcqlSqsrb446QtnFAUhilgnLuf38qOA3rgX3Cu_HWchGbY9E2cJ18ntNPgpISRrKBFdgV0j5L9DMgPMteuTfPvo6DBBGWViYN1fE/s320/Making+Local+History.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A poster at Henderson</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">’</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">s public library.<br />This<a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1204/S00716/student-exhibition-shows-community-it-takes-a-village.htm" style="color: #45818e;"> project</a> will be archived at the <br />library</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">’</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">s</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> research centre.</span></td></tr>
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<h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">It’s surely a mark of an interested, active community that its public library noticeboard is up to date and announces a wealth of associations and events. Here in Henderson, West Auckland, these range from the woodturners guild and the Scottish country dance club (no partner needed) to job-search meetings in the library and the settlement support group for new migrants. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br />Heavens above: there’s even an invitation to “read the Bible before you die”, more moderate than that quote suggests. With its black Courier typeface and plain white paper, it’s also more modest than the other shinier, more colourful, signs of things to come. And though it speaks of things eternal, by my second visit it’s no longer there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Turning 180 degrees to the doorway of the Waitakere Central Library, it’s reassuring to see another notice declaring that this is a </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">HEART SAFE FACILITY </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br style="color: black;" /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR ON SITE</span>. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlngzUvpiAFtZuZxVxxzwKKcnwvS_asQ_sCC_7i6_0UOa4AfabQOVDA_sJPxg03h7JxK26kEIKMgCy-99AExVOHrqaKUSta-HjPjoNpbg_LRi0-Q_wp6ENYqV7MyGzCnboRnwtXux49Q/s1600/Henderson+Library+Circulation.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlngzUvpiAFtZuZxVxxzwKKcnwvS_asQ_sCC_7i6_0UOa4AfabQOVDA_sJPxg03h7JxK26kEIKMgCy-99AExVOHrqaKUSta-HjPjoNpbg_LRi0-Q_wp6ENYqV7MyGzCnboRnwtXux49Q/s320/Henderson+Library+Circulation.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The circulation desk at Waitakere Central Library. <br />
Members of the public come here with any <br />
initial questions or requests for help.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">The entrance area is very neat, with a long, wide passage alongside the circulation desk to the books and other facilities beyond. It’s tempting to imagine the library staff rushing me along on a book trolley to whatever assistance I urgently require.</span><br />
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Or not. No rushing is evident on any of my three visits, though the atmosphere is one of helpfulness and quiet efficiency. The first and second times I go, the long circulation desk is imposing. By the third, I’m at ease walking right by and ascending what could be the stairway to heaven: steps stretching up and away into whiteness. (Note for people with disabilities: the library has a lift available.)<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj930E56LNVxUX20l6ypsC2iuiI01BKS78B5pR6RThxWgiI3DDK2qWfJhNaPPjZtRli4mdE2pBr0sFO9uifKDxkYRQN1-zykkkILpUNpUzp8OLUvzeFjNd_9lZrW8-n0HFkH09UYrY10Tk/s1600/City+Library+Stairs.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj930E56LNVxUX20l6ypsC2iuiI01BKS78B5pR6RThxWgiI3DDK2qWfJhNaPPjZtRli4mdE2pBr0sFO9uifKDxkYRQN1-zykkkILpUNpUzp8OLUvzeFjNd_9lZrW8-n0HFkH09UYrY10Tk/s200/City+Library+Stairs.jpg" width="149" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>From Ordinary to Extraordinary</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’m going to level 2, to the West Auckland Research Centre, whose J. T. Diamond Reading Room has a small exhibition space at one end. A friend and I plan to hear Karekare resident </span><a href="http://www.fotofile.co.nz/" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ted Scott</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, in an </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1392933008" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Auckland Photography <span id="goog_1392933005"></span><span id="goog_1392933006"></span></a><a href="http://www.photographyfestival.org.nz/" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Festival</a> event. He’s well known for his landscape photos, and I never get tired of giving a couple of his greeting cards. One has an unfurling fern frond in the shape of a koru; the other a punga tree-fern viewed from below, its branches like the spokes of a wheel or the ribs of some organic umbrella, reaching for the sky.</div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Many of Ted’s local photos feature in long-time Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey’s <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1306922" style="color: #45818e;"><i>Untamed Coast: Auckland’s Waitakere Ranges and West Coast Beaches</i></a>. His show at the library, however, seems to be from another planet, one that’s black and white and innumerable shades of grey. <br /><br />That planet is 1960s London, where the photographer grew up and where he served his time as an apprentice in the now-vanished photo-litho industry. The London that he caught on film has vanished too: it was populated by Footplate Fred, whose job would end when diesel overtook the steam trains; by children playing on Blitz bombsites that would soon make way for tower blocks; and, in Petticoat Lane, by a little old lady who was an unlikely-looking messenger of Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.waitakere.govt.nz/cnlser/libs/theapprentice.asp" style="color: #45818e;"><i>The Apprentice</i></a>, Ted Scott’s show (to June 30), offers an interesting lesson about documenting the ordinary life that’s right in front of us. Soon enough, people will find it extraordinary. Of course, you have to have an eye for it, and he clearly does. <br /><br />Back then, he was a teenager using his first camera. Films were expensive, so he’d buy one with just 12 exposures, and try to make every shot count. Occasionally something in his carefully arranged composition would (f)alter just as his finger pressed the shutter: that’s life, isn’t it? Some of the resulting photos he thought were flawed, but on reviewing them very recently he concluded that they had a certain something. So half a century on, these striking images are on display. <br /><br />Today another camera operator, research centre team leader Robyn Mason, will record Ted’s talk for posterity. And the reading room that we’ve come to is named after someone else who documented things: Jack Diamond was a self-taught historian of west Auckland who spent decades recording the present before it passed, the past before it sank into oblivion. After he died in 2001, his 30 linear metres of photos, books and manuscripts were donated to the library. <br /><br />When my friend and I arrive, the room is full of schoolchildren. Their teacher and the librarian are ending a practical lesson on research and there’s a light hum of conversation, punctuated by packing up, as everyone gets ready to go. Perhaps some of the students will later contribute essays to the J. T. Diamond Essay Competition, which encourages west Auckland historical research and the writing down of memories. I hope so; I hope that in the new and larger Auckland this initiative, hitherto a joint project of Waitakere Libraries and the <a href="http://www.westaucklandhistory.org.nz/" style="color: #45818e;">West Auckland Historical Society</a>, will continue.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jY6FLTsxWRhGYJi6XSMMlfnhknGhXq1644Obv_GcFcY1SENkZDNZlu-UxVngOTWPDKxK2v4cyWXsOm4DdLXA-uikfB2dmmQ7nqc4GNMPxKrExSCeXtVRv8N1qwVO3syzV2nTqP7DAG0/s1600/Waitakere+Central+Library.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jY6FLTsxWRhGYJi6XSMMlfnhknGhXq1644Obv_GcFcY1SENkZDNZlu-UxVngOTWPDKxK2v4cyWXsOm4DdLXA-uikfB2dmmQ7nqc4GNMPxKrExSCeXtVRv8N1qwVO3syzV2nTqP7DAG0/s320/Waitakere+Central+Library.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The front of the library, with a cafe on the ground floor.<br /><br />Below: around the side, with a view to Unitec</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">’</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">s</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <br />building next door. The foreground shows detail of a <br />columnar artwork representing a hinaki (eel trap) <br />and possibly, I</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">’</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">ve read</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">, a wine barrel </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">— </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">both used <br />by industrious west Aucklanders of the past.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczx7Eq4GGpyCGpSujtdlhWiSkb9BZJ6SEebLsRTkeYGHWK8xZ4OiRXcd29IzXNPGsHB-IYWH3VOWN6D2PmbbIEzvW1GgkLl-Eh88vPV5K7sF74dfH_WTtbrqlY46i1SYzNvVAsBubQME/s1600/Art+and+History+Waitakere.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczx7Eq4GGpyCGpSujtdlhWiSkb9BZJ6SEebLsRTkeYGHWK8xZ4OiRXcd29IzXNPGsHB-IYWH3VOWN6D2PmbbIEzvW1GgkLl-Eh88vPV5K7sF74dfH_WTtbrqlY46i1SYzNvVAsBubQME/s320/Art+and+History+Waitakere.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b>A City Library, and More</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Waitakere Central Library, which opened in 2006, is seven times the size of its predecessor, and clearly intended as a “city library”. If the spacious circulation area doesn’t convince you, the mayoral portraits will. Six suited men, two of them robed, are resplendent in gold chains, facing anyone who approaches the fiction department. They give no hint that their days are numbered. <br /><br />What goes, and what stays, when cities amalgamate? Some of the change is easily identified and quantified; some isn’t. This library gives the sense that we’re in Waitakere — surely something there’s no need to shake off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Still, there may be more appropriate candidates for pride of place on that otherwise blank wall: the Waitakere Arts Laureates, for instance, whose black and white portraits by Catherine Davidson are harder to find. They’re deeper in the library; I’d suggest their subjects also draw more deeply from the well of ideas. <br /><br />As the new age of amalgamation dawned late in 2010, cultural commentator Hamish Keith lauded Waitakere City for its embrace of the arts, especially its laureate scheme, which has honoured 16 artists (in fibre, fine arts, hard materials, literature, performance) who have some connection with the west. He described this as “an initiative that deserves not to sink with the abandoned deckchairs. The new Auckland should immediately take this bunch aboard and should add to them, creating its own much larger tribe of <a href="http://www.listener.co.nz/commentary/cultural-curmudgeon/follow-the-west/" style="color: #45818e;">the creative wise</a>.” <br /><br />That’s yet to happen. Although the post-amalgamation council’s Auckland Plan makes mention of the possibility, it makes no provision for it in years to come. Giving the existing laureates pride of place in the Waitakere Central Library would be one way to remind people of what the west can offer the wider Auckland.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQD8_jFNXlw_v2NyL4tdypT8nKxyzR5J5LR-nWf6NpFv_7fRPs8t8kZuc47kXPSuQlZiKDFS-KtcjVj4lIdxAEnZHtAN7grjJ5OS3W2dZC2P76OOCLPZFE1wY7E1t0E74AEVh2KbdhlAA/s1600/Library+Book+Return+Machine.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQD8_jFNXlw_v2NyL4tdypT8nKxyzR5J5LR-nWf6NpFv_7fRPs8t8kZuc47kXPSuQlZiKDFS-KtcjVj4lIdxAEnZHtAN7grjJ5OS3W2dZC2P76OOCLPZFE1wY7E1t0E74AEVh2KbdhlAA/s200/Library+Book+Return+Machine.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The laying on of hands? No, this is <br />Waitakere Central</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">’</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">s new </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">intelligent <br />return</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">”</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> machine. It reads compatible <br />labels to check books in.</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"></span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">It’s an interesting library, Waitakere Central, the first in New Zealand to be a joint venture between an educational institution and local government. The union is not especially obvious until you reach the second level where the non-fiction books of the two institutions are interfiled, Unitec’s readily identifiable by the logo on their spines. Public library members can use these in the library and photocopy a few pages to take away if they want. Originally Unitec students could issue and return their books on the ground floor, but that’s now changed. <br /><br />The polytechnic and public library initially shared the ground-floor learning centre, too. When I visited in April it looked like a school computer room, though largely without a class: Unitec seemed by this time to have concentrated its computing resources for students elsewhere — perhaps in its campus building next door, though there’s also an extensive Unitec space on the third level of the library. <br /><br /><b>The Library Opens Up: Space, Access, a Sense of Security</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">When I went back a month later, after the library had closed a few days for renovations, the rows of desks in the learning centre had gone. Instead there was a more convivial arrangement with space to sprawl — more public library lounge than cramming chamber. As a staff member told me, it’s now a lot easier for people with prams or other equipment to move around.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaeeQl-2R9l6enrrvd1MqVgxm0IPo87OjIOgcCKY3ACslvGmCz6JEpIfnajwKqX7NxKvtVSx07LYJ-yyc2qbQe-mC9aLdeKEcdOP8kbggwR2_294fVCeDB0KoI6snnPdc5LVY-GwLRHc/s1600/Library+Entrance+Henderson.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaeeQl-2R9l6enrrvd1MqVgxm0IPo87OjIOgcCKY3ACslvGmCz6JEpIfnajwKqX7NxKvtVSx07LYJ-yyc2qbQe-mC9aLdeKEcdOP8kbggwR2_294fVCeDB0KoI6snnPdc5LVY-GwLRHc/s320/Library+Entrance+Henderson.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">An informal seating area just inside the library.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Several other changes didn’t register until they were pointed out to me: <br />- a former library shop just inside the library has become an informal seating area; <br />- DVDs and music are now more accessible at the front of the library on the ground floor; <br />- magazines have been moved to the front on the second level (where the DVDs and music used to be); <br />- more study tables in a naturally quiet area by windows at the end of the second level; <br />- all the ground floor bookshelves are now less tall than previously.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The latter I’d noticed in the children’s section, where shelves are even lower than the rows of fiction that precede them. This means barriers have been replaced with space, light and a clear line of sight, giving a sense of accessibility but also security, backing up the nearby notices promoting the care of children and prevention of bullying.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJN3iIJXAlk7g20A6bYPTelUdQ0gPhVGJUQfGnLU74RKYPt_tklZuUko-UslXGRGd5q08PJmLDdr_5VjNMw8p9udyblVNRwTbfmG5I0DbbxtLrUk7i8Do0ptMCnzfEkAkkwuJ_Ff62-8g/s1600/Child+Safety+Sign+Sm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJN3iIJXAlk7g20A6bYPTelUdQ0gPhVGJUQfGnLU74RKYPt_tklZuUko-UslXGRGd5q08PJmLDdr_5VjNMw8p9udyblVNRwTbfmG5I0DbbxtLrUk7i8Do0ptMCnzfEkAkkwuJ_Ff62-8g/s200/Child+Safety+Sign+Sm.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Signs like this are now appearing <br />
in a number of </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">public libraries.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">The children’s librarian, absent on my previous visit, was proactive about inviting new arrivals in this part of the building to ask her for any help they wanted. There’s an art to this, as I know from my earlier career in bookselling. <br /><br />For retailers the desired result of such a “greeting” is a personal connection between staff member and customer, rendering products and services more accessible but at the same time boosting security. One challenge for the worker, especially in a library or bookshop, is to get the timing right: don’t interrupt a browser’s reverie or they may up sticks and leave, suffering from an acute case of the Shoulds (“I should be doing <i>x</i>, <i>y</i>, <i>z</i>...”). A degree of breeziness is called for, and it’s important not to seem pushy.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0I2eL6g05Ny_73eLMmKSXta9f5varidUZ6xSoQkquQ_0bovNqad3QVncLHKspuBZxfjub1GSsMM7DnjE-uqft0sIR6WbvbuB_mG4Ri-x0fwhwz08a-__EsbaXjGYGrEHAXMJiJCzN0SQ/s1600/Waitakere+Central+Childrens+Section.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0I2eL6g05Ny_73eLMmKSXta9f5varidUZ6xSoQkquQ_0bovNqad3QVncLHKspuBZxfjub1GSsMM7DnjE-uqft0sIR6WbvbuB_mG4Ri-x0fwhwz08a-__EsbaXjGYGrEHAXMJiJCzN0SQ/s320/Waitakere+Central+Childrens+Section.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A quiet corner in the children</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">’</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">s section</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">, <br />enjoyed by</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> children and adults alike.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lZGz0n84RsJ_Va0qiQap8PMq4kF1eFfsnkxg5pvGa7iwRyKkWS-Fs8SaEoz3V5Cx-kFSzaVWlKSZM0axFhAksnGSSPCG0EC6bgRgj6sR-Koa09qAPcI2ot6Z6Rk15aSlp5iMs-WBSUc/s1600/West+Auckland+Library+Art.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lZGz0n84RsJ_Va0qiQap8PMq4kF1eFfsnkxg5pvGa7iwRyKkWS-Fs8SaEoz3V5Cx-kFSzaVWlKSZM0axFhAksnGSSPCG0EC6bgRgj6sR-Koa09qAPcI2ot6Z6Rk15aSlp5iMs-WBSUc/s200/West+Auckland+Library+Art.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This bronze insert in a library <br />
handrail is by Mathew von Sturmer.<br />
He and Sunnah Thompson also <br />
created the hinaki pictured above.<br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">The librarian I saw had mastered this art. And when she wasn’t overtly helping people, she was around; at one point she was cleaning a window. I’m not about to suggest that library staff should be expected to clean up after us, but it goes to show — as does the activity I encountered in the research centre — that there’s much more to working in a library than simply loving books. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>The Waitakere Arts Laureates</b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />Don Binney, painter <br />Niki Caro, film-maker <br />Len Castle, potter <br />John Edgar, sculptor <br />Fatu Feu‘u, artist </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">Graeme Gash, artist </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">Lois McIvor, painter <br />Geoff Moon, photographer (d. 2009) <br />Lemi Ponifasio, dance director <br />Ann Robinson, glass artist <br />Dick Scott, writer <br />Peter Siddell (d. 2011) <br />Matafetu Smith, weaver <br />CK Stead, writer <br />Mahinarangi Tocker, musician (d. 2008) <br />Patricia Wright, singer </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /><br /> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Other Sites of Interest</b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">http://aucklandlibrariessupertour.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/waitakere-central-library/
(comments discuss the Unitec arrangement) </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">www.waitakere.govt.nz/artcul/pdf/waitakeresartsaureates.pdf (info on the inaugural laureates) </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0804/S00222.htm (additional laureates, inducted in 2008) </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"><b></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAAc1A9kZj8o3Sowm8Sed_z1Zo_8V-b_VE370zJo6gsfmj6JNOx9tcsYZrA26tiUtkC6t8BH2kk6H5DfI21NYMPk47s0xpEF6yIhBCidd4y123KxF5GIlAxSLWZBeIp4v6qw3CiZpY-4/s1600/Books+Trolley+LIbrary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAAc1A9kZj8o3Sowm8Sed_z1Zo_8V-b_VE370zJo6gsfmj6JNOx9tcsYZrA26tiUtkC6t8BH2kk6H5DfI21NYMPk47s0xpEF6yIhBCidd4y123KxF5GIlAxSLWZBeIp4v6qw3CiZpY-4/s200/Books+Trolley+LIbrary.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-69647594937479027832012-06-14T22:10:00.000+12:002012-06-14T23:01:31.956+12:00While There’s Life, There’s Hope<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehzU50gcO2smTEHfjvmDe4U-1xR8Y2oK1r7hWbeLBEQdzPwnUqFnoEqDAdZjlnCrFD_GSgruwppkau2c8xciW3qlKt5Im47AeALPoTSNWR_hWdiJ0Aviwk1j70Yyky1B34zYPjGlzF4o/s1600/Unhelpful+Library+Sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehzU50gcO2smTEHfjvmDe4U-1xR8Y2oK1r7hWbeLBEQdzPwnUqFnoEqDAdZjlnCrFD_GSgruwppkau2c8xciW3qlKt5Im47AeALPoTSNWR_hWdiJ0Aviwk1j70Yyky1B34zYPjGlzF4o/s640/Unhelpful+Library+Sign.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Ahem. It may have been obvious to anyone visiting this latitude lately on the world wide web: things have been a bit quiet around here. I had a bright idea for <a href="http://www.eggventurous.blogspot.com/" style="color: #3d85c6;">another blog</a> and thought I could manage both at once. However, that has proven difficult. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /><br />Our libraries, of course, haven’t slept. They’ve kept working really hard to serve their very diverse communities and no doubt will continue to do so, despite a one percent funding cut recently announced in the Auckland Council budget — though where they will find the “efficiencies” mentioned <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10808874" style="color: #3d85c6;">in the last (and usually least important) sentence of the<i> Herald</i>’s news story</a>, I dread to think. When I look at libraries I see pretty lean operations whose people are practised at stitches in time and saving nine, seeing pins and picking them up, taking care of the pennies, cutting their coats according to their cloth, and (not least) wasting not. <br /><br />Anyway, despite my silence I’ve kept visiting Auckland public libraries, ordering books, using the digital library databases. I just haven’t posted about them. And despite my not having posted about them, this blog keeps getting hits: 52 of them on May 24, for heaven’s sake, when I hadn’t posted since March! <br /><br />As <i>The Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs</i> says, while there’s life, there’s hope.* The blogger’s block is about to change. A new post is almost ready to go up here at A Latitude of Libraries. Watch this space.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*This dictionary also says all those other proverbial things I’ve paraphrased in paragraph two. It is available on the web through your Auckland Libraries membership — even when you’re not at the library — at <a href="http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/DigitalLibrary.aspx?Page=SEARCH&Subpage=2&searchval=Oxford%20Reference%20Online#top" style="color: #3d85c6;">Oxford Reference Online</a>.</span></i></span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">NB The unhelpful library sign pictured above amid empty shelves, inviting library users to approach staff who in fact were not in the vicinity, was not in Auckland. It wasn</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">’</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">t even in New Zealand. It</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"> wa</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">s in a library I visited last year, <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.co.nz/2011/11/navigational-aides-auckland-edmonton.html" style="color: #3d85c6;">somewhere else</a> altogether. That facility was undergoing some changes at the time, and apparently it</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">’</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">s now quite different.</span></span>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-54842606717491034342012-03-10T14:41:00.011+13:002012-03-12T13:32:47.392+13:00Catching the Bus to WHY-car-whyyy<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">The Waikowhai bus is part of the fabric of Auckland, and those who rode it together as adolescents include Mark Greatbatch (cricketer), Russell Crowe (gladiator) and Simon Prast (<a href="http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/gloss-1987/series" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Gloss</i></a>-ster and theatrical type). But even though I’ve seen many buses bound for Waikowhai during my lifetime, until a few weeks ago I hadn’t a clue where it was. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br />
The name is Wai meaning water, Kowhai as in the yellow-flowering tree. It’s long been said WHY-car-whyyy in our drawn-out New Zealand English, so when I heard it pronounced in the Maori way, I didn’t link it with the Waikowhai bus — or yet know where it was. Why-CORE-fi, said my physio, a Pakeha enunciating the Maori simply, beautifully, unselfconsciously: My husband is the principal at Waikowhai Intermediate. <br />
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouiNbViV9_9s8xbJ-alXUHDMDiLLdJTvhuv_MEWrguepEMzia3smQpnW_au3pBvTouyh-DgOOHsGvz4OBnuNCUReaAQ2zsYS0IWbK4ymI4OvyS8dkM-JBEf6IABJwvJJJsZwJvDdJhrg/s1600/IMGP0005.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouiNbViV9_9s8xbJ-alXUHDMDiLLdJTvhuv_MEWrguepEMzia3smQpnW_au3pBvTouyh-DgOOHsGvz4OBnuNCUReaAQ2zsYS0IWbK4ymI4OvyS8dkM-JBEf6IABJwvJJJsZwJvDdJhrg/s200/IMGP0005.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kowhai motif.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYf2EK_5NOgJ8QuAvqk-_Uvwr0QVyC4NCO8okfzwxAB6MNvdR5qecmxZ01WxLpwRZiddLjBfZKI-vnb2OG3lYb6BuL8z9UXFNQNP2JiCTm0ipEbuBbxoeBGQDK2yGqO2vH8Ft70s1mpDU/s1600/Fickling+Centre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYf2EK_5NOgJ8QuAvqk-_Uvwr0QVyC4NCO8okfzwxAB6MNvdR5qecmxZ01WxLpwRZiddLjBfZKI-vnb2OG3lYb6BuL8z9UXFNQNP2JiCTm0ipEbuBbxoeBGQDK2yGqO2vH8Ft70s1mpDU/s200/Fickling+Centre.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Outside the library.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b>Green Belt and Bible Belt </b><br />
The renovated Mount Roskill Public Library boasts a new kowhai-flower motif and shiny green paint. Both are superficial and easy to slap on, but when I heard that they symbolised the nearby green belt extending to the Manukau Harbour, a light went on in my mind. <br />
<br />
<i>Wai-kowhai</i>: it’s the place of the green belt, the bus, and my physio’s husband’s school. The suburb that hangs out with Lynfield, Three Kings, Hillsborough, Mount Roskill and somewhere called Wesley. Together they constitute what I’ll call Greater Mount Roskill, a borough from 1940 to the first big Auckland amalgamation of 1989. <br />
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilP8uZ_NT07SDHSbSYbk8Xg_-Voaympzrbiyx9YZJ9tk6-4CFRft-thyphenhyphenmeMah8wIhe9nTE6tAIF9F8am8Sz-TgNH8yfZ5nPsIg7hKxv7VxAGpBxSx-evuinnXP9SAmd_xBtG4Tu1ocwmU/s1600/Keith+Hays+Roskill+Cross.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilP8uZ_NT07SDHSbSYbk8Xg_-Voaympzrbiyx9YZJ9tk6-4CFRft-thyphenhyphenmeMah8wIhe9nTE6tAIF9F8am8Sz-TgNH8yfZ5nPsIg7hKxv7VxAGpBxSx-evuinnXP9SAmd_xBtG4Tu1ocwmU/s320/Keith+Hays+Roskill+Cross.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Keith Hay</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">’s Mt Roskill erection.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It's illuminated at night during<br />
major Christian festivals.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">I prefer the flexible fit of a green belt to the restrictions and strictures of a bible belt, but it’s as the latter that Mount Roskill has been best known. The influence of local housing magnates Keith Hay (Keith Hay Homes) and Bill Subritzky (Universal Homes) may have had something to do with that. <br />
<br />
As mayor for 21 years, Hay had a gigantic cross erected on top of a volcano, distributed copies of the Ten Commandments to local schools and described churches as “the heart of the community”. (His son also became a Mount Roskill mayor before, as Auckland’s deputy mayor, opposing the city’s gay paraders and other habitués of the immoral demi-monde.) </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Subritzky, influential in church, business and local politics, gave a Bible to everyone who bought a Universal Home. In the borough’s penultimate year Mount Roskill had New Zealand’s highest number of churches per head. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">The demographics have changed over the years, and Mount Roskill is now home to people of diverse faiths, including many Muslims. But Hay’s cross still has its home on top of the extinct volcano.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71LMGMc9FjLolH41IQrRR5QDOAjVtZgp9E2E5awmIZBR_dpAuoD6g-SDanLoHTStOB5v1JQ3j2PcLt_YvO_p_ld5povvgmHuSeQ2ajxWZQOv1ctt0AjfAEynWw8JDRNmlQqLecpkSNuQ/s1600/Mt+Roskill+Multicultural+Signs.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71LMGMc9FjLolH41IQrRR5QDOAjVtZgp9E2E5awmIZBR_dpAuoD6g-SDanLoHTStOB5v1JQ3j2PcLt_YvO_p_ld5povvgmHuSeQ2ajxWZQOv1ctt0AjfAEynWw8JDRNmlQqLecpkSNuQ/s320/Mt+Roskill+Multicultural+Signs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Multicultural Mt Roskill (Stoddard Road).</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b>Puketapapa </b><br />
The Auckland Council has adopted this landmark’s Maori name, Puketapapa, for the diverse area that the local community board covers. Perhaps “Puketapapa” will eventually become as well known as Maungawhau (Mt Eden), Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill) and Owairaka (Mt Albert). <br />
<br />
“Flat-topped hill”, its meaning in English, seems apt. The two shallow volcanic craters created thousands of years ago must have given the mound a flattish look, but since the early 1960s, when a water reservoir took the place of 25,000 cubic metres of scoria, it’s been flatter still. <br />
<br />
People find various ways to explain the most widely used name for the volcano, “Mount Roskill”. One appealing idea, if only because it loops neatly through the “bible belt” identity, is that it commemorates the peripatetic nineteenth-century evangelist John Roskill, who held services there and later committed suicide. Perhaps most appealing to those mischievously inclined is “Mount Rascal”, briefly bestowed in the 1840s. A variation of that gets an airing in Toa Fraser’s wonderful 2006 film set in the area,<i> <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2215235" style="color: #0b5394;">No 2</a></i>.<b> </b></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Qwvn8IGiRALmzXcfVldR-3RdCB_-vSh8vG7Jl60RiceTdfYt3uScAw-A07RBZEP-q7vzMBwd8KQIJZhj3WYzKULvh3gFyAeaY7UjwdEdLV1EhYwgxcIMFO2PUNtu9dDumz9SLdj2Y5c/s1600/Three+Kings+School.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Qwvn8IGiRALmzXcfVldR-3RdCB_-vSh8vG7Jl60RiceTdfYt3uScAw-A07RBZEP-q7vzMBwd8KQIJZhj3WYzKULvh3gFyAeaY7UjwdEdLV1EhYwgxcIMFO2PUNtu9dDumz9SLdj2Y5c/s320/Three+Kings+School.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Local volcanic rock features around the grounds of Three <br />
Kings School, including in walls that relief workers <br />
built during the Depression of the 1930s.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b>The Volcano Belt </b><br />
From the top of Puketapapa/Mount Roskill you can see several other volcanic landmarks. The nearest — Great King or Big King, depending on who you read — is the sole survivor of the original “Three Kings”, a single volcano whose major cones were actually five in number, according to <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2603344" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Volcanoes of Auckland</i></a>. An early Maori name (for the survivor or the trio, again depending on who you read) is Te Tatua o Mataaho, referring to yet another belt or girdle: that of the volcano deity Mataaho. (He popped up previously in another post, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">‘</span><a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.co.nz/2011/08/mangere-scratching-surface.html" style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Mangere: Scratching the Surface</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">’</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Commercial quarrying at Three Kings probably began in the 1910s and was quick to diminish the crowning glory of two — their cones. A local history, <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2256809" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Not Just Passing Through</i></a>, records that a local man was surprised one day in the 1920s “to see Mt Eden appear over the far side of what had previously been a vista of the Southern King”. <br />
<br />
Thus continued the destruction of what <i>Volcanoes of Auckland</i> describes as “probably the most complex” volcano in the 50-strong Auckland field. Lava from the Three Kings eruptions nearly 30,000 years ago had flowed several kilometres, as far as Western Springs, and created “some of Auckland’s most accessible lava caves”. These remain (albeit on private land): tours of one called Stewarts Cave are a fixture on the University of Auckland’s continuing education programme. <br />
<br />
As well as forming the dry-stone walls we’re accustomed to seeing around Three Kings, local scoria was once used less visibly in road-making. It was a key component of Winstone Aggregates’ “Roskill Stone”, a coloured building material, and is sold as a drainage material today. <a href="http://threekingsquarry.co.nz/" style="color: #0b5394;">Winstone is still emptying the area</a>, though the remaining cone is protected. <br />
</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9PRzT_TNnzfFjPCaiX7KRd8Yhw8DrxwIXFEoLg9go4TtlVGcnWcvnhloCo64fRlCatEplfCQ-eP4wcE0pRcgbNqXAZgfoA7qXj7Xq-s0gWzunSILiyc3AK0tG73Ws7umKIA9YuC_TK4/s1600/Roskill+Library+Computer+Nerd.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9PRzT_TNnzfFjPCaiX7KRd8Yhw8DrxwIXFEoLg9go4TtlVGcnWcvnhloCo64fRlCatEplfCQ-eP4wcE0pRcgbNqXAZgfoA7qXj7Xq-s0gWzunSILiyc3AK0tG73Ws7umKIA9YuC_TK4/s320/Roskill+Library+Computer+Nerd.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Looking for answers <br />
at the Mt Roskill library.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b>A Complex Arrangement </b><br />
The library complex that so vividly portrays Mount Roskill’s green belt also addresses its volcanic heritage, in orange and brown (fortunately some distance from the green). I say “complex” because this council-run building on Mount Albert Road is a bit like the Three Kings volcano, though it does remain intact. <br />
<br />
It’s called the Fickling Centre, after another local mayor, and as well as the library it offers various community meeting rooms. My first encounter with the building was in a long-ago (and mercifully brief) incarnation as a recruit for Amway.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> Those who use it today range from music groups and service clubs to Secret Place Ministries, whose <a href="http://www.secretplaceministries.org/pages/aboutus/pursuit-church.html" style="color: #0b5394;">Pursuit Church</a> pastors Ray and Pam encourage “intimate encounter with the Lord”, which “often includes times of ...soaking in His presence”. Perhaps worshippers leave their chastity belts and rings at the door? <br />
<br />
Anyway, the building has undergone a $2 million refurbishment. This was probably needed, given that it was once unkindly described as “an anonymous block in a darkened corner of the downscale shopping centre that passes for the heart of Mt Roskill” (<a href="http://www.listener.co.nz/uncategorized/build-it-and-they-will-come/" style="color: #0b5394;">Alistair Bone, <i>New Zealand Listener</i></a>).</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlqpsV91J9ltJBBcePM8HzjIYVVaTNO-AEbRZtNBdhFucV6Nl1joURkVQPe0v9daqeNV9oVbtKZqHxXoa7scPrzmPRdRWvcBh6FkMeQpYp-zLQu9pI8g3UJzKGPkkGuMTiUtkcIYMr4Q/s1600/Mt+Roskill+Audience.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlqpsV91J9ltJBBcePM8HzjIYVVaTNO-AEbRZtNBdhFucV6Nl1joURkVQPe0v9daqeNV9oVbtKZqHxXoa7scPrzmPRdRWvcBh6FkMeQpYp-zLQu9pI8g3UJzKGPkkGuMTiUtkcIYMr4Q/s320/Mt+Roskill+Audience.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">In the audience at the Fickling Centre <br />
reopening ceremony.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">About 90 people gathered for the council’s reopening ceremony and to hear the ubiquitous speeches — quite difficult when the steel-clad air conditioning along the length of the room contributed its thunderous roar. From across the lane, Club Physical’s blaring fervour also made its presence felt, like a hyped and miked Christian revival meeting. We were in Noise City. </span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br />
I did hear the big boss of Auckland Libraries, Allison Dobbie, say that the refurbished library offers “quiet zones, which have become so important” (alluding no doubt to a <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.co.nz/2012/02/st-heliers-and-god.html" style="color: #0b5394;">recent hullabaloo arising at the St Heliers branch</a>). When she pointed out the symbolism in the design, she meant the colour scheme and kowhai and not the aircon, but it was easy to drift into a reverie about just what the latter might symbolise.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Something — the Fickling Centre as a whole? — is “a flexible, win-win model for everyone”. Perhaps that comment related to the Citizens Advice Bureau’s new location within the library, which seems to make the CAB people very happy. </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VLiiVto0Bp6F3ww8GETeloks6NNvXZwIgKRP1-ifq7UGSF4HLqPguWMyposZxMlBS5C1QP2Mrf9eXKzO-04qQ_PVAhB6jsllE5CaiglCXf42u9WHPJ9H6LH0siHk5cx8HwooHltlIaM/s1600/Samoa+Boy+Roskill+Library.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VLiiVto0Bp6F3ww8GETeloks6NNvXZwIgKRP1-ifq7UGSF4HLqPguWMyposZxMlBS5C1QP2Mrf9eXKzO-04qQ_PVAhB6jsllE5CaiglCXf42u9WHPJ9H6LH0siHk5cx8HwooHltlIaM/s200/Samoa+Boy+Roskill+Library.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Advice and guidance, <br />
in alphabetical order.<br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Their speech-giver told a tale I’ve since found in <i>Not Just Passing Through</i>, of the then mayor Dick Fickling turning up unannounced at a meeting about forming a CAB: “Turning off the lights mid-meeting, he regaled attendees with his opinion that when people were looking for advice and guidance, the family was the place to go for it.” </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Well, now the Mount Roskill library is the (or a) place to go for advice and guidance. That has probably been the case since long before the CAB moved in, perhaps from the library’s opening in 1977 </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">— during Fickling’s mayoralty. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">And of course, the library can be with you always, even once you’ve left the building. “I sat home and read,” Roskill-raised writer Tze Ming Mok once said of her upbringing: “I sometimes say I was raised by the Mount Roskill Public Library.” </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8v-I0jApvQ6k2XdF5UX_p_sJT7ju-4kE5DGymPfUYaMkL6x6E3hplxn4h1q5tkeqSgOKL0QYiCOVSq9zI2LapEzxqH4hDvDnh0-P4ECp_cuPFdlZy7VWZDccsC9d4m68BWeUIie3i3c8/s1600/Mangere+From+Waikowhai+Park.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8v-I0jApvQ6k2XdF5UX_p_sJT7ju-4kE5DGymPfUYaMkL6x6E3hplxn4h1q5tkeqSgOKL0QYiCOVSq9zI2LapEzxqH4hDvDnh0-P4ECp_cuPFdlZy7VWZDccsC9d4m68BWeUIie3i3c8/s320/Mangere+From+Waikowhai+Park.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mangere Mountain from Waikowhai Park.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPDh5m-ajq_avButWucpXp75EvtoJNXqrZws27kjRxT8gGBHF209HxzLSj1ck5IyLnKNui81ndqk3HXZM8Xz4-28FXGTFWvTtazL47RafDtywmBS7hlLkhGPjZc6_bTyxIEdXNge2Ovc/s1600/Manukau+Harbour+View.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPDh5m-ajq_avButWucpXp75EvtoJNXqrZws27kjRxT8gGBHF209HxzLSj1ck5IyLnKNui81ndqk3HXZM8Xz4-28FXGTFWvTtazL47RafDtywmBS7hlLkhGPjZc6_bTyxIEdXNge2Ovc/s320/Manukau+Harbour+View.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">My preferred Secret Place, Waikowhai, <br />
on the Manukau Harbour.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b>Postscript: Arriving at Waikowhai </b><br />
I did arrive at Waikowhai, eventually, though I went by car rather than bus. It’s one of Auckland’s hidden treasures, with extensive parkland going down to the sea. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Where there are homes, you’d expect them to be mansions, given the million-dollar views. Most of them aren’t. The proximity of the rubbish tip and the Mangere sewage ponds put paid to that idea. <br />
<br />
The </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Waikowhai </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">tip has disappeared now, there’s regenerating bush, and the sewage works have been replaced by a leaner operation which, rather than being meaner, is much more environmentally kind. You can gather shellfish again from the local shores, though according to <i>Not Just Passing Through</i>, leachate from the old tip continues to pollute Faulkner Bay. <br />
<br />
Naturally, the area is rich. I look forward to learning more about the geology and the relatively recent fossils of Wesley Bay. And I want to know what’s so special about nearby Lynfield that Dr Willy Kuschel looked at beetles there for 15 years, producing a study that became world famous. <b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54pSIbe4Zy0euEOWWOoDtHWo4AY6BM4Hs9KtnRvstKz9Wb48dOyQTErvffiwFopOSAM21MCQbgbiAy2tE4KtjOAVuNzWrsU6eP_25H2ffmWixNBiAfC0n_jMGi_AHjU2tE12xYuWmTMg/s1600/Roskill+Library+Quiet+Zone.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54pSIbe4Zy0euEOWWOoDtHWo4AY6BM4Hs9KtnRvstKz9Wb48dOyQTErvffiwFopOSAM21MCQbgbiAy2tE4KtjOAVuNzWrsU6eP_25H2ffmWixNBiAfC0n_jMGi_AHjU2tE12xYuWmTMg/s320/Roskill+Library+Quiet+Zone.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The staff workroom has moved elsewhere to <br />
create this open-plan public quiet zone in the library.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Library Facts and Figures </b></span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Within the old Auckland City’s 17-library system, Mount Roskill’s was the busiest branch — second only to the Central Library. In the 55-library system it still bustles more than many. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The recent library refurbishment has added 120 square metres, community rooms and unofficial quiet zones. The colour scheme is lighter and brighter. Window views previously sealed off from the public are now accessible to all. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Mount Roskill library previously underwent extension in 1995 and major renovation in 2002. </span></li>
</ul><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMG0sEbvYdOh2juGDcqdM3t91UU0sVcy5ydSheNwH4VouPQbEMI7whjdQD4lQboolDcncb3gWEBTbiP-VILTESef8JaGmmQdNzXgmZS8slqpZ_rAPIPxNjlDEiQ470mZ0JE4anaE4Qbk/s1600/Two+Generations+Reading+Roskill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMG0sEbvYdOh2juGDcqdM3t91UU0sVcy5ydSheNwH4VouPQbEMI7whjdQD4lQboolDcncb3gWEBTbiP-VILTESef8JaGmmQdNzXgmZS8slqpZ_rAPIPxNjlDEiQ470mZ0JE4anaE4Qbk/s320/Two+Generations+Reading+Roskill.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mt Roskill Public Library children</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">’s section.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Interesting Reading </b><br />
The major source for this post was Jade Reidy’s<i> <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2256809" style="color: #0b5394;">Not Just Passing Through: The Making of Mt Roskill</a></i>. A book by Bruce Hayward et al, <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2603344" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Volcanoes of Auckland: The Essential Guide</i></a>, also helped. <br />
<br />
‘<a href="http://www.listener.co.nz/culture/film/heartlands/" style="color: #0b5394;">Heartlands</a>’ by Philip Matthews (<i>New Zealand Listener</i>, Feb 11, 2006) reviews <i>No 2</i> and reflects on Mount Roskill’s “ethnic-melting-pot quality”, something this post has failed to do. Tze Ming Mok’s prize-winning essay ‘<a href="http://www.tzemingmok.com/literary_writing/literary_writing.htm" style="color: #0b5394;">Race You There</a>’ (<i>Landfall</i> 208, Nov 2004) does this too, as a starting point for her wider reflections on multiculturalism. <br />
<br />
Historian Lisa Truttman’s recent Timespanner blog post ‘<a href="http://timespanner.blogspot.co.nz/2012/02/wanderings-at-three-kings.html" style="color: #0b5394;">Wanderings at Three Kings</a>’ offers observations on the Fickling Centre reopening, with photos, and other insights. At least <a href="http://timespanner.blogspot.co.nz/2011/07/meeting-to-form-new-historical-society.html" style="color: #3d85c6;">one other post</a> discusses the new Mt Roskill Historical Society. </span>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-5406829954406072422012-02-03T14:51:00.008+13:002012-03-03T16:49:59.725+13:00On Being Seen and Heard (or not) at St Heliers<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlSr3wMcmElAVfxrfGC_9sjfhhAfBo7IE45AZw_X-LzD4eDDsMrXyJCB-nRNN6SiOqaqK9I6eh7vNLW5Ia7y1aG05bamtoNDeY0UZh-vlI8Cr4-hRteWJR37sDVtya8-BxVpDqB1DXDg/s1600/Browsing+Books+St+Heliers+Library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlSr3wMcmElAVfxrfGC_9sjfhhAfBo7IE45AZw_X-LzD4eDDsMrXyJCB-nRNN6SiOqaqK9I6eh7vNLW5Ia7y1aG05bamtoNDeY0UZh-vlI8Cr4-hRteWJR37sDVtya8-BxVpDqB1DXDg/s320/Browsing+Books+St+Heliers+Library.jpg" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Browsing at St Heliers Public Library.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">If we’re to believe the letters column of our daily newspaper in the last few days, reading is simply not possible in the St Heliers Public Library. It’s as much as any local resident can bear to dash in, pick a book (any book) and dash out again before the noise pollution on the premises offends their sensibilities, not to mention their ears. Many of the polluters are children, who insist on being heard as well as seen. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The writers to the <i>New Zealand Herald</i> seem to yearn for the Good Old Days of public libraries. Back then, stern, fusty staff shushed everyone and the only sounds from patrons were those of pages turning (not of pins dropping, as the library was no place for sharp objects). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="goog_654049720"></span><span id="goog_654049721"></span>Just imagine how they — letter-writers and/or the librarians of the G.O.D. — would have responded had they been at the Auckland Central Library a week ago when a performing duo, the Dresden Dolls, presented their “ninja gig”: at that event the punk cabaret artists <a href="http://www.kat.geek.nz/2012/01/dresden-dolls-at-auckland-library.html" style="color: #3d85c6;">succeeded in persuading some 300 people in the audience to chant “F– it” in unison</a>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Butchers, the Bakers...</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Ah, the Good Old Days. St Heliers must have been a quieter place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Groups of Auckland citizenry including <a href="http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS18880222.2.46&srpos=32&e=-------10-AS-31----2st+heliers--" style="color: #3d85c6;">butchers</a> and <a href="http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19031015.2.48&srpos=76&e=-------10-AS-71----2st+heliers--" style="color: #3d85c6;">bakers</a> (sadly no candlestick makers, though there was at least one <a href="http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS18880125.2.49&srpos=56&e=-------10-AS-51----2st+heliers--" style="color: #3d85c6;">temperance group</a>) would catch the ferry there for picnics and other excursions, walking the quarter-mile down the wharf to get to the beach. Tamaki Drive did not exist, though there was a Tamaki Road Board, the local (very local) equivalent of today’s Auckland Council.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This outlying area had a library but it wasn’t especially public. In the absence of a suitable building, its books were in the custody of the local fire brigade, in premises where the present St Heliers library stands. Apparently the firemen enjoyed reading the books, which local residents had donated and the board had supplemented. But peace and quiet? Not likely, given the clanging of bells and everything else that accompanies emergencies of an incendiary nature.</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTI-NbG8hr7JkjjYzHpYOSzeCoJTrFVboIIMF7WOizWd7sopUoU2AUixHlrEXZ_EmGJ4nAEN0R1kHRTsBg0gHsFmRRexOfXa5LZozQZPiaINUEWscEknpMp8kuP_4AltzCk-NEL_s1m8/s1600/St+Heliers+Library+Auckland.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTI-NbG8hr7JkjjYzHpYOSzeCoJTrFVboIIMF7WOizWd7sopUoU2AUixHlrEXZ_EmGJ4nAEN0R1kHRTsBg0gHsFmRRexOfXa5LZozQZPiaINUEWscEknpMp8kuP_4AltzCk-NEL_s1m8/s320/St+Heliers+Library+Auckland.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The St Heliers Public Library building was initially <br />
the seat of local government, and its lamps <br />
bear the initials of the Tamaki Road Board<span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkgDQDcsrm1fnbSDrcEM45cmWZ89vWwNjeCRM33VDACHltSNa6mMT-pL3gWMi_NkczjAAFoETHCo0paP1jdY2EGLCphcBwwKtc2D9SBLEgHA9SZIWJB5l0Aul8zoNjuvSfHotaDej_9o/s1600/Auckland+Libraries+Lamp.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkgDQDcsrm1fnbSDrcEM45cmWZ89vWwNjeCRM33VDACHltSNa6mMT-pL3gWMi_NkczjAAFoETHCo0paP1jdY2EGLCphcBwwKtc2D9SBLEgHA9SZIWJB5l0Aul8zoNjuvSfHotaDej_9o/s200/Auckland+Libraries+Lamp.jpg" width="142" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Today’s library was built in 1926 to a design by Grierson, Aimer and Draffin (better known as the architects of the Auckland War Memorial Museum). This brick building was the road board headquarters </span><span style="font-size: small;">—</span><span style="font-size: small;"> the initials on the lamps out the front offer a clue </span><span style="font-size: small;">to that —</span><span style="font-size: small;"> as well as home to the fire brigade. It was fully converted to its present use in 1931 when St Heliers became part of Auckland. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The amalgamation may not have had an entirely positive influence on the area; even in the G.O.D., Auckland’s own central city library wasn’t always quiet, as an 1890 letter to the <i>Auckland Star</i> attested. “A Ratepayer” noted that “<a href="http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS18900508.2.5.3&srpos=10&e=-------10--1----0library+noise--" style="color: #3d85c6;">the noise of the draughts players in the reading-room is very annoying, and I would suggest a separate room, or that they should be entirely done away with</a>.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="goog_654049643"></span><span id="goog_654049644"></span>Has it occurred to anyone that if there’s a problem with libraries, it may be space rather than noise? Even in its the 1940s, according to Wynne Colgan in <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1932204" style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>The Governor’s Gift</i></a>, users of the St Heliers branch sometimes had to queue in the street just to get inside. Over the decades it has undergone several extensions including, most recently, an ingenious and all-but-invisible one that moves the essential “back office” upstairs. However, this suburban library is still small. I doubt there’s enough space to add a “quiet room” like those I’ve seen at the<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> </span><a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.co.nz/2011/04/beside-big-mount-wellington.html" style="color: #3d85c6;">Mt Wellington</a> and <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.co.nz/2011/06/is-it-library-or-lolly-shop.html" style="color: #3d85c6;">Botany Downs</a> public libraries. It’s also very busy, with a thousand or so visitors a day. </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw19-VtIf1ogS_F3Bjj08oF5KFDLxr6vbvKSKP0ZQtyd7yiGd_zd3lhmRWYJ-GnSTElxAoMyhuwubFAOM4aLsEapKlHffVF6WVHi50aaQtar3fv9iImREI1r4Vb60T_ypGlMWhTcJclc0/s1600/Xena+Library+Cat.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw19-VtIf1ogS_F3Bjj08oF5KFDLxr6vbvKSKP0ZQtyd7yiGd_zd3lhmRWYJ-GnSTElxAoMyhuwubFAOM4aLsEapKlHffVF6WVHi50aaQtar3fv9iImREI1r4Vb60T_ypGlMWhTcJclc0/s400/Xena+Library+Cat.jpg" width="326" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Xena, as portrayed by Bunny Elwell <br />
at the St Heliers Public Library.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Xena the Library Cat</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">One such visitor, a senior citizen, seems unfazed by it all, and perhaps some of today’s complaining ratepayers could take a leaf out of her book. <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/5156542/Library-puts-feline-online" style="color: #3d85c6;">Xena the library cat</a> has a home of her own but gets lonely when her human indulges in a bad habit of going to work. So this beautiful tortoiseshell, who is 15 now (a septuagenarian, in human terms), strolls two kilometres down to the library every day. She has also been known to call in at the nearby fish and chip shop.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Xena is popular with locals and has become a focus for the branch, with her portrait by staff member Bunny Elwell now on the wall. The St Heliers Public Library has held a contest for children to paint their own portraits of her, has run Facebook classes for senior citizens using <a href="http://en-gb.facebook.com/people/Xena-Hope/100000242194403" style="color: #3d85c6;">Xena’s own Facebook page</a> as a learning tool and, late last year, presented her with a rug made from squares knitted at library knit-in events. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9_Lsz0676g&feature=youtu.be" style="color: #3d85c6;">YouTube</a> shows this cool cat waiting outside the library and she even has <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/xenathecat" style="color: #3d85c6;">her own Twitter account</a>, where her profile reads: “You can usually find me lounging around in the Large Print area of St Heliers Library in Auckland. My interests are eating, sleeping and extreme road crossing.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZnT5ed7aprOSXTUSwezhOuCMeZq4Ebsvf3Pu2oVPUkj_QhPeAlxNi6hhqedCt7LwG4p13dXAM5I5U8ChnP38Oi0ePGx9AnkI3acAKKAvotEHRG_HYDDU1Pw7RPO4O0dKN4ndjiDqJEw/s1600/Children+Auckland+Libraries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZnT5ed7aprOSXTUSwezhOuCMeZq4Ebsvf3Pu2oVPUkj_QhPeAlxNi6hhqedCt7LwG4p13dXAM5I5U8ChnP38Oi0ePGx9AnkI3acAKKAvotEHRG_HYDDU1Pw7RPO4O0dKN4ndjiDqJEw/s200/Children+Auckland+Libraries.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">“Summer Reading <br />
Adventure” notice.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Xena wasn’t in attendance the afternoon I visited this library. In fact, the place was pretty quiet — just how some people like it. There was evidence of children in the form of a half-eaten lollipop on the step, a pink scooter propped against the wall (near the “no bicycles” sign), and a noticeboard promoting the Auckland Libraries’ “Summer Reading Adventure”, but otherwise the juvenile form of <i>Homo sapiens</i> was little seen, and certainly not heard. </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The computers, unusually for most libraries I’ve visited, had no child users at all that Sunday afternoon. Nobody spoke loudly on their cellphone, another complaint of the “shush” brigade, and one with which I can sympathise — though I don’t think it’s especially a library problem. I saw for myself, too, that several adults were reading books without difficulty. Good on them.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSS_7VELP1fWRqSdg_rq15z2OTRA0HfSmXEgS-pIT9Zyo5TAUWmhIcXeuo2qYpoeCpZmdCFd-Rwo-jwjd3BPZo7ZX7AKy0p8Kxlo50DgtR9-BZ8G0fzwdgheGYuuC167eAUVTOXg9504/s1600/Auckland+Libraries+Older+Readers.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSS_7VELP1fWRqSdg_rq15z2OTRA0HfSmXEgS-pIT9Zyo5TAUWmhIcXeuo2qYpoeCpZmdCFd-Rwo-jwjd3BPZo7ZX7AKy0p8Kxlo50DgtR9-BZ8G0fzwdgheGYuuC167eAUVTOXg9504/s320/Auckland+Libraries+Older+Readers.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Adults seen reading </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">in the <br />
St Heliers Public Library.</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Sources</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">See the links in the post above, also:</span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jackson, Elizabeth T, <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2160648" style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>Delving into the Past of Auckland’s Eastern Suburbs: Section 6 — St. Heliers Bay</i></a>;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Verran, David, <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2626256" style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>Auckland City Libraries: Another Chapter</i></a><i>.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWN5aGqSOHIv61CK01PbLteSB_7X41t-KwFZ_PZSYJJqR7g1OrC2gaabN_0tzesffpo2I8QDn0W4QU1Ucgu0Cp4mbfb65Mn6eFWBmtHfkV8gMNongNCLFQazwwNY90yxXv74VKCBAk-E/s1600/Rangitoto+View.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWN5aGqSOHIv61CK01PbLteSB_7X41t-KwFZ_PZSYJJqR7g1OrC2gaabN_0tzesffpo2I8QDn0W4QU1Ucgu0Cp4mbfb65Mn6eFWBmtHfkV8gMNongNCLFQazwwNY90yxXv74VKCBAk-E/s320/Rangitoto+View.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">St Heliers Bay peace and quiet.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-64593613381844108002012-01-26T09:53:00.003+13:002012-01-26T11:45:58.957+13:00Elsewhere, Anywhere and Right Here: The Many Locations of a Public Library<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZYA4wJE14Hq8eY1VU65LBvmdQPPLLyWweXZJi50XgexzIC6scfV_xhvMzdA9iNpeVfSQpPmIV-oqFpe3A8ERZNVZbT7kxWa5ku6C6S8WBJQ4FNHHXNmbUb_t5vzKZ8pS4T2rEQw6gF4/s1600/Canadian+Library+Month.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xbjxc_77uvajMcP5XkoPJVTfmoScR0O1FIvqnXt6eN924kiiHFwrM1LxD80wD5vz0FiK-G5vCp7rWGcx-K2XzhCpYWE3MHEs4WOVgzH20XJR4cn_luqFeth4kBNvDwSyi8SHPnk1Idw/s1600/Eatons+Catalogue.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xbjxc_77uvajMcP5XkoPJVTfmoScR0O1FIvqnXt6eN924kiiHFwrM1LxD80wD5vz0FiK-G5vCp7rWGcx-K2XzhCpYWE3MHEs4WOVgzH20XJR4cn_luqFeth4kBNvDwSyi8SHPnk1Idw/s320/Eatons+Catalogue.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Eaton</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">’s catalogue</span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">,</span></span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">p</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">ossibly not where libraries <br />
source their supplies. This is at </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">the heritage <br />
room, downtown Edmonton Public Library.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Public libraries open doors to Elsewhere yet, in a way, many libraries could almost be Anywhere. Perhaps they furnish themselves from the same global sales catalogue, right down to their human fixtures, such as the <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/05/librarians-have-reputation-for-saying.html" style="color: #0b5394;">habitual sleepers</a>, the <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/12/reader-library-and-lens.html" style="color: #0b5394;">old guys who read the newspapers</a>, and the tourists.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Members of this last group are found at downtown libraries, which perhaps they enter with eyes only for the internet. Tourists are not at the library to see landmarks or cultural artifacts, the stuff they’d do at museums and galleries: they generally wish to sit in comfort and quiet, if never very <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1000163" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Far From the Madding Crowd</i></a>, and attend to email, Facebook or YouTube, making themselves at home. Ironically, in so doing, they contribute further to downtown libraries’ ambience of both Elsewhere (exotica!) and Anywhere (universality).</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZYA4wJE14Hq8eY1VU65LBvmdQPPLLyWweXZJi50XgexzIC6scfV_xhvMzdA9iNpeVfSQpPmIV-oqFpe3A8ERZNVZbT7kxWa5ku6C6S8WBJQ4FNHHXNmbUb_t5vzKZ8pS4T2rEQw6gF4/s1600/Canadian+Library+Month.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZYA4wJE14Hq8eY1VU65LBvmdQPPLLyWweXZJi50XgexzIC6scfV_xhvMzdA9iNpeVfSQpPmIV-oqFpe3A8ERZNVZbT7kxWa5ku6C6S8WBJQ4FNHHXNmbUb_t5vzKZ8pS4T2rEQw6gF4/s320/Canadian+Library+Month.jpg" width="136" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b>A Long Way from Anywhere</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">A long way from Anywhere and twice as far from Elsewhere is another location that a public library is concerned with: Right Here. Yes, a good public library tells us about the place it’s in, as well as the places it’s not — but to hear and see this, we may need to linger and poke about a bit. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">It’s not always as immediate and obvious as the English–Maori signs we have in some Auckland public libraries. It took me quite some digging to discover, for instance, that custom-made floor coverings in our <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/04/return-ticket-to-glen-eden.html" style="color: #0b5394;">Glen Eden</a> and <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/07/spare-moment-for-massey.html" style="color: #0b5394;">Massey</a> branches represent their areas in artistic ways.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Sometimes, though, it’s easier to notice what’s “local” in a library when you’re new to the country, a complete stranger rather than a slightly straying citizen. In Canada late last year, I had the opportunity to be that stranger. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b>On Being a Stranger in Someone Else</b></span><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">’</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b>s Country</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">In the month I visited, I managed to learn about the place not just by walking the streets and taking public transport but also by using public libraries — with help, as friends showed me around and borrowed books that I went on to read. Thanks to Canadian libraries and my local guides, I: </span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiaWTF3y6ORQxJI5iIwmLNEtlTx5KRIDddyTXETxF00x8-neQB20TMCg9j_Od8ctTGtYsPD9YKkb8IkwI4-JbyHJTwbtD3JK5BPwu5aJWVSMx-igXOTWRrWGxkG2IIRD1h8p-vyQNsi4/s1600/light+lifting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiaWTF3y6ORQxJI5iIwmLNEtlTx5KRIDddyTXETxF00x8-neQB20TMCg9j_Od8ctTGtYsPD9YKkb8IkwI4-JbyHJTwbtD3JK5BPwu5aJWVSMx-igXOTWRrWGxkG2IIRD1h8p-vyQNsi4/s320/light+lifting.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Light Lifting</i> is available at Auckland Libraries, <br />
as is the <i>Canadian Railroad Trilogy</i> picturebook.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">... Joined in a bookclub discussion at Woodcroft branch library, Edmonton, that inspired me to read <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2615131" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Light Lifting</i></a>, the wonderful first book of stories by <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/21543124" style="color: #0b5394;">Alexander MacLeod</a>. (Note to self: must also read his famous father Alistair, eg <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1021783" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>No Great Mischief</i></a>.)</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">... Listened to <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2302668" style="color: #0b5394;">Gordon Lightfoot</a>’s iconic folksong, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">‘</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Canadian Railroad Trilogy</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">’</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">, while looking at the thoughtful, multi-layered illustrations in the <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2574634" style="color: #0b5394;">picturebook by artist Ian Wallace</a>. (If you borrow this, be sure to read the Illustrator’s Notes tucked away at the back.) </span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">... Got lost in but enthralled by <i>RED</i> whose author and artist, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, is described as “<a href="http://www.houseofthespiritbear.com/Michael%20Nicoll/michael_nicoll_yahgulanaas.htm" style="color: #0b5394;">the father of Haida Manga</a>”. I know little of either Haida, an Indian tribe from the Pacific Coast of Canada, or Manga, the Japanese comic-book genre, so perhaps my quaint lostness is not surprising. Now I want to know more of both. (Does Aotearoa/New Zealand have Maori Manga? I am yet to find out.) Two other books by </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Yahgulanaas are in Auckland Libraries.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGP-GLD5Gi84lJ-s58Rr76qYnVtH6sLajKSxJjZiSv98MbMfo24kw6wZmumYrajL2Hiu2cedsEqjWR7he47XwdiC6Wx1S_QizaZqepNvJgyyORgmpmyDFWEDoAaJrby7f56kyXtv7ySB0/s1600/Vancouver+Public+Library+Downtown.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGP-GLD5Gi84lJ-s58Rr76qYnVtH6sLajKSxJjZiSv98MbMfo24kw6wZmumYrajL2Hiu2cedsEqjWR7he47XwdiC6Wx1S_QizaZqepNvJgyyORgmpmyDFWEDoAaJrby7f56kyXtv7ySB0/s320/Vancouver+Public+Library+Downtown.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A little bit of Rome at Library Square, Vancouver. <br />
(So is this library a round peg in a square hole?)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">... Took away a treasure trove of reading lists and research pointers from the downtown Vancouver Public Library. On the outside, this facility bears an unmistakable resemblance to the Colosseum in Rome — now what does that say about libraries opening doors to Elsewhere? Inside, however, the many resources include VPL brochures on such local topics as the fur trade, Chinese–Canadian history, fiction from British Columbia, First Nations traditions, hiking trails, and a self-guided tour of the library itself. (You can even get married there!)</div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">... Discovered, thanks to the downtown Edmonton Public Library’s heritage room, the importance of the <a href="http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/mailorder/029006-200-e.html" style="color: #0b5394;">Eaton’s catalogue</a>, <a href="http://www.native-languages.org/quillwork.htm" style="color: #0b5394;">porcupine quill decoration</a> and <a href="http://www.canadianbottlecollectors.com/articles/on_meeting_george_chopping.htm" style="color: #0b5394;">jars or bottles</a> in Canadian life. This makes me wonder just what might catch the eye of New Zealand newcomers who browse the heritage collections of Auckland’s four central libraries — Manukau Central, Auckland Central, Waitakere Central and Takapuna.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbNyCjXZbR_QYNxS_fKnse1_bQziAAe1WeJBV82pac-z9RApl798iUnTo35U0jTfV-ihhWpJZMvFgf5OqlDD0ImrxjpQMsCoGExTZs2RJtga6jNUb8RU9_oxm4Mp0wAzp4xJMlgaxlIn4/s1600/Heritage+Room.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbNyCjXZbR_QYNxS_fKnse1_bQziAAe1WeJBV82pac-z9RApl798iUnTo35U0jTfV-ihhWpJZMvFgf5OqlDD0ImrxjpQMsCoGExTZs2RJtga6jNUb8RU9_oxm4Mp0wAzp4xJMlgaxlIn4/s320/Heritage+Room.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Books from the heritage room,<br />
downtown Edmonton Public Library.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b>Becoming an Armchair Traveller</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">My quest to know more about the big country north of the 49th parallel continued as I travelled back south and settled into antipodean life again. On the plane I read publishing impresario Doug Gibson’s<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/09/23/douglas-gibson-life-among-his-writers/" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Stories about Storytellers</i></a>, a fascinating new memoir of his career extracting books from </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">such </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">famous Canadians as Pierre Trudeau and Alice Munro. I’m glad I bought a copy when I heard him speak at Edmonton’s LitFest (celebrating non-fiction), as Auckland Libraries doesn’t have it yet.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">In its capacity as doorperson to Elsewhere, I think Auckland Libraries has otherwise been faithful in carrying out its responsibilities to Canadian lit and learning. Back home I reserved and have since read <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2600552" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Half-Blood Blues</i></a>, Ghanaian Calgarian <a href="http://www.quillandquire.com/authors/profile.cfm?article_id=11911" style="color: #0b5394;">Esi Edugyan</a>’s second novel. I’d heard her at the Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival where, despite what I took to be her Canadian quietness, she really impressed. The novel, which secured a Booker shortlisting and won Canada’s coveted Giller Prize, is </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">about an elderly black musician looking back at his days in the jazz age</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">. (I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you get the Serpent’s Tail edition, don’t read the back-cover blurb or the teaser on the front: they tell a little too much.)</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYuFliJv6i9KycY3l_y765W6woXPl2po8LBH0DH3AuxviVtXchT0M6309JkrtQSu1IIo-EgAPyQ0iNavVr-Kd2mahT21Qs78VRp_A97kJ4e0hakD-S9nJQx5t98SOUWyxUbgOlTJy-Aw/s1600/Carr+Colour+Plate.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYuFliJv6i9KycY3l_y765W6woXPl2po8LBH0DH3AuxviVtXchT0M6309JkrtQSu1IIo-EgAPyQ0iNavVr-Kd2mahT21Qs78VRp_A97kJ4e0hakD-S9nJQx5t98SOUWyxUbgOlTJy-Aw/s320/Carr+Colour+Plate.jpg" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A page out of Emily’s book, <i>Growing <br />
Pains</i>, shows her humorous <i>Self-Portrait <br />
with Friends</i>. This copy</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">’s</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> first home was <br />
Leys Institute Library, Ponsonby.</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Courtesy of Auckland Libraries again, I’ve pursued an interest born in Vancouver where I discovered the Canadian artist Emily Carr (though I wasn’t the first). This contemporary of our own Frances Hodgkins persevered, like Hodgkins, in adverse circumstances, and became a national icon — posthumously (which is too often the way). </span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Emily</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">’s in the Basement</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Carr is known for her story-telling as well as her painting, and among numerous buried treasures in the Auckland Central Library’s basement is a first edition (1946) of her autobiography, <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1419391" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Growing Pains</i></a>. This volume is in remarkable shape given its 60-plus years of knocking around public libraries, and it is a beautiful thing. I recommend taking a look once you know <a href="http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/EmilyCarr/en/about/index.php" style="color: #0b5394;">a bit about Carr</a>. Though the writing is dated, it is very readable and its author has, unsurprisingly, a good eye for the colours and textures of language.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Her struggles to be accepted as an artist in her home country, and as a woman alone, seem to mirror those of Hodgkins. Carr also studied under Hodgkins in Concarneau, France — though sadly the autobiography doesn’t name this “fine water colourist”, whom she describes as Australian!</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHvgh8RMRr5nnDHllBWr_smBR2JLZABeED3AOnEcnBcHwYNM-0V3lZ1q-fUVcFhQ3to9wXJSVpCuYdC6h0dqxLCV8I8eONzbxy8WFXJpIxY0Xv8VDwi94lzgFM7z1m7REqGCURhfHbr8/s1600/St+Paul+Library+Sign.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHvgh8RMRr5nnDHllBWr_smBR2JLZABeED3AOnEcnBcHwYNM-0V3lZ1q-fUVcFhQ3to9wXJSVpCuYdC6h0dqxLCV8I8eONzbxy8WFXJpIxY0Xv8VDwi94lzgFM7z1m7REqGCURhfHbr8/s200/St+Paul+Library+Sign.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Public library entrance <br />
sign in St Paul, a small<br />
town in Alberta’s prairies.</span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Clearly, my Canadian Studies can continue, with Auckland Libraries assisting. Porcupines, old barns, <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1151184" style="color: #0b5394;">the dinosaurs of Drumheller</a>... these are part of the Canadiana clamouring for my attention, and my presence Elsewhere seems to place no great limitation on distance learning. </span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> <br />
It’s the middle of winter now in the north, however, so I’m particularly pleased to say the next stop in my Latitude of Libraries tour is Right Here at home, in St Heliers. Summer at a library by the sea — who could ask for more?</span>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-78416499042790980782011-12-26T08:36:00.008+13:002011-12-29T13:07:37.450+13:00Hard Bittern: A Tale of Manurewa<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJa_bZuwSqbTqmk39LUSXrlUYBZIuzV6I8BG8sav8_k4tDsbhf6j-kktxhr8BM604WllTQEogBNdfHY9hgeB7OWjAV41TsitQt5E6uU6njKvrkju_rTnxD44ul1l8oBJXGZ5-iqET9Us8/s1600/Bing+Dawe+Bittern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJa_bZuwSqbTqmk39LUSXrlUYBZIuzV6I8BG8sav8_k4tDsbhf6j-kktxhr8BM604WllTQEogBNdfHY9hgeB7OWjAV41TsitQt5E6uU6njKvrkju_rTnxD44ul1l8oBJXGZ5-iqET9Us8/s320/Bing+Dawe+Bittern.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Bing Dawe</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">’s Australasian bittern weathervane, shown at Auckland <br />
Botanic Gardens in Manurewa,is part of his <i>Watching out for <br />
St Francis </i>series at the Sculpture in the Gardens exhibition.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Jane Sanders, ART Agent. </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Manurewa means “soaring bird” to people whose appreciation of Maori language involves translating it into English. To others it means “drifting kite”. Birds and kites both feature in old stories about this part of South Auckland. </span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> <br />
In the 1930s a Pakeha ethnographer and collector, George Graham, recounted “Nga Matukurua — The Two Bitterns” before an audience at the Auckland Museum’s Anthropological Section. This “Tale of Manurewa” was about twin pre-European pa, fortified villages on two neighbouring volcanic mounds. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">During Pakeha settlement these became known as McLaughlin’s and Wiri mountains but now they are known hardly at all, as my kind has spent decades erasing them. McLaughlin’s, about 10km from the Manurewa town centre, strikes me as a misplaced Mayan construction covered in grass, though in an<span style="color: #073763;"> </span><a href="http://www.manukau-libraries.govt.nz/EN/ManukauOurHistory/ManukauInPoetry/Pages/Home.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">Auckland Libraries anthology</a>, poet Tony Beyer sees it as a temple from ancient Mesopotamia: <br />
<br />
<i>mclaughlin’s gashed hill <br />
tiered into a ziggurat <br />
by quarryings </i><br />
<br />
Scoria from Wiri Mountain made railway ballast “all the way south to Ohakune”, according to <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2603344" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Volcanoes of Auckland</i></a>. This one-time landmark has kept only its lower northern slopes, incorporating “the best lava cave in New Zealand” plus, where a 60-metre-high scoria cone once stood, “a large lake-filled hole”. The authors have low expectations of its future, predicting it will be “flattened and earmarked for industrial subdivision”. <br />
<br />
<b>The Vigilant and the Careless </b><br />
But let’s get back to the bitterns Graham mentioned. The Te Wai o Hua people’s hill-fort commanders in the late seventeenth century were dubbed Te Matukutureia and Te Matukutururu, respectively the vigilant bittern and the careless one. The careless bittern lost his head and consequently his life when Ngati Whatua warriors captured his pa — his fault, as when war threatened he had gone fishing for eels and fallen asleep (the local equivalent of fiddling while Rome burns). His kinsman on the other hill kept “his sentries ever posted, his pa entrance ways securely closed”, saving his village, his people and “his tatooed head”. <br />
<br />
The chiefs’ avian identities settled on the hills: McLaughlin’s Mountain is more eloquently Matukutureia, and its careless neighbour Matukutururu. (That’s according to <a href="http://manukau.infospecs.co.nz/journey/home.htm" style="color: #0b5394;">Manukau’s Journey</a>, an Auckland Libraries e-resource, but some people apply these names the other way around.) </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zHeT9SstkYqEMpZIcSEAeV4MnjNZBWlfmRxuRA-WCWPqaoa4JKcQlHuSTQOm_SbkMMFH4RJNX6peL-z9Twb8Gt8mCKpk2LF1boFfiqCYmkJ9x3-_IhLuG6BKojozDSzVlsiAZ2ug9OM/s1600/Auckland+Botanic+Gardens.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zHeT9SstkYqEMpZIcSEAeV4MnjNZBWlfmRxuRA-WCWPqaoa4JKcQlHuSTQOm_SbkMMFH4RJNX6peL-z9Twb8Gt8mCKpk2LF1boFfiqCYmkJ9x3-_IhLuG6BKojozDSzVlsiAZ2ug9OM/s320/Auckland+Botanic+Gardens.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">At the botanic gardens, Manurewa.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">These days <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2142795" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand</i></a> describes the Australasian bittern as a “Protected rare native... Usually solitary and stealthy”. Its favourite hideout is a swamp (or wetland, as we call these shrinking habitats now), but the matuku does fly. The noted artist and ornithologist <a href="http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?oid=43177" style="color: #0b5394;">Don Binney painted one soaring through the sky at Te Henga, West Auckland</a>. In Manurewa, the popular <a href="http://www.aucklandbotanicgardens.co.nz/" style="color: #0b5394;">Auckland Botanic Gardens</a> currently feature <a href="http://www.artagent.co.nz/biodawe.htm" style="color: #0b5394;">Bing Dawe</a>’s flying bittern at their Sculpture in the Gardens exhibition, on until February.<br />
<br />
<b>An Appropriate Emblem? </b><br />
Could the bittern be an appropriate emblem for Manurewa today? It’s a suspicious bird (says William Herbert Guthrie-Smith in <a href="http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-GutLife-t1-body-d1-d9.html" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Bird Life on Island and Shore</i></a>), and has reason to be: it’s embattled. So is Manurewa, if media portrayals are accurate — a suburb full of streets named Struggle, inhabited by Kiwi battlers.* Stories that have made the news and elicited wider comment are about the <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/manurewa/news/article.cfm?l_id=376&objectid=10737110" style="color: #0b5394;">murder of a liquor store owner</a>, <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/6166771/Robbers-demand-cash-for-Christmas" style="color: #0b5394;">attacks in bars</a>, the Manurewa Cosmopolitan Club’s<span style="color: #073763;"> </span><a href="http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/diverse-religions/6" style="color: #0b5394;">refusal to admit a turban-wearing Sikh</a> man, residents’ opposition to <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/prisons/news/article.cfm?c_id=290&objectid=10729408" style="color: #0b5394;">a planned prison for men</a> next to the existing women’s facility, concern about state house tenants “<a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/manukau-courier/532320/Action-plan-moves-Manurewa-ahead" style="color: #0b5394;">let in</a>” to Manurewa, and a <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/manurewa/news/article.cfm?l_id=376&objectid=10774977" style="color: #0b5394;">suspected drunk driver whose car critically injured two girls</a> on the footpath. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_Z_nmb4iye-MuLOtV_bpHQWXAIU4prfqIe-l3Cy8ehvLTwJ8OZzrUtv0JG2jx-VvNWiVaB5FcFae7aS8pn00FwbO9yJh6_SUE7M0cV8NJ1lQDP2RLyiqyT7PkEyiOsq_r8jbaa9KRSE/s1600/Doug+Ford+Manurewa+Mural.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_Z_nmb4iye-MuLOtV_bpHQWXAIU4prfqIe-l3Cy8ehvLTwJ8OZzrUtv0JG2jx-VvNWiVaB5FcFae7aS8pn00FwbO9yJh6_SUE7M0cV8NJ1lQDP2RLyiqyT7PkEyiOsq_r8jbaa9KRSE/s320/Doug+Ford+Manurewa+Mural.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Doug Ford</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">’s Manurewa murals include this tongue-in-cheek <br />
(he says) portrayal of the fictitious Oh My God Fruitery.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When Manurewa lost South Auckland’s central business district to another ward last year, a councillor said the change “<a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10632056" style="color: #0b5394;">ripped the economic heart of the Manurewa ward</a>”. The Auckland Council’s Manurewa board suggests in its <a href="http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/ABOUTCOUNCIL/PLANSPOLICIESPUBLICATIONS/LOCALBOARDPLANS/DOCS/Pages/home.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">just-published plan</a> that the pre-amalgamation council “failed to show [the] urgency necessary to transform the Manurewa town centre”, a smaller set of shops and services than those in the central business district nearby. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Earlier in the year, it was high noon in Manurewa for six whole weeks, with <a href="http://www.3news.co.nz/Manurewa-town-clock-stopped-for-6-weeks/tabid/423/articleID/205129/Default.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">both hands of the town clock stopped on 12</a>. Auckland bureaucrats were held responsible for time standing still.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">But the local business association has worked to spruce things up, commissioning mural artist Doug Ford to paint the town. Manurewa is also a semi-finalist for the <a href="http://www.nzawards.org.nz/CommunityoftheYear/tabid/27942/Default.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">2012 national “Community of the Year” Award</a>. </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
There have been moments of glory, several of them thanks to a man who is now a stern-looking businessman with spectacles and silvering hair. John Walker, a member of the Manurewa Harriers Club in his teens, started running seriously in the early 1970s and didn’t stop until he had completed 135 sub-four-minute miles, 20 years later. Sir John Walker represents Manurewa–Papakura on the council and chairs his <a href="http://www.fieldofdreams.org.nz/home.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">Find Your Field of Dreams Foundation</a>, helping South Auckland youth through sport.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNz13ZHqv5NgK-fR1Kkldq6iPV2Sx0sS2MD0zuCXDZbpcut5-V-ZXQkOi4NR-tq2lLYqTHL2iJB99EH2omJDBfxLzxeQRidGSFz-OhnrHkd76BmbpXd1ySIQkuCWVPVvJGiYvCLytlsI/s1600/War+Memorial+Manurewa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNz13ZHqv5NgK-fR1Kkldq6iPV2Sx0sS2MD0zuCXDZbpcut5-V-ZXQkOi4NR-tq2lLYqTHL2iJB99EH2omJDBfxLzxeQRidGSFz-OhnrHkd76BmbpXd1ySIQkuCWVPVvJGiYvCLytlsI/s320/War+Memorial+Manurewa.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Local MP and Prime Minister Bill Massey <br />
unveiled the Manurewa war memorial in 1921.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Other Manurewa moments, commemorated rather than celebrated, came in wars fought elsewhere. An obelisk on the corner of Hill and Great South roads lists First World War fields of battle and locals who died there. This 1921 monument just outside the gates of Manurewa Central School, supplemented by more recent plaques, is reminiscent of war memorials in small towns all over New Zealand. </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<b>A Microcosm of the Community </b><br />
The public library, 30 years old in 2012, is across the road on land that <a href="record:%20%09http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1363390" style="color: #0b5394;">local historian Gwen Wichman</a> says was once the school horse paddock. When we arrived on a Saturday morning, a Chinese woman and her grandchildren were just leaving with a fresh supply of books. We found many more children and teenagers inside, mirroring perhaps the high proportion of young people in Manurewa’s population (29 per cent are younger than 15 years, compared with 22 per cent Auckland-wide). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
In one library nook, a pair of jandalled teens at either side of a small table flirted in a manner recognisable from a distance and probably across the millennia, pretending attention to their respective magazine selections while rather more interested in each other. At the far wall, a couple of pony-tailed girls watched over the shoulder of a classmate/brother/boyfriend as he watched something riveting on a computer screen. </div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqj2APdtJMwNrIIvQ-DblKOpS_4CrV68D8Wg0wKv7_wMEpya_koZ5Oj8HOJmqCsCtxcj3Aslu4oDRBiIXDBC-pYrNn1xeIy919CJAzI2G6qesxdxeAxcFdNhYkA45xke3CAbbCltKqLgU/s1600/ROAARR.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqj2APdtJMwNrIIvQ-DblKOpS_4CrV68D8Wg0wKv7_wMEpya_koZ5Oj8HOJmqCsCtxcj3Aslu4oDRBiIXDBC-pYrNn1xeIy919CJAzI2G6qesxdxeAxcFdNhYkA45xke3CAbbCltKqLgU/s320/ROAARR.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Boy and book, Manurewa Public Library</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><span style="font-size: small;">Children of assorted ages engaged in activities communal and solitary at another table. By the bookshelves a small girl clad confidently in fuchsia colours of magenta and pink tried to converse with her browsing father (she’d already chosen her reading). A sneakered boy, cross-legged on the floor, was absorbed in the ROAARR! of the picturebook before him. <br />
<br />
All these people seemed to reflect the ethnic diversity of the Manurewa board area, where Maori </span><span style="font-size: small;">and Pacific residents are 57 per cent of the population, and Asian people 15 per cent. The library caters for its community with Hindi and Punjabi collections as well as substantial Maori and Pasefika sections. <br />
<br />
The low-roofed library building has a warm, woody atmosphere inside, thanks to sloping ceiling beams, brightly coloured signs and a vibrant mural by Kaiaua artist Tony Johnston. None of South Auckland’s “troubles” was evident when we were there; nor did anything appear to warrant the two — no, three — security officers we saw. They were sociable as well as vigilant, however. </span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibHGwLhX3tWYI5HMNJB5KCZgF1h5nwkjhviXNkNkKvPywU5GSZitOrkk61hPla1ZMx-I2RKbpg53UJQVzNohk3uem0rdmivlPStNfQH_PfpdWEQqhgaq0sowiYtMGXZockJQpjPk5w1yQ/s1600/Library+Inside+Mural.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQxutukUYGRqm5kVvTuLtD8LliFvP7jD4x6m-D6UdrvdDdRSTOp2ydZd2T1kLNqqT0GXqz2NjIH7wQO0lYZGD-gCxofsSaq6P2K0DT-7xiJTYNlMPXxVPN_11Nn6rbph8-Ktb3aLFjVhI/s1600/Manurewa+Library+Outside.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQxutukUYGRqm5kVvTuLtD8LliFvP7jD4x6m-D6UdrvdDdRSTOp2ydZd2T1kLNqqT0GXqz2NjIH7wQO0lYZGD-gCxofsSaq6P2K0DT-7xiJTYNlMPXxVPN_11Nn6rbph8-Ktb3aLFjVhI/s320/Manurewa+Library+Outside.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Above and below: Manurewa Public Library, outside and in.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I chose two children’s books, Jan Mark’s <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2237355" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Museum Book</i></a> and Keri Smith’s <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2343394" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>How to Be an Explorer of the World</i></a>, which I’ve wanted to read ever since it featured in Auckland Libraries’<a href="http://top5goodies.blogspot.com/2011/09/top-5-things-i-hope-mr-7-gets-out-of.html"> <span style="color: #073763;">Top 5 Goodies blog</span></a>. Carol’s haul included a huge volume featuring <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2200539" style="color: #0b5394;">photos by Annie Leibovitz</a>. She also indulged her love of <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2482935" style="color: #0b5394;">English poetry that has regular rhythm and end-of-line rhyme</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibHGwLhX3tWYI5HMNJB5KCZgF1h5nwkjhviXNkNkKvPywU5GSZitOrkk61hPla1ZMx-I2RKbpg53UJQVzNohk3uem0rdmivlPStNfQH_PfpdWEQqhgaq0sowiYtMGXZockJQpjPk5w1yQ/s1600/Library+Inside+Mural.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibHGwLhX3tWYI5HMNJB5KCZgF1h5nwkjhviXNkNkKvPywU5GSZitOrkk61hPla1ZMx-I2RKbpg53UJQVzNohk3uem0rdmivlPStNfQH_PfpdWEQqhgaq0sowiYtMGXZockJQpjPk5w1yQ/s320/Library+Inside+Mural.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Drifting Kite </b><br />
However, I wanted to know more about the “drifting kite” of Manurewa. Though the library’s copy of <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2178608" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Tamaki-Makaurau: Myths and Legends of Auckland Landmarks</i></a> doesn’t include that story, the Auckland Museum Library and the South Auckland Research Centre (at Manukau Public Library) both have something that does, George Graham’s “Two Bitterns” lecture. <br />
<br />
As well as explaining the Matukurua villages’ names, Graham told of a rivalry there between the brothers Tamapahore and Tamapahure. When Tamapahore’s kite flew better than Tamapahure’s, an incantation by the latter caused Tamapahore’s kite to drift away “to the far off Hauraki horizon”, its owner in pursuit. Manurewa’s full name is therefore “Te Manu-rewa-o-Tamapahore” — the drifted-away kite of Tamapahore. <br />
<br />
So is Manurewa soaring bird or drifting kite? The local marae and schools seem to favour the latter but I get the feeling many Pakeha (not Graham) prefer the former. The soaring bird suggests a near-empty landscape, with nothing between us and nature; the kite indicates that people have lived and travelled around the area since long before the Pakeha arrived. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsCzwfP413x-HslCp-RPryzmrA5jItDAcMN8WjPh0qdVqRh8VJFJ-EF6QEaIi2S0rIxU50492g3wGd24QaR-wgtOwHgL6CJB4hMzMatt6JQBnIJTe9FR_WMRxQRbxweMWX4OZz0KMGAQ/s1600/Manurewa+Library+Children.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsCzwfP413x-HslCp-RPryzmrA5jItDAcMN8WjPh0qdVqRh8VJFJ-EF6QEaIi2S0rIxU50492g3wGd24QaR-wgtOwHgL6CJB4hMzMatt6JQBnIJTe9FR_WMRxQRbxweMWX4OZz0KMGAQ/s320/Manurewa+Library+Children.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Manurewa library activities communal and solitary, <br />
literary and otherwise.<br />
<br />
<br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">* </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">The <i>Oxford English Dictionary</i>, <a href="http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/DigitalLibrary.aspx?Page=SEARCH&Subpage=2&searchval=oxford%20english%20dictionary#top" style="color: #0b5394;">available online for Auckland Libraries members</a>, describes a “battler” as “a swagman” and “a word used in Australia and New Zealand in various other shades of meaning... esp. a person struggling against odds.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The opening lines from Tony Beyer</i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>’s poem </i></span></span><a href="http://www.manukau-libraries.govt.nz/EN/ManukauOurHistory/ManukauInPoetry/Pages/TonyBeyer.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: small;">“</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Matukutururu</i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;">”</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> are copyright and quoted here with his permission. The poem previously appeared in his collection </i>The Century<i> (HeadworX, 1998).</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Manurewa population statistics in this post come from the local board plan. </i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A typed transcript of the George Graham lecture is at Auckland Museum Library, with a copy at the South Auckland Research Centre.</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Another source for this post was </i>Manukau</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">’s</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://manukau.infospecs.co.nz/journey/home.htm"> <span style="color: #073763;">Journey</span></a><i>, the Auckland Libraries timeline of South Auckland history researched and published by the South Auckland Research Centre, now at Manukau Library.</i></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-62577100990380324422011-12-11T13:57:00.007+13:002011-12-12T06:34:46.857+13:00The Reader, the Library and the Lens<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTPpirfE68-bZ4SRgTA37Y7SfxMZkxWoeCwnNTn8ICv9zReHZrm7-zeFwATGMrs5hFxOi0p5gwrJv9WIcYgFthTq5PED_gcm6BdiOOxfs2OZnylN6N6otKxDnZnCcmKUnCHjDbybU66c/s1600/VPL+Private+Reader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTPpirfE68-bZ4SRgTA37Y7SfxMZkxWoeCwnNTn8ICv9zReHZrm7-zeFwATGMrs5hFxOi0p5gwrJv9WIcYgFthTq5PED_gcm6BdiOOxfs2OZnylN6N6otKxDnZnCcmKUnCHjDbybU66c/s320/VPL+Private+Reader.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Man reading, Vancouver Public Library downtown, <br />
October 2011.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The man in this picture: what’s his story? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of various photographs I’ve taken that show people reading in libraries, this one draws my attention the most. The man in the picture is not the first ever to be absorbed in a book. But his hands are almost clasped (in supplication, stress?), and the title of the book that tops the small selection next to him, <i>Mass Destruction</i>, is striking. The photo has him close up — although he’s half around a corner, facing away, there’s a sense of intimacy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A public library is a public place. Photographic design (angle, distance) or accident (blurring) means few people are positively identifiable. And being seen reading or in almost any other library activity is not incriminating, nor anything to be ashamed of. So I keep using the camera. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">There is an ethical question, however: if people don’t know they’re being photographed or consent to it, am I crossing a boundary, taking something more than just a photo? (I</span><span style="font-size: small;">’m not the only person who wrestles with ethical issues in this setting. The history of public libraries is full of books whose presence on the shelves has been challenged by outraged citizens or staff, and full of debates over intellectual freedom and privacy — particularly since the <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/ifissues/usapatriotactlibrary.cfm" style="color: #073763;">USA Patriot Act</a>.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A comment by the New Zealand writer <a href="http://fionafarrell.com/intro.html" style="color: #073763;">Fiona Farrell</a> makes me think that even the observed reader maintains his privacy, has a room of (and on) his own. “It is always so difficult to tell what is going on in a reader’s mind,” she writes in <i>The Broken Book</i>. “...The reader could at one remove be experiencing the thrill of illicit passion or considering bloody rebellion. No wonder the dictators and leaders of cults burn books and issue their edicts of forbidden texts.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPsMppa0ne6ucDBgTQk0O8wRZWM1stzJZ0RA4rmpQa1shE2e7x7sRK-vkfTA2CXL-b-kHMGx-es3QMeuniKrqmz6GipXnHWqinJnDKdVDdU-joaIlcFImkTw9HeIAgje1dK0ct7RPrbY/s1600/East+Coast+Bays+Library+Reader.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPsMppa0ne6ucDBgTQk0O8wRZWM1stzJZ0RA4rmpQa1shE2e7x7sRK-vkfTA2CXL-b-kHMGx-es3QMeuniKrqmz6GipXnHWqinJnDKdVDdU-joaIlcFImkTw9HeIAgje1dK0ct7RPrbY/s200/East+Coast+Bays+Library+Reader.jpg" width="158" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Carol reading, East Coast <br />
Bays Public Library, Auckland.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some things my lens doesn’t penetrate. I’ll never know the story, the one belonging to the young man at the Vancouver downtown library that day. I’ll never know what he’s reading or get inside his head; neither will anyone else who looks at that picture. And that’s the way it should be.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">* * * </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Farrell’s <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2625255" style="color: #073763;"><i>Broken Book</i></a> set out to be prose about walking — it was to be this New Zealand author’s first work of non-fiction — but after the Canterbury earth quaked, the writing went in other directions as well: across shaky ground and into poetry. This is no great surprise for those of us who read her; it is a pleasure. I think many people like the way her writing refuses to confine itself. Very recently my bookclub loved this new book, and it features on all the “best of the year” lists I’ve seen so far.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">During one section, “A Walk to the Botanic Gardens” (in the Oamaru of her childhood, perhaps?), Farrell finds herself in the Cork City Library, Ireland. There she talks of being “supposed to be writing a novel” but becoming distracted by old Irish texts, among which she discovers the old woman of Beare. (Thereby hangs a tale. That senior citizen is not one of the more bedraggled, down-and-out library patrons; she’s the narrator in a long and very old poem.) I especially like what Farrell then says about the library at Cork —</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">The reading room is filled with the sort of people you find in reading rooms everywhere: in winter, the old guys who sit on the streets in summer come in to read the papers out of the chill wind. There are school kids doing their projects and giggling surreptitiously behind the shelving. There are the natives of a dozen different countries dealing with officialdom on the library computers.</span></i></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlv5JbltUWlKM7CkKgChekyJCwYVjf8UQB7DriGyLM2E1Mxv9PVrI0WA2zjO7sK_IuHeQ5ierz2D31g6Q8FbVdQcV2TBVvoXbG_DDk2aFGBB_dEnOlWpkuncjePiPq0N0uCvdxvuylRUE/s1600/EPLdt+Newspaper+Guys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlv5JbltUWlKM7CkKgChekyJCwYVjf8UQB7DriGyLM2E1Mxv9PVrI0WA2zjO7sK_IuHeQ5ierz2D31g6Q8FbVdQcV2TBVvoXbG_DDk2aFGBB_dEnOlWpkuncjePiPq0N0uCvdxvuylRUE/s320/EPLdt+Newspaper+Guys.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Above: newspaper stand, Edmonton Public Library downtown.<br />
Below, two</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> photos of browsers, Vancouver Public Library downtown.<br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yes, that’s a picture you could paint from a library in Auckland, New Zealand, too. And during October when I was in Canada, it was similar. At the Edmonton Public Library downtown branch, I smiled to see old codgers reading the paper just as the old codgers do in the libraries of my latitude. I wouldn’t like to suggest that the men in my photo had come in from the cold — it was only autumn after all, with temperatures not yet in the minuses — but I understand that this EPL branch and indoor shopping centres downtown are great places of refuge when winter gets really miserable, such as more than twenty below.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWo1LoE-hDw2ZixTMxj73EFhNWuPHDYcyBiSILa6ksWvmaAFwVZ1oIyDBKIHl4VUYngAvaN6VA4ekNrSnM0lPcrkoCcbtDRrVzEzFcjL9coYA6bZajDVJOiJv8bBOMbCObirfZtMogVQI/s1600/VPL+Browser+1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWo1LoE-hDw2ZixTMxj73EFhNWuPHDYcyBiSILa6ksWvmaAFwVZ1oIyDBKIHl4VUYngAvaN6VA4ekNrSnM0lPcrkoCcbtDRrVzEzFcjL9coYA6bZajDVJOiJv8bBOMbCObirfZtMogVQI/s320/VPL+Browser+1.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Finally, I love Farrell’s comment about being a library browser: “I was there in the warm, browsing the shelves. I like that word, ‘browsing’. Like a cow picking its way from one delicious clump of clover to another. It’s a drifty word, full of purposeless pleasure.”</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yes, yes. (I’ve got the photos to prove it.) Thank you, Fiona Farrell, for putting all this into words.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Broken Book</i> by Fiona Farrell is published by <a href="http://www.press.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/" style="color: #073763;">Auckland University Press</a>, 2011. It is copyright, and quoted here with permission. The photos in this post are the blogger</span><span style="font-size: small;">’s own.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvgyAlePa5ZOpnmPS72c0kNXpUI0oFc2IzQj2Nl44TYzWnkCFSNldTa8x12fH_Du5zY-XnPmKjsgEf4PnjnnUf2jeGSjNknoEDusGEL8jh8HIicaX5V9DpM31UCaJkKe9q-zHbgIXFkw/s1600/VPL+downtown+browser+2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvgyAlePa5ZOpnmPS72c0kNXpUI0oFc2IzQj2Nl44TYzWnkCFSNldTa8x12fH_Du5zY-XnPmKjsgEf4PnjnnUf2jeGSjNknoEDusGEL8jh8HIicaX5V9DpM31UCaJkKe9q-zHbgIXFkw/s1600/VPL+downtown+browser+2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvgyAlePa5ZOpnmPS72c0kNXpUI0oFc2IzQj2Nl44TYzWnkCFSNldTa8x12fH_Du5zY-XnPmKjsgEf4PnjnnUf2jeGSjNknoEDusGEL8jh8HIicaX5V9DpM31UCaJkKe9q-zHbgIXFkw/s320/VPL+downtown+browser+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbETzfIvmReUucbZ2dI7n9yAa_IMBpbw6jt38Cdx8I8gcDb03fNqWQCluUaYqdey1Loqzsx0RsCCA_yoEMomNiINsSMj2r8YzAHevb1bOdoLKAsfgS9lHwa9AEdPZx8TCg90a76T35lU/s320/Glen+Eden+Library+Reader.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="239" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Glen Eden Public Library, Auckland.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlbt5MoigZR1Vd0r9Wy_Y8s-XS4cQ4a_eebsdQyHXJstSLNKvnmKIU3QCCAzonzhsXaCZM2lwgSXvd-JpUnvxFAk4OFyLOIMe0Q1NqVC_-VEExDq2AO4mKCmDTmRGW8Ch42WGA0yxshY/s1600/Parent+and+Child+Massey+Library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlbt5MoigZR1Vd0r9Wy_Y8s-XS4cQ4a_eebsdQyHXJstSLNKvnmKIU3QCCAzonzhsXaCZM2lwgSXvd-JpUnvxFAk4OFyLOIMe0Q1NqVC_-VEExDq2AO4mKCmDTmRGW8Ch42WGA0yxshY/s320/Parent+and+Child+Massey+Library.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Parent and child in pink gumboots, Massey Public Library, Auckland.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXT4zppKgsCkC0WaQ-PF4943Dfo3ZpplYS4tAEBEueZDoiyQEefXdI-q1L9rq223OqFNAhMFtLRLyZJdiB19DnJvuQfF3Pkrb5jbsL1NPHgDGs66ekwaDgLlPrXzpicL_sbgYKK4TFy4/s1600/Edmonton+Public+Library+Reader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXT4zppKgsCkC0WaQ-PF4943Dfo3ZpplYS4tAEBEueZDoiyQEefXdI-q1L9rq223OqFNAhMFtLRLyZJdiB19DnJvuQfF3Pkrb5jbsL1NPHgDGs66ekwaDgLlPrXzpicL_sbgYKK4TFy4/s320/Edmonton+Public+Library+Reader.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Shoes off, feet up, Edmonton downtown library.</span></td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-17985085127919361262011-11-17T07:53:00.032+13:002011-11-21T20:53:15.925+13:00Navigational Aides: Auckland + Edmonton + Elsewhere<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVO6HgYyOJWze0cdOSzAV2qlexOgeL1gjtpuKvSLIhcVNIcrsHic3IH3pRnvXgGUjBTYgptTz9DUTNpcxqdWHh7ViTb80ia6V6nEy1_T7A3BC2tPbMcopjaU9IltKxosBJZpiwjm3ULI/s1600/Library+Patron.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVO6HgYyOJWze0cdOSzAV2qlexOgeL1gjtpuKvSLIhcVNIcrsHic3IH3pRnvXgGUjBTYgptTz9DUTNpcxqdWHh7ViTb80ia6V6nEy1_T7A3BC2tPbMcopjaU9IltKxosBJZpiwjm3ULI/s320/Library+Patron.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A member of the public, equipped for all terrain, uses a <br />
check-out machine at Edmonton<b style="background-color: #99ff99; color: black;"></b>’s downtown library.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span>“Our professionally trained staff take you beyond Google with the knowledge, discernment and desire to help you navigate a universe of information.” </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">To an e-(lectronic), i-(nternet) and info-junkie like me, that’s the ultimate: the best I could wish for. The Edmonton<b style="background-color: #99ff99; color: black;"></b> Public Library must think so, too, because that sentence features in many of its media releases, including one that trumpets the 17-library system’s win of<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="http://www.epl.ca/releases/2011-Jan-11" style="color: #0b5394;">North America’s biggest library PR award</a>. This Canadian institution has made people sit up and take notice in places other than Libraryland, too, with its 2010 rebranding and “guerilla marketing” campaign winning <a href="http://www.donovancreative.com/case-study/edmonton-public-library/" style="color: #0b5394;">eight diverse other awards</a>.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Spreading the Words </b> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Messages such as “We make geek chic”, “Market stats. City maps”, “Beyoncé’s latest. Beethoven’s greatest”, “We share stories” and the all-encompassing “Spread the words” feature on posters, carry-bags and other merchandise, showing the library has gone all out to be up with the play, down with the brown, the new black (but in this decade’s version of technicolour).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43BZxl2SLvLkrJAhLPtuDC4AmZE1EEEsc7PwQIkhmMxKg0NsftiEk3qqncrSTGn0XxIMvjIld2aLbDFs4jYtv_KjIpbacZYiv7hMq1RvUBFTXDX1gBGvGOd4np_R9Bgcs7kvsK017pKQ/s1600/Marketing.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43BZxl2SLvLkrJAhLPtuDC4AmZE1EEEsc7PwQIkhmMxKg0NsftiEk3qqncrSTGn0XxIMvjIld2aLbDFs4jYtv_KjIpbacZYiv7hMq1RvUBFTXDX1gBGvGOd4np_R9Bgcs7kvsK017pKQ/s320/Marketing.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Billboard on Edmonton<b style="background-color: #99ff99; color: black;"></b> Public Library building, downtown.</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><span style="font-size: small;"> Does the public library achieve all those things? Does it help me navigate a universe of information? Here I deviate momentarily to admit that I’m the person who steps away from the dinner table, regardless of guests, to go online and track down or verify some essential piece of trivia. I’m certainly not the only one, in this universe of everything available both instantly and electronically, but my info-snobbery may set me apart. For the real gen* I often go “beyond Google”, Wikipedia and the other user-generated sources.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This year I’ve followed a Libraryland debate about the future of reference services around the world. Apparently, many public libraries have recorded new lows in the number of reference questions they receive. “Now we’ve got the internet,” some people suggest, “we don’t need trained and specialist library staff to help us find stuff.” <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We may not need some of the printed books that have traditionally been the authorities, collectively offering The Answer To Every Question. It’s unlikely</span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/30/online-dictionaries-oxford-collins-chambers" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <span style="color: #0b5394;">the new edition of the <i>Oxford English Dictionary</i></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, accessible online through Auckland Libraries membership, will ever be printed, and at the </span><a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/05/along-great-south-road.html" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sir Edmund Hillary Library in Papakura</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, I was sad to see recent international reference books on sale for a dollar apiece. The library didn’t have the space, I gathered, and people didn’t use them any more.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tO_XP25ACODeQzuOa1jskADAiJKambzh3diCWel3a2z2dRvl1Jcr4MjeMYKrH6EvLdKYwSAKw1QgPGWZgKCerQ_9AwpFPGh_mp2mzwmDJenGqZBIpArWLTZcklkkoIsJp-4ejlkaVlI/s1600/Papakura+Books.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tO_XP25ACODeQzuOa1jskADAiJKambzh3diCWel3a2z2dRvl1Jcr4MjeMYKrH6EvLdKYwSAKw1QgPGWZgKCerQ_9AwpFPGh_mp2mzwmDJenGqZBIpArWLTZcklkkoIsJp-4ejlkaVlI/s320/Papakura+Books.jpg" width="232" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">R is for Reference: books bought for a dollar <br />
apiece at Papakura Public Library.</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The result in Papakura wasn’t entirely negative: my partner and I found good homes for some of the rejected volumes, and anyway, as members of Auckland Libraries many townspeople are encouraged to use the extensive, authoritative electronic reference databases to which the city subscribes.<b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Going Google-Eyed?</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">There’s a tendency, though, to assume anyone can find what they want these days by typing a word or two into </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">a general search engine. At a public library branch in my part of Auckland, I was dismayed when a friendly staff member directed me to Google. Even though I showed him which authoritative New Zealand bird book I wanted from an official-looking booklist, he thought (after we discovered its absence from the shelf) I’d find what I needed on Google Images. </span><br />
<br />
Effective reference services — ones that use trained organic brains as well as search-engine brawn — are more important than ever in libraries. I love the way Eugenie Prime, then head librarian at Hewlett-Packard, put it in a passionate, quirky doco, <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2359665" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>The Hollywood Librarian</i></a>. <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“</span>We [Librarians]<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span>help people define what their information need is,<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">”</span> she said. <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“</span>Many people ...ask questions, and it’s not the real question. We have a way of getting people to share with us what that problem is and then are able to package the answer in a way they would want. Google can’t meet that, no way.<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">”</span> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today’s reference services may involve showing library users how to find things out, and where; how to assess the quality of information and access the most valuable sources. This is knowledge we all need in an age of information overload, and librarians are among the best to help us get it. Of course many simple, straightforward questions are asked in public libraries, and some of the askers may not be equipped to absorb a detailed and on-the-spot demonstration of research techniques. In those cases an old-fashioned method of reference help — serving up The Perfect and Indisputable Answer on a plate — is still good.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hSkVPLUdmr_HbXzYxi39_ycGg_qygVFE-urSUjvopbw5xiZbcVEdFP3hzHbzcE3UDsTeSk-DEcDMBD5x6klC26vPDISYldw_aA7uDKwGp8q2F4XVy__5ONHU3rKf4R8mIctV7ACltLA/s1600/EmptyShelves.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hSkVPLUdmr_HbXzYxi39_ycGg_qygVFE-urSUjvopbw5xiZbcVEdFP3hzHbzcE3UDsTeSk-DEcDMBD5x6klC26vPDISYldw_aA7uDKwGp8q2F4XVy__5ONHU3rKf4R8mIctV7ACltLA/s320/EmptyShelves.jpg" width="260" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Empty section, downtown library, Edmonton.</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before people will consult reference services and their trained staff, it’s important to publicise their availability and value. Enter </span><span style="font-size: small;">Edmonton</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="background-color: #99ff99; color: black;"></b> Public Library and its marketing campaign. But does EPL go on to “help you navigate a universe of information”? Well, maybe. On the face of it, the big downtown branch didn’t do that when I was in town.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Reference Points in a Downtown Library </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The purpose-designed building next to Churchill Square dates from 1967, but the Stanley A. Milner Library layout has clearly been updated over the years. There’s a new children’s library out the front, and another refit of the whole complex seemed to be underway when I returned after <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/10/from-different-latitude.html" style="color: #0b5394;">an inspiring first encounter</a>. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What gave me that impression? Rows and rows of empty shelves, with no indication of where books had gone or might be moving, and why. Vacant or superceded enquiry desks, with nothing to say whether they might be staffed. Mixed messages and obsolescence in signs, logos and fittings. <br />
<br />
I loved the EPL marketing campaign, the library network’s extensive collections of CDs and DVDs, its writer in residence scheme, its wide-ranging programme of events and the EPL facilities I saw at Strathcona, the University of Alberta (eplGo), Callingwood (Lois Hole) and Woodcroft. I wanted to love the downtown library, too, but apart from the separate children’s library (where hanging out too long as an unaccompanied adult might get you some strange looks), on the day I visited it didn’t feel like a place where I could navigate a universe of information. Hell, I’d be lucky if I could navigate a single storey — or story. <br />
<br />
<b>Empty Desk Syndrome </b><br />
Edmonton’s downtown library didn’t feel like a place with trained professionals available and eager to help. Oh, there were enquiry desks here and there. But the brilliant Access Department for people with disabilities wasn’t staffed (it opens weekdays, nine to five); neither was the Heritage Room; several other enquiry desks had an empty appearance. As I moved about the floor I saw few staff, though library users were in evidence. Even self-service supermarkets have more staff out and about, it occurred to me. <br />
<br />
The EPL Access desk is scheduled for closure, I gather, along with most assistance areas in the downtown branch, and in future those who worked there may staff a single, street-level, enquiry desk. I’d be curious to see how that affects service and the overall atmosphere. Emptying most floor areas of identifiable staff seems a pretty strange initiative for a main branch that (I’ve read) has worked hard to deal with the security, safety and “ambience” problems faced by many downtown libraries. And while I’m all for patron power, I question whether it’s best achieved in a large building by concentrating most trained staff in one relatively small place that’s not exactly central. All these things make me wonder if EPL is putting its money where its marketing mouth is.**</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDBlrMUO9Vp9i_MPcMcQCUUII0fndTwZb-gg_bZpvCNahCEvkCLwtKm9tMpmtHOeDwZI9oLV2xgCxV4Ehvb3uL2U7keQY8IrdIrKrz-xPjEX1K_jaCv_jN2YrcN5mmLd-GPmCcEkHvvw/s1600/Vancouver+Enquiry.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDBlrMUO9Vp9i_MPcMcQCUUII0fndTwZb-gg_bZpvCNahCEvkCLwtKm9tMpmtHOeDwZI9oLV2xgCxV4Ehvb3uL2U7keQY8IrdIrKrz-xPjEX1K_jaCv_jN2YrcN5mmLd-GPmCcEkHvvw/s320/Vancouver+Enquiry.jpg" width="243" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Fine Arts and History desk at <br />
Vancouver downtown library.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Compare and Contrast </b><br />
While in Canada last month I visited another downtown library, Vancouver’s. Although its branding, handouts and posters aren’t as slick as Edmonton’s and some collections appear smaller, I think this city has got it mostly right. Vancouver has staffed desks on every level, signs that are relevant and a lot more handouts recommending books and reference materials on topics of current interest. Nothing seemed in a state of flux when I was there; everything was being used. I felt I could <i>navigate</i> — or that if I got myself lost, I could at least locate a staff member. <br />
<br />
Admittedly the Vancouver downtown library building is much newer but libraries, to paraphrase EPL marketing, are bigger than their buildings. They’re about people, even for diehard information junkies like me.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">* It’s typical that on typing “gen” I felt the need to look it up using my mobile wireless broadband and Auckland Libraries’ Oxford Reference Online, where the <i>Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang</i> told me it was “Brit, orig services'. noun”, meaning “Information. 1940–.<i> Daily Telegraph</i> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">‘</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A vast amount of </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">gen</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">”</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> is included, and this will be invaluable for settling arguments</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">’</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> (1970).” </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">** Please check comment #2, from a well informed someone reassuring me that under the new set-up, staff will indeed be out and about in EPL</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">’s</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> downtown branch.</span></span></span><style>
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</style> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><span style="font-size: small;"><img alt="" height="1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/422917906348325042-1798508512791936126?l=librarylatitude.blogspot.com" width="1" /></span></div>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-55185840165708203342011-11-02T09:20:00.005+13:002011-11-02T12:58:39.204+13:00Cups, Pucks, Rucks and Reading<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeis-hjhp4o3FOEOUpJ1lwIe9AhmL8Ow5xIQzCD-UU1kix4Olrlsmk3d_zJAusDBtaIenSuHHZ7FHJQj9SHZ390pv76JoFoSYspbINViNpTQQHZwb8GDsT8ZAbgBfa1O4coFcQJJsV-ac/s1600/Canucks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeis-hjhp4o3FOEOUpJ1lwIe9AhmL8Ow5xIQzCD-UU1kix4Olrlsmk3d_zJAusDBtaIenSuHHZ7FHJQj9SHZ390pv76JoFoSYspbINViNpTQQHZwb8GDsT8ZAbgBfa1O4coFcQJJsV-ac/s320/Canucks.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Public bus in Canuck ice hockey team strip, downtown Vancouver.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Eleven thousand kilometres: it’s a long way from a game of rugby — but somehow I managed without the Rugby World Cup during a month in Canada. It may have something to do with being a supposed rarity, a Kiwi who’s not into sport. Or perhaps it was because in the land of the puck and the <a href="http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0007658" style="color: #0b5394;">Stanley Cup</a>, the oval ball was still (conversationally) kicked in my direction now and then.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">At a<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="http://www.litfestalberta.org/home.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">LitFest</a> (non-fiction festival) event in Edmonton, an author signing his book for me enquired if I was South African, then tried to make up for it by presuming I was excited about the rugby. At the Vancouver International Writers Festival, the obligatory words about tearing himself away from the World Cup introduced New Zealand’s own Lloyd Jones. Then one night in downtown Vancouver a fellow Kiwi who must have overheard what a Canadian friend calls my “ixcint” followed me off the bus, telling me she was looking for “the game” — the final, I suddenly recalled, New Zealand versus France — and some “young ones” to watch it with. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">I don’t know if it’s true that we’re “even more fanatical” about rugby than the Welsh,* but after a lifetime of bemused looking on (I’m a spectator of rugby spectators rather than of the game itself) I have to concede that as a nation we are fairly interested, at the very least. Not that we always look it. At the Vancouver festival’s grand opening, one of my Canadian companions interpreted Jones’s laconic response to the MC’s introduction as complete indifference to rugby. On the contrary, I said: he’s really keen. Perhaps I should have taken the opportunity to deliver an impromptu lecture in Kiwi Culture 101.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Lloyd Jones, world famous since <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2188199" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Mister Pip</i></a> found a place on the 2007 shortlist of the Booker Prize, was world famous in New Zealand before that. Although he initially made waves here with work such as <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1231043" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Biografi</i></a> (1993, contentious for its defiance of boundaries between fiction and non-fiction), his </span></span><i><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1097774" style="color: #0b5394;">Book of Fame</a></i><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"> (2000) really made his name. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPodOupQGeBrEcKUC4FV6YlqObUZBpkD1SfkKzfh5cSmQ-IWWxFYhQ6dCDH51WYVv7tHwePBTGh1Ypquk6rgSLqYr57oG5WckKsau2hTYXuwu5iC8-geXOAAbdfw9DotE_UjOo8FM_f4/s1600/BookOfFamePeng.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPodOupQGeBrEcKUC4FV6YlqObUZBpkD1SfkKzfh5cSmQ-IWWxFYhQ6dCDH51WYVv7tHwePBTGh1Ypquk6rgSLqYr57oG5WckKsau2hTYXuwu5iC8-geXOAAbdfw9DotE_UjOo8FM_f4/s200/BookOfFamePeng.jpg" width="124" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">That award-winning novel is about the real-life 1905 tour of Britain by New Zealand’s rugby “Originals” and, having <a href="http://lindypratch.blogspot.com/2011/08/book-of-fame-by-lloyd-jones.html" style="color: #0b5394;">recommended it to numerous <span style="background-color: white;"></span>people over the years</a>, I’ve decided it’s time I read it again — to see if I can get away with recommending it to my even more non-sporting parents and brother, also to find out if it’s still one of my favourite New Zealand novels. Sadly, it wasn’t on sale at the Vancouver festival (though his latest novel,<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2562859" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Hand Me Down World</i></a></span></span>, w<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">as). Now I’m home I’ve ordered it from the public library, together with a recent edition of Australia’s <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2637867" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Griffith Review</i></a> in which Jones “<a href="http://griffithreview.com/edition-33-such-is-life/" style="color: #0b5394;">reveals how childhood rugby and a reverence for the All Blacks shaped his adult sensibilities and success beyond the Wellington suburbs</a>”.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Ah, the public library. Apart from the passing mention above, does this post on this Latitude of Libraries blog have anything to do with the public library,<i> really</i>, readers may wonder? Well yes, it does. New Zealand, it’s been said more than once,** is about rugby, racing and beer. Maybe we need to rethink that and say instead that New Zealand is about rugby, reading and pies, or some other combination where the presence of libraries is at least implied. Watch this:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://1.gvt0.com/vi/bG_A2OqKrZ0/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bG_A2OqKrZ0&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bG_A2OqKrZ0&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">It’s a great little video about our love of public libraries (and rugby), released just ahead of this week’s LIANZA (<a href="http://www.lianza.org.nz/" style="color: #0b5394;">Library and Information Association of NZ Aotearoa</a>) conference. Maker<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="http://findingheroes.co.nz/tag/new-zealand-public-libraries/" style="color: #0b5394;">Sally Pewhairangi</a> says it’s in honour of New Zealand’s RWC win; it also celebrates the launch of a new initiative in LIANZA’s “Libraries Count” project. It’ll make you smile — and think.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18msbrMo6AiefpfqH2ET5WCTrIMGJnK55NMLCpuicFuY2YBMcgBvxffKIW6IfmAtnOa9rWBPTiuyhtP1iMksyHyvJT2aV1mGtzHhwhV4aBx2EdpNur5_40VD4oxdt_HyGqd4rXRRcpkc/s1600/Papakura+Pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18msbrMo6AiefpfqH2ET5WCTrIMGJnK55NMLCpuicFuY2YBMcgBvxffKIW6IfmAtnOa9rWBPTiuyhtP1iMksyHyvJT2aV1mGtzHhwhV4aBx2EdpNur5_40VD4oxdt_HyGqd4rXRRcpkc/s200/Papakura+Pie.jpg" width="148" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">One of many election issues, <br />
Great South Road, Papakura.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">There are plenty of things to think about in the lead-up to New Zealand’s election in a few weeks’ time (the price of pies, for starters) but do spare a thought for our public libraries. They’re far from immune to the penny-pinchitis that has threatened public libraries overseas. For that reason, and because they’re a wonderful thing, I support the national campaign to keep our public libraries both <a href="http://www.lianza.org.nz/news-events/keep-public-libraries-free" style="color: #0b5394;">funded and free</a>.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">*Former Welsh international John Peter Rhys Williams (1979), quoted in the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%09http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1593598" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Reed Book of New Zealand Quotations</i></a>.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">** though possibly first by John Mulgan in his <i>Report on Experience</i> (1947, <i>Reed Book of New Zealand Quotations</i>).</span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AaLmXDeanXEJMyDUgzYhQnlO7sAP-AHC9zinIw1MGnsnplpc1eqZlscuOi_CLm3bK3GFPkctlN7TAVhPfRVvnZTCm1t2ckTZdauc_kQsseIcmz-YS8Z_UV1zHjo89RJ8AFhaYgF91MQ/s1600/WeShareStories.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AaLmXDeanXEJMyDUgzYhQnlO7sAP-AHC9zinIw1MGnsnplpc1eqZlscuOi_CLm3bK3GFPkctlN7TAVhPfRVvnZTCm1t2ckTZdauc_kQsseIcmz-YS8Z_UV1zHjo89RJ8AFhaYgF91MQ/s1600/WeShareStories.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">“We share stories” poster and patron at downtown public library branch in Edmonton, Canada. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-90392878086209376332011-10-07T06:58:00.001+13:002011-10-29T16:50:32.877+13:00From a Different Latitude<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLVRVf03hqKofHpKJDwr2bYVRUI63h9Tzjp1LcJ0jbs4uyOa7zmyKB0QkUtdIcvIZQMJYOUvIHiTmsRzp9BxKJWNrexBlcOC_99fdXtXq4XbhMz2qpCdwp41L7LKITG2tlITmrQmmyqY/s1600/High+Bush+Cranberries.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALeVcla2Ba_2EOrlsNPq2clAoobXwrA4uRdmTfS3xHj0malCMDx-cgn8rHRiRCnF0h0fhrZeovgkWSPuGJJFfQQe7YUvfgVegWX_fq3gpAgnTp_X2YAn-dGa4IGCYQvAvL8xPjW9-2AQ/s1600/Childrens+Library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALeVcla2Ba_2EOrlsNPq2clAoobXwrA4uRdmTfS3xHj0malCMDx-cgn8rHRiRCnF0h0fhrZeovgkWSPuGJJFfQQe7YUvfgVegWX_fq3gpAgnTp_X2YAn-dGa4IGCYQvAvL8xPjW9-2AQ/s320/Childrens+Library.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Which public library is this? It could be one of Auckland’s, but in fact it’s way above <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/09/going-to-town-in-country.html" style="color: #0b5394;">Wellsford</a>, the northernmost point I’ve visited in the 55-library latitude tour. Think falling leaves, cooler temperatures. Curling season. The sweet pong of high-bush cranberries that grow on the banks of the river running through the city. Think Edmonton, latitude 53° 34' north, Canada. </span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br />
<br />
I decided to call in to the public library, “the second most visited place in Edmonton”.* The first such place is the West Edmonton Mall, once the world’s largest shopping mall and home — no longer, thank goodness — to a small pod of sickly dolphins. <br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b>“We’re bigger than our buildings”</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Edmonton Public Library</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> has 17 sites serving <a href="http://www.edmonton.ca/business/economic_demographic/economic_information/population-forcasts.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">a population of 752,000 (city limits) to 1.1 million (greater Edmonton)</a>, one library less** than in Auckland City’s grab-bag before the 2010 amalgamations that pushed the population of JAFAs</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">*** up</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> to 1.4 million overnight. Like Auckland Libraries, EPL has several construction or renovation projects on the go at a time — five at present. But also like Auckland, EPL is “bigger than our buildings”, as one of its new posters says. <br />
<br />
In addition to the people and resources within, it offers external electronic reference databases that members can browse outside the library walls ...as with Auckland Libraries (whose <a href="http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/DigitalLibrary.aspx?lang=en-NZ" style="color: #0b5394;">Digital Library</a> I continue to use from Canada), though the “<a href="http://www.epl.ca/licensed-databases/birds-north-america" style="color: #0b5394;">Birds of North America</a>” resource to which Edmonton subscribes is not on our list. <br />
<br />
EPL’s bookmobiles, the equivalent of Auckland’s four mobile library trucks, were retired in 1991 but “community librarians” (different from branch managers) build links with external groups, and an outreach service sees staff visiting homebound people, connecting library laptops wirelessly to</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> member and circulation lists to remotely arrange memberships or help find and reserve a range of items, from braille books to music to video games.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjaEKsOURIKorSf0FvucDNA0vEcJcZlhwl_UZi7_yZE03x-cV4YvVq3d7HOWW5sfRDJ88Jpk9wk-2CuaGXtvdbp4FmoX5HR7KJQMhnbsTJ0Rqs8CBveqZYbvi5ziFqFjslZAWOMY-qtw/s1600/Susan+Juby+Talk.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjaEKsOURIKorSf0FvucDNA0vEcJcZlhwl_UZi7_yZE03x-cV4YvVq3d7HOWW5sfRDJ88Jpk9wk-2CuaGXtvdbp4FmoX5HR7KJQMhnbsTJ0Rqs8CBveqZYbvi5ziFqFjslZAWOMY-qtw/s320/Susan+Juby+Talk.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Canadian author Susan Juby at EPL downtown.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">My first encounter with Edmonton</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">’s library system</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> was wonderful. With local friends, I heard a popular Canadian author, Susan Juby, speak at the downtown library’s AV room. Introduced by <a href="http://www.martychan.com/blog/" style="color: #0b5394;">Marty Chan</a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">, writer in residence — yes, <a href="http://www.epl.ca/writerinresidence" style="color: #0b5394;">EPL has such a person</a>! — she generously spoke for more than an hour to an audience of about 30, before taking questions from the floor. Canadians may, like Kiwis, have a reputation for being quiet but they’re far more forward in Q&A than we are; this I’ve concluded on the basis of just two such sessions since I’ve been here. This is a good thing: there were no awkward silences!<br />
<br />
<b>“Shrugging on that skin”</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Susan Juby has written for teens and adults, both fiction and non-fiction, though Auckland Libraries has only her novels. One of her books, <i><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1033353" style="color: #0b5394;">Alice</a>, <a href="http://epl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/386371005_alice,_i_think" style="color: #0b5394;">I Think</a></i>, is in the <a href="http://lindypratch.blogspot.com/2008/11/no-quite-canon-thirteen-canadian-teen.html" style="color: #0b5394;">personal Canadian teen literary canon</a> that a friend here prepared for me, and Juby is so well versed in the craft of staying alive while writing that she’s managed to make authorship her fulltime job. Her talk at EPL featured pithy, sometimes self-deprecating observations, several of which I scribbled down: </span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">on procrastination — “I had to make the process of writing less painful than not writing”;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> “I wrote two entire novels at Calhoun’s [a Vancouver café] and no-one ever learned my name or said hello” (she wasn’t complaining; it helped her get stuff done);</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> she’s a voracious reader — “I needed to stop reading long enough to start writing”;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> she loves “shrugging on that skin” of the first-person narrator;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> “stinky first drafts” are a speciality and it’s as if “the entire room smells like farts</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">” followed by the realisation</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">“</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Oh, that’s coming off the page”;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> “If you have not spent time in a chicken barn</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">,</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">”</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> she said,</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">“</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">you have not lived”.</span></li>
</ul><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">This last piece of wisdom related to Juby’s research for her latest novel, <a href="http://epl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/866601005_the_woefield_poultry_collective" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>The Woefield Poultry Collective</i></a> as it’s called in North America (the US edition i</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">s blandly <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2593309" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Home to Woefield</i></a> with a cover to match). I suspect she’s fond of chooks: her henbag, though not seen at EPL that day, is </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://susanjuby.com/blog/2011/09/23/edmonton-visit/" style="color: #0b5394;">famous</a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-75tORQMdlrfhuO7ONhVG6inKTfZEWlC6nV6PfCLZjS7xKzwTsaNJu5Yjnbu9PMYsxIH_Xi6ot9IG-qwsO-jLqAYOw7g4XQ0i3SUbbfAd4Z2oK0F7LDUIs1-UjaNQVANa6vewiOCACQ/s1600/Woefield+US.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SrPP0EWQIKOCylzItkWctXesNuwEJzQaHtw1aekrX-WkKPfDBgdBC6_G2jguhHi5I-HEyjtSU2Ql7YsizX0g1GQDj_m4YCmTE4Yo6tOFM9JlQCQY2DKarzO1CGMRvLW4i0QBDvB_x1k/s1600/Woefield+Ca.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SrPP0EWQIKOCylzItkWctXesNuwEJzQaHtw1aekrX-WkKPfDBgdBC6_G2jguhHi5I-HEyjtSU2Ql7YsizX0g1GQDj_m4YCmTE4Yo6tOFM9JlQCQY2DKarzO1CGMRvLW4i0QBDvB_x1k/s200/Woefield+Ca.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b>Night classes at the library?</b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-75tORQMdlrfhuO7ONhVG6inKTfZEWlC6nV6PfCLZjS7xKzwTsaNJu5Yjnbu9PMYsxIH_Xi6ot9IG-qwsO-jLqAYOw7g4XQ0i3SUbbfAd4Z2oK0F7LDUIs1-UjaNQVANa6vewiOCACQ/s1600/Woefield+US.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-75tORQMdlrfhuO7ONhVG6inKTfZEWlC6nV6PfCLZjS7xKzwTsaNJu5Yjnbu9PMYsxIH_Xi6ot9IG-qwsO-jLqAYOw7g4XQ0i3SUbbfAd4Z2oK0F7LDUIs1-UjaNQVANa6vewiOCACQ/s1600/Woefield+US.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Her talk was part of a monthly “Writers’ Corner” that the writer in residence hosts at the downtown library, and one of numerous free day and evening events in EPL’s programme. A quarterly EPL <i>Library Guide</i> dedicates most of its 44 pages to setting out the various gatherings for children, teens and adults. It seems so extensive that I asked a local friend if night classes and the like were available elsewhere in Edmonton (they were).</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Some of these Canadian library events are familiar — bookclub meetings (I attended one co-ordinated by a staff member at the Woodcroft branch last night; it was great) and the <a href="http://www.epl.ca/programs-and-events/programs-detail?eveid=514" style="color: #0b5394;">Edmontonian toddlers’ equivalent</a> of our <a href="http://www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/EN/RodneyLibraries/Events/Pages/WriggleRhymewins2011SPARCaward.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">award-winning Wriggle and Rhyme</a>. It’s hard for me to judge if the Auckland Libraries calendar is as full; we don’t usually look at it in a single publication, though its <a href="http://www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/EN/Events/Pages/Home.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">events feature on the website</a> and are promoted through printed fliers. <br />
<br />
Back home in Auckland, with seven previously separate library systems still coming together, the programme may be less easy to corral, describe and summarise. It will be interesting to see if any changes follow Auckland Libraries’ recent survey on patrons’ interest and involvement in its events. Of course, a lot of informal assistance goes on in libraries too: Auckland may have fewer job-search and computing classes but a former reference librarian at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/" style="color: #0b5394;">East Coast Bays</a>, for instance, has told me of her similar work </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">every week </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">with numerous individuals. <br />
<br />
<b>The gophers, <i>T. rex</i> and friends</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">I am away from latitude </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">36° 51' south</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> for a few more weeks and am enjoying Alberta — from the North Saskatchewan River and the Canadian Rockies to the unforgettable “world famous” <a href="http://www.calgaryherald.com/travel/destinations/north-america/canada/atlantic-provinces/prince-edward-island/Photo+Gallery+Alberta+beloved+Gopher+Museum/3369444/story.html" style="color: #0b5394;">Gopher Hole Museum</a> at Torrington and the slightly more world-famous <a href="http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/" style="color: #0b5394;">Royal Tyrrell Museum</a> in the Badlands, with its stunning collection of fossils and dinosaur skeletons from near and far. In four days (Monday October 10) it</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">’</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">s Thanksgiving Day up here. Those are other stories, though, and public libraries remain on the itinerary, whatever their latitude.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDtGQjYRy2v1Q_jU-e8UywKd9W6PREAgOVGQDSmfl7FAfx17GbgusUFDKl5pNKSgkiOoEQqENiUIKXsK8I8kc5W770CzJX0O1VLKDi6x1mZgo5lu83wD_GPxho4zWMeBrCaM6suGLOzE/s1600/Blogger+Blends+Right+In.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDtGQjYRy2v1Q_jU-e8UywKd9W6PREAgOVGQDSmfl7FAfx17GbgusUFDKl5pNKSgkiOoEQqENiUIKXsK8I8kc5W770CzJX0O1VLKDi6x1mZgo5lu83wD_GPxho4zWMeBrCaM6suGLOzE/s200/Blogger+Blends+Right+In.jpg" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Wearing a Swanndri that the locals <br />
think is a lumber jacket, the <br />
blogger blends right in by the North <br />
Saskatchewan River, Edmonton. <br />
Below right: high-bush cranberries.<br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">* from a library document downloadable as a pdf:<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span></span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.epl.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/factsfigures_final.pdf">www.epl.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/factsfigures_final.pdf</a></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">** </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">“fewer</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">” sounds wrong here, and given the fuss these days about less vs. fewer I was interested to see a redoubtable source commenting that </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">we sometimes get too pedantic about the distinction. Source: </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pocket Fowler</i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">’</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>s Modern English Usage</i>. Ed. Robert Allen. Oxford University Press, 2008.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1416873898" style="color: #0b5394;">Oxford R</a><a href="http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/DigitalLibrary.aspx?Page=SEARCH&Subpage=2&searchval=oxford%20reference%20online#top" style="color: #0b5394;">eference Online </a>(searchable free by Auckland Libraries members).</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">*** Aucklanders. JAFA is an acron</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">ym formed from “</span><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">j</i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">ust </span><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">a</i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">nother </span><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">f</i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">***ing </span><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A</i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">ucklander”. Source: </span><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The New Zealand Oxford Dictionary</i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">. Tony Deverson. Oxford University Press 2004. </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1416873898" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Oxford R</a><a href="http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/DigitalLibrary.aspx?Page=SEARCH&Subpage=2&searchval=oxford%20reference%20online#top" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">eference Online </a>again. </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">Top photo: children’s library, downtown EPL.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLVRVf03hqKofHpKJDwr2bYVRUI63h9Tzjp1LcJ0jbs4uyOa7zmyKB0QkUtdIcvIZQMJYOUvIHiTmsRzp9BxKJWNrexBlcOC_99fdXtXq4XbhMz2qpCdwp41L7LKITG2tlITmrQmmyqY/s1600/High+Bush+Cranberries.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLVRVf03hqKofHpKJDwr2bYVRUI63h9Tzjp1LcJ0jbs4uyOa7zmyKB0QkUtdIcvIZQMJYOUvIHiTmsRzp9BxKJWNrexBlcOC_99fdXtXq4XbhMz2qpCdwp41L7LKITG2tlITmrQmmyqY/s200/High+Bush+Cranberries.jpg" width="153" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLVRVf03hqKofHpKJDwr2bYVRUI63h9Tzjp1LcJ0jbs4uyOa7zmyKB0QkUtdIcvIZQMJYOUvIHiTmsRzp9BxKJWNrexBlcOC_99fdXtXq4XbhMz2qpCdwp41L7LKITG2tlITmrQmmyqY/s1600/High+Bush+Cranberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-58654061650932769362011-09-13T23:48:00.003+12:002011-09-14T09:11:25.815+12:00Stepping into Poetry at Auckland Central<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmikV5tYSi36oF0nwE02maRFgJR0-NZwjNV-X-utiNZYS39MSBAcOB5d20asZH70zGJ43E27be2J0M8ZeyiAZjpyxPDqj4USUUcQchAccsbWEsAWBxvu5zuvSr7KrxJqjbIn3ZJzd-KKU/s1600/Central+Library+Steps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmikV5tYSi36oF0nwE02maRFgJR0-NZwjNV-X-utiNZYS39MSBAcOB5d20asZH70zGJ43E27be2J0M8ZeyiAZjpyxPDqj4USUUcQchAccsbWEsAWBxvu5zuvSr7KrxJqjbIn3ZJzd-KKU/s320/Central+Library+Steps.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Auckland Central Public Library has brought<br />
down a barrier to the outside world, replacing <br />
a low concrete wall with steps — and words <br />
by poet Robert Sullivan.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">A poem this post: a new Robert Sullivan poem has been published in a different way from<a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?q=robert%20sullivan%20poems&refx=&uilang=en"> <span style="color: #0b5394;">the many poetry books Robert has written and edited</span></a> — it’s now engraved on the new set of steps leading to and from the Central Public Library in Lorne Street. <br />
<br />
These expansive steps, bringing a new sense of light and openness to the front of the library (and a new challenge for skateboarders), lead down to a “Shared Space”, part of a new Auckland initiative for selected streets. Shared Space involves “<a href="http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/projects/cbdproject/sharedspace.asp" style="color: #0b5394;">removing the traditional distinction between footpath and road so vehicles and pedestrians can share the space</a>”. Sounds dodgy to me! <br />
<br />
The idea is that city streets and open spaces will become “vibrant, people-friendly urban destinations”. So far three Central Business District streets have had the “Shared Space” treatment, together with New Lynn’s Totara Avenue West and, from what I’ve seen, part of the new Wynyard Quarter downtown. I’ll bet it’s all been scheduled to help prettify the city for the World Cup Ruby, as a brochure I picked up in town calls the large football tournament that’s now on around New Zealand. <br />
<br />
If I’m dubious about just how sharing and caring cars and their drivers might become in central Auckland, I have no such reservations about poetry or about Robert’s carefully chosen words. They celebrate the relationship between the public library, the city and its people, chiming beautifully (if I may say so) with the objectives of A Latitude of Libraries. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Here’s the poem. Robert </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">has kindly given permission for me to reproduce it, with a Maori translation by Bob Newson. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">You can right-click on it to see larger text: </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNWKMFaMA_uEbuNTjvPnCF8PB7qaRlu_sZEqO4aMTy6dDKI30pCu5IXfUcRvjvZd18FKB_9isnUChnwME7gDFjPje38Rf3tk5LaKMXQ6q9P5JKvPHfEpm_IvDRYO2JrYGQcbNfJc6Snk/s1600/Robert+Sullivan+Library+Poem.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNWKMFaMA_uEbuNTjvPnCF8PB7qaRlu_sZEqO4aMTy6dDKI30pCu5IXfUcRvjvZd18FKB_9isnUChnwME7gDFjPje38Rf3tk5LaKMXQ6q9P5JKvPHfEpm_IvDRYO2JrYGQcbNfJc6Snk/s640/Robert+Sullivan+Library+Poem.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNWKMFaMA_uEbuNTjvPnCF8PB7qaRlu_sZEqO4aMTy6dDKI30pCu5IXfUcRvjvZd18FKB_9isnUChnwME7gDFjPje38Rf3tk5LaKMXQ6q9P5JKvPHfEpm_IvDRYO2JrYGQcbNfJc6Snk/s1600/Robert+Sullivan+Library+Poem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">I like it that Robert Sullivan (Ngapuhi, Kai Tahu) teaches in another part of Auckland, at Manukau Institute of Technology: his involvement in the library steps initiative seems to me to bring the south into Auckland’s centre. It’s appropriate, too, that he used to work as a librarian in the Auckland Central Library. Here’s what Robert says about the poem, in a <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/manukau-courier/5358331/Voices-step-out-of-the-past" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Manukau Courier</i> video</a> about the steps project: <br />
<br />
“You can tell I’m very positive about libraries. I think they’re fabulous institutions of memory and they really help people carry their stories through all the different aspects of their lives. <br />
<br />
“I actually built in a lot of references with the help of librarians. So for instance the original name of the hill where Albert Park sits is called Rangipuke, which means Sky Hill; and yes there’s the Wai Horotiu or the Horotiu Stream which chuckles down Queen Street but underneath now, and lots of references to well-loved buildings in the area such as the St James Theatre, art galleries and some more odd ones which I dug up again with the help of librarians, such as Odd Fellows Hall.” <br />
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On <a href="http://www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/EN/News/NewsArticles/Pages/poetryonlorne.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">an Auckland Libraries news page</a>, Robert says that Kawe Reo / Voices Carry “stands for the many voices within the library.... Reo can mean ‘the Maori language’ and also ‘voice’. Voice is part of the library’s ethos which contains information in a wide variety of formats. I also like the fact that reo or voice contains the idea of breath and life-force.” <br />
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It’s wonderful to learn, thanks to Robert’s poem, the original name for the waterway that Queen Street now covers — a name that I’ve since discovered relates to the Maori pa at what we now call Albert Park. (Central Auckland also had Horotiu Bay, now more widely known as Commercial Bay and much changed.) I’d heard of Te Wai Horotiu only as the Ligar Canal, so named after Charles Whybrow Ligar, the surveyor-general who had an unspectacular career in mid-nineteenth-century New Zealand. Under European settlement the canal was said to be filthy: “an infamous open drain”, according to<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/sewage-water-and-waste/2" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand</i></a>. I’m glad Kawe Reo / Voices Carry has restored it to health. <br />
<br />
There’s more to come at the approach to the library in Lorne Street: a piece of street furniture is to be installed, featuring a word selected by Robert Sullivan — Reo — in metre-high letters. And wouldn’t it be great to see the sombre, sleeping St James Theatre, described by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as “<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span style="color: #0b5394;">one of the best-preserved vaudeville theatres in the country</span></a>”, again became a vital, vibrant place, like the library opposite?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
<br />
Note: Kawe Reo / Voices Carry is copyright. Permission must be sought before it is reproduced. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">More links of interest:<br />
<a href="http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/writers/sullivanrobert.html" style="color: #0b5394;">The New Zealand Book Council entry for Robert Sullivan</a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
An old </span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/projects/cbdproject/queensthistory.asp" style="color: #0b5394;">Auckland City Council timeline giving a history of Queen Street</a> which ends, mysteriously, in 2003 with a horse-drawn carriage transporting the then Mayor John Banks along it.<br />
A <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/brian-rudman-on-auckland/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502866&objectid=10748899"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">New Zealand Herald</span></i><span style="color: #0b5394;"> opinion piece this month about the new draft plan for central Auckland</span></a>, including mention of the St James and Shared Space.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">An earlier <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10724991" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>New Zealand Herald</i> news story about the St James</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/blog/booksinthecity/September-2010/Talking-Poetry.aspx"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Auckland Libraries blog post on launching </span><i style="color: #0b5394;">99 Ways into New Zealand Poetry</i><span style="color: #0b5394;"> at the Central library</span></a>. (Declaration of interest: I edited the book.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">The blog for the<a href="http://w3.manukau.ac.nz/wordpress/manu-korero/"> <span style="color: #0b5394;">School of Creative Writing at MIT</span></a>. Poet Robert Sullivan heads the school.</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-34421393530971731512011-09-05T13:37:00.017+12:002011-09-05T17:22:15.231+12:00Going to Town in the Country<div style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><i>It is surprising how little is known in Auckland of the country to the northward of the Waitemata. It is truly almost... a terra incognita. It is time it ceased to be such.</i> </span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">— <a href="http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=DSC18750421.2.21.3&srpos=3&e=-------10--1----0waitemata+ceased+kaipara--" style="color: #0b5394;">“Kaiparian”, Letters to the Editor,<i> Daily Southern Cross</i>, 1875</a>. </span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcv8yy-mjSoih8mYaULWg6ieVKBkkHbKnrXJRHV3DzStHxMvVhG5e_5R4iTz6ez_CTnCzt63bOD9PYT9VpfTVq9YLgq2IEevfzZzI9z_coaicherJpXK7-_pob0E9K2y7VI2UH4lo1yk/s1600/Wellsford+Welcome.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcv8yy-mjSoih8mYaULWg6ieVKBkkHbKnrXJRHV3DzStHxMvVhG5e_5R4iTz6ez_CTnCzt63bOD9PYT9VpfTVq9YLgq2IEevfzZzI9z_coaicherJpXK7-_pob0E9K2y7VI2UH4lo1yk/s320/Wellsford+Welcome.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">“The first real country town you will come across”<br />
(though this sign is as you enter from the north).</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Aucklanders began streaming northward long ago for weekends, holidays and ‘lifestyle’ but unless you count the road, which brings supplies as well as tourists, Wellsford bears few lasting signs of this invasion. It’s “the first real country town that you will come across”, according to the Welcome to Wellsford brochure I picked up, and to me it’s the place that has always made it patently clear that I’m not in Auckland any more. </span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> <br />
The hour-long drive doesn’t achieve this; what does is Wellsford’s difference from the settlements already passed and from some further north. Most of its shops and services are quite rightly directed at its own permanent population </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">(1671 in 2006*) </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">and that of surrounding rural areas, though passing traffic must be responsible for the bulk of petrol sales and public loo visits. <br />
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Apart from being “the town you can’t miss” (the brochure again) because it adjoins State Highways 1 and 16, it has no particular claim to fame. Whoever wrote the <a href="http://www.rodney.govt.nz/DistrictTownPlanning/plans/CommunityStructure/structureprogress/Pages/WellsfordTownCentrePlanDraft.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">Wellsford Town Centre Development Plan</a> (2009) has put their finger on it: unlike Warkworth, another local centre slightly closer to Auckland, this is no destination town. People pass through. <br />
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<b>Rodney Has Boundary Issues</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Historically Wellsford was part of Rodney County (later District), which never rubbed shoulders with Auckland City: Waitakere, North Shore and Kaipara were its immediate neighbours. With Wellsford’s place in the world and its distance from Auckland thus clear in my mind, I found its new public library sign unsettling when Carol and I drove into the town from State Highway 16. The sign is familiar; it’s confident in glossy dark green and bright blue, with the typography (a Helvetica hybrid?) and stylised pohutukawa blossom of the sprawling new Auckland supercity.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakU6aGV4q2hyphenhyphen-cpVKj_1-C1BQVDH8mKjy8bvvzJlpDILK-e63pwMW6QOm0S-McCacG9hGSvoE6KvfhAYuA-ULgb1SNnqBAz-unMWebFJeX94SLCaGUPjSMQnqaHRvv4oL5lHdnu6xvp0/s1600/Wellsford+War+Memorial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakU6aGV4q2hyphenhyphen-cpVKj_1-C1BQVDH8mKjy8bvvzJlpDILK-e63pwMW6QOm0S-McCacG9hGSvoE6KvfhAYuA-ULgb1SNnqBAz-unMWebFJeX94SLCaGUPjSMQnqaHRvv4oL5lHdnu6xvp0/s320/Wellsford+War+Memorial.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">The entry foyer and roll of honour at Wellsford <br />
War Memorial Library.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Nearly a year after amalgamation, Wellsford’s membership of the Auckland Club still seems like an anomaly to me, but there are several territorial oddities this far north of the seething metropolis. I guess these occur frequently when people dream up placenames and boundaries. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> <br />
Even before the creation of that Frankenstein’s monster we call the supercity, Rodney had a foot in greater Auckland. Environmentally it came under the eye of the Auckland Regional Council, which in 2008 opened one of its largest public parks there. The <a href="http://www.arc.govt.nz/parks/our-parks/parks-in-the-region/atiu-creek/" style="color: #0b5394;">Atiu Creek Regional Park</a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">, a gift from Pierre and Jackie Chatelanat, is just 10 minutes’ drive west of Wellsford, on the Okahukura Peninsula. <br />
<br />
Our drive north along the back route missed the toll road but included beautiful, and largely deserted, coastal land around the Kaipara Harbour. That would be within Kaipara District boundaries, right? Wrong: Kaipara has half the Kaipara coast, and Rodney (now Auckland) the rest. At 500 square kilometres the harbour, one of five on the mainland of the new Auckland, is the largest enclosed harbour in the Southern Hemisphere. <br />
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Slightly inland, but still beside our route, is Mount Auckland. It’s set in the Kaipara Hills but its 305 metre summit is the highest point of the former Rodney District. Come amalgamation, the Queen City of Auckland clasped Mount Auckland to her bosom. However, the latter’s traditional name of Atuanui is back in favour now and <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/rodney-times/5451081/22m-deal-near-end" style="color: #0b5394;">this week its ownership is restored to local Maori</a>. <br />
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I have no beef with that (and it’s not my business). <a href="http://ngarimaokaipara.maori.nz/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=28" style="color: #0b5394;">Ngati Whatua o Kaipara</a> people took refuge there during times of crisis; this is a settlement negotiated under the Treaty of Waitangi; and the land will remain a scenic reserve, complete with public walkway through <a href="http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/what-we-do/projects/atuanui-restoration-project" style="color: #0b5394;">native bush</a> and pre-European defensive ditches. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKZTeckLgVS-DHAVGdFiUhLOU5AzzQqAILVlFHxPCfKvyOYrLXlrWZV7ZqUJOqtvf29GAK0OKo5mVNfEjfTQVZwd3FRmTKYMNxG802vbQ1y2oGoX59z322ntKYnPM_lZPIIyzo0LJdPs/s1600/Lord+Auckland.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKZTeckLgVS-DHAVGdFiUhLOU5AzzQqAILVlFHxPCfKvyOYrLXlrWZV7ZqUJOqtvf29GAK0OKo5mVNfEjfTQVZwd3FRmTKYMNxG802vbQ1y2oGoX59z322ntKYnPM_lZPIIyzo0LJdPs/s320/Lord+Auckland.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Lord Auckland statue outside Auckland City Council<br />
building earlier this year, his traffic-cone (or dunce?)<br />
hat at a rakish angle.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What’s more, Lord Auckland, the inspiration for more than one New Zealand placename, is no great role model. While serving the Empire as Governor General of India he was responsible for the first Afghan War, which saw the British force destroyed. The British must really have annoyed the locals, because according to the<i style="color: #0b5394;"> <a href="http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/DigitalLibrary.aspx?Page=SEARCH&Subpage=2&searchval=oxford%20reference%20online#top" style="color: #0b5394;">Oxford Dictionary of British History</a></i>, “only one member of the original army of 16,000 lived to cross the Khyber pass back into India”.<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">That all seems far from Wellsford, but mulling over past times and placenames can take you a very long way. Someone well aware of that must have been H. (Harold) Mabbett, whose histories of the area are often quoted. Having borrowed one from the library, I attempted several forays but each time admitted defeat: the thickets of anecdote and information just wouldn’t part sufficiently for me to find a way through. <br />
<br />
In his preface to <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1795664" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Wellsford: Tidal Creek to Gum Ridge</i></a> (1968), he quoted a friend’s advice. “‘You may think you are bogged down in a mass of petty detail... but how are you to decide what information may become valuable in the next hundred years. Put it in, or lose it!’” So Mr Mabbett put it in. <br />
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I did find out that “Wellsford is not very old” (the author said this twice on page 6, under the headings “Still in its Infancy” and “The Benefits of Youth”), and that the town has had two locations. Old Wellsford was on the Whakapirau tidal creek, accessible (though not very) by water from Port Albert or Albertland, in the upper reaches of the Kaipara Harbour. From 1909 the arrival of the railway further inland “drew settlement away... and concentrated it about the gum ridge”: New Wellsford.</span><br />
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<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCXH0nH1kIYsog_d7cPiL3_Ca-JAVC2FTSPJC2ZOrN4G85291SvpcHKMnJLI7pU5EAxhnU_ZsPEFVIz7qmNFRCJA1zE9GQfp_mRE_BudP5nvEUyyT4hdbNrvZIC672OxvOD0wN5182MI/s1600/Wellsford+Library+toddler.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCXH0nH1kIYsog_d7cPiL3_Ca-JAVC2FTSPJC2ZOrN4G85291SvpcHKMnJLI7pU5EAxhnU_ZsPEFVIz7qmNFRCJA1zE9GQfp_mRE_BudP5nvEUyyT4hdbNrvZIC672OxvOD0wN5182MI/s320/Wellsford+Library+toddler.jpg" width="215" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">“Wellsford is not very old”, and neither is<br />
this library child.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Albertland, settled in the 1860s by religious non-conformists (Protestant but not Anglican), was named after the recently deceased prince consort — though what the German hubby of an English queen had to do with it is anyone’s guess. According to local legend, “Wellsford” combined the initial letters of several early settlers’ surnames. It’s a more pleasant placename than Whakapirau whose meaning, “to cause to decay”, is not a good association for what an 1874 </span><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Daily Southern Cross</i> correspondent described as “<a href="http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=DSC18741015.2.21&srpos=1&e=-------10-DSC-1----0thriving+little+place+wellsford--" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">a thriving little place</a>... one of the snuggest, prettiest, and most prosperous districts up North”.<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b>A Marriage of Convenience </b><br />
New Wellsford celebrates “the pioneers” in one of the public loos that Aucklanders so frequently visit. In days gone by, local bodies burdened such facilities with the additional role of commemorating the past (<a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/05/along-great-south-road.html" style="color: #0b5394;">Papakura</a>, for instance, has its Centennial Rest Room). Presumably this was a marriage of convenience: councils, not flush with funds, couldn’t fault the logic of a two-for-one deal, even if those using the memorial might have their minds on lower things. <br />
<br />
It’s certainly convenient that Wellsford’s public loo on Rodney Street is next door to its public library, firstly because it would be difficult to squeeze a loo between the bookshelves and secondly because the library has a memorial role of its own. Like <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-lynn-new-lynn.html" style="color: #0b5394;">New Lynn’s library</a>, Wellsford’s is a war memorial. <br />
<br />
Plans are afoot to build a new Wellsford Public Library across the road in — appropriately enough — the Memorial Park. It will be part of “a community hub”, says the <a href="http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/OurAuckland/News/Pages/novelideaforlibrary.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">Auckland Council</a> (local bodies like to talk about hubs, as I learned in <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/07/spare-moment-for-massey.html" style="color: #0b5394;">Massey</a>), with a new plaza for Anzac Day commemorations, a connection to the existing Albertland and Districts Museum plus the playground, and a new “town centre”. I understand that a new public toilet is part of that plan. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqeQ7x7m_G7FLCyP49kwOITohazQwLSH7Ng69FRFyzzELlUOooCaXppmyMjNMrZ1gldCtHWBJp8SCC105TAqlOMMrZ8QMCZ0EwIUwH3ztcyhdE0zv-t0qqpXFS3epzv2JOUuap73_D8c/s1600/Wellsford+Library+Shelves.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqeQ7x7m_G7FLCyP49kwOITohazQwLSH7Ng69FRFyzzELlUOooCaXppmyMjNMrZ1gldCtHWBJp8SCC105TAqlOMMrZ8QMCZ0EwIUwH3ztcyhdE0zv-t0qqpXFS3epzv2JOUuap73_D8c/s320/Wellsford+Library+Shelves.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This small library is chock-a-block with books.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The present Wellsford library is, on the outside, a small, don’t-look-twice house of 1950s brick and tile. Inside it is chock-a-block with books, public-use computers, the easily identifiable catalogue that must be a feature of Rodney libraries (<a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/03/give-me-land-lots-of-land.html" style="color: #0b5394;">Kumeu library</a>’s catalogue set-up is similar), and a children’s section that’s as spacious as can be, given the building’s limitations. One of the two small non-computer tables was occupied by a laptop user when I visited, and I happily commandeered half the other as my workplace for a couple of hours.<span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Barefoot Librarian</b> </span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Despite the memorial status, this small-town library seems not to stand on ceremony. During my surveillance a staff member went about her business barefoot for a few minutes (please don’t tell her off, powers that be); a toddler toddled; its mother internetted; patrons either side of a bookshelf unit discussed a bargain price for a piano, perhaps from Wellsford Traders up the road. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /> <br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /> My favourite parts of Wellsford’s library are not directly related to “service delivery”, and I suspect that when the new library is built they’ll be quietly retired to be replaced with smart new stuff. Below the war-related roll of honour in the entrance foyer is a sun-baked wooden table with a comfy old-fashioned office chair, and elsewhere the library has more old chairs and patchwork cushions that add a personal touch, as if this really is a house where you can make yourself at home. </span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOCF485SREEJ_PAxvOZSqD78Lbd3GtE1rGQY0-yf4t7PH5ZOOBNovwj6IBRMZF-Ndra_aIkcg2fmM8MrJE0WwraKSJ7Hzymj19J-pbqLLDzn2ZOmlOuJcIPbBPZWzyczgHRLpZGh_wm0/s1600/Old+Library+Furnishings.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOCF485SREEJ_PAxvOZSqD78Lbd3GtE1rGQY0-yf4t7PH5ZOOBNovwj6IBRMZF-Ndra_aIkcg2fmM8MrJE0WwraKSJ7Hzymj19J-pbqLLDzn2ZOmlOuJcIPbBPZWzyczgHRLpZGh_wm0/s320/Old+Library+Furnishings.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The cushion and chair at my table in Wellsford library. How is it <br />
that the old stuff is sometimes the friendliest and most comfortable?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Maybe Wellsford’s not home or a destination town for most of us. Does that matter? If travelling is more important than arriving — even if Wellsford is but a stop along the way — then I value that small town more than I knew. It’s about more than spending a penny. </div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>* That figure is according to </i><a href="http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/auckland-places/6" style="color: #0b5394;">Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand</a><i> but Rodney District Council set Wellsford’s population at 4200, perhaps including a larger area.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-77716898386244440682011-08-29T00:35:00.006+12:002011-08-29T09:47:38.708+12:00Mangere — Scratching the Surface<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">What does Ms Average Aucklander (whoever she is) know about Mangere? That it’s home to the airport and the sewage works, major chunks of regional infrastructure that she frequently uses but seldom considers. And she’s probably seen Mangere Mountain, one of those familiar volcanic bumps on Auckland’s landscape. Finally, she’s heard tell of “social problems”, though she’d be hard pressed to give details or facts. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqPBG1T_aq5Zz482nJxKiOlddleGuWQ0U2BZJiFlU0Y5v6CF20L-olirkx4sI8E7LAvqHa9ZNxrMs04mvoCgV8hAXx0tIO9BauJ10JmaYLKLBeQUGE_7TFprgyW9czGZ_b4xoEKDP1Ho/s1600/Mangere+Town+Library+Boys.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqPBG1T_aq5Zz482nJxKiOlddleGuWQ0U2BZJiFlU0Y5v6CF20L-olirkx4sI8E7LAvqHa9ZNxrMs04mvoCgV8hAXx0tIO9BauJ10JmaYLKLBeQUGE_7TFprgyW9czGZ_b4xoEKDP1Ho/s200/Mangere+Town+Library+Boys.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">At the Mangere Town Centre library (photo: <br />
Carol Bartlett, with subjects’ permission).</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Recently I spent a day in Mangere’s company and just managed to scratch the surface, though I came away with impressions that will last — and I plan to go back. Of the three parts of South Auckland with Mangere in their name I’ve visited only the town centre, but Mangere East and Mangere Bridge have public libraries too, so they’re two (of many) reasons to return. Meanwhile, I’ve been reading about the area, and making virtual visits there on the web. <br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Big Men of Mangere </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Some of the streets near the airport are named after people and planes in aviation history. The one leading to the public library, Bader Drive, purportedly commemorates Englishman Douglas Bader, who lost his legs in a flying accident but went on to earn numerous honours in World War Two.* <br />
<br />
Another local thoroughfare, Massey Road, commemorates a man who lived there. <a href="http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2m39/1" style="color: #0b5394;">William Ferguson Massey</a>, the prime minister whose name is also attached to <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/07/spare-moment-for-massey.html" style="color: #0b5394;">the last part of Auckland I visited for this blog</a>, began his parliamentary career in West Auckland in 1894 but represented his home ground of “Franklin” — including Mangere — from 1896 until he died in 1925. Half a century later the same street would be home to another Mangere MP and prime minister, <a href="http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/6l1/1" style="color: #0b5394;">David Lange</a>. </span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKjiMTQXToKH-5Sl_3LKTbMxCF5dzrKHRTB_5ImJPoD2TA4f8h7_c_LNAs5yupUrZLzZ2L2v-Ui76G1RMy1wNLt0eXui7_XIFPQZV-ANkTXaF-O8z6No0dusB8_RlZ41a-7zeCwvclHk/s1600/David+Tua+Painting.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKjiMTQXToKH-5Sl_3LKTbMxCF5dzrKHRTB_5ImJPoD2TA4f8h7_c_LNAs5yupUrZLzZ2L2v-Ui76G1RMy1wNLt0eXui7_XIFPQZV-ANkTXaF-O8z6No0dusB8_RlZ41a-7zeCwvclHk/s200/David+Tua+Painting.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Boxer David Tua, in A. Robson’s painting<br />
on the town centre library wall.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Lange and ‘Farmer Bill’ Massey were both big men, physically as well as figuratively, but it’s a third local ‘big man’, boxer David Tua, whose portrait is up on the wall at the Mangere Town Centre library. Tua may be better known among the people who were at the library the day Carol and I visited, too: he’s closer to their age, he’s still standing (though <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10745114" style="color: #0b5394;">his August 13 boxing opponent got the better of him</a>), and he shares the same Samoan heritage as some. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
The library is at the back of the Mangere shopping centre, which had plenty to divert us. When we drove into the carpark at about 10.30am the Saturday market was in full swing, excelling in super-fresh fruit and vegetables. We paid $3.00 for bananas, mandarins and pears that would cost twice as much even at Pak ’n Save. <br />
<br />
<b>Pacific Islands Central </b><br />
Most vendors and shoppers at this outdoor market were Pacific Islanders, in keeping with Mangere’s majority PI population (<a href="http://www.manukau.govt.nz/EN/Yourcommunity/statistics/Pages/WardCensusProfiles.aspx/" style="color: #0b5394;">62% at the 2006 census</a>), and several stalls featured bundles of rolled leaves that are used in cooking across the Pacific. I thought they were banana leaves but Mr <i>Me‘a Kai</i>, Robert Oliver, replying to my Facebook query instantly from his current base in Shanghai, told me they were taro leaves, which have different names in the various Island languages. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8Olf9punKE1FQDninmGCljRMZcjKQjnhrTxFlvb7OteAUxg3JEyZ9c6qMVuzvzj4eNpvxJMtBXqgimDYmM8QCW9xgQUj78cDD6AM4q8N9gzbWb8thEvhEDl_Rxk5ast5h6EiBYk4lGE/s1600/Taro+Leaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8Olf9punKE1FQDninmGCljRMZcjKQjnhrTxFlvb7OteAUxg3JEyZ9c6qMVuzvzj4eNpvxJMtBXqgimDYmM8QCW9xgQUj78cDD6AM4q8N9gzbWb8thEvhEDl_Rxk5ast5h6EiBYk4lGE/s200/Taro+Leaves.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taro leaves and more at the Mangere Market.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Samoan cuisine uses these in what Robert’s award-winning South Pacific cookbook </span><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2480960" style="color: #0b5394;"><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Me‘a Kai</i></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> describes as “probably the best-known green vegetable dish from the Pacific region: palusami — a custardy concoction of young taro leaves baked with rich coconut cream”. Only the young leaves can be used because taro leaves are rich in oxalate, an irritant.** </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
From the market we made our way into the shopping complex, which opened to fanfare in 1971. A special edition of the <i>South Auckland Courier</i> back then said that this, a government initiative to complement state housing, had “taken part of downtown Auckland and transported it to Mangere”. National retail chains had stores there, though <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2298244" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>The Changing Face of Mangere</i></a> and a 2010 report to the Manukau City Council*** record how this has changed. Smaller shops have taken over. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSc9MerKE1K7NSg8W9kzfkVIbGeoxRNloKbVJ_xs8HNSnNJQSQrfzzxqMf82ni9kYefMGOKY_BHG3pr4OP1PpETygTAVGpk3FCXHagLkYuxuWlY07VrezLPp2SrePJ_uvdtYhH0AOwBrE/s1600/Pacific+Dancers+Mangere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSc9MerKE1K7NSg8W9kzfkVIbGeoxRNloKbVJ_xs8HNSnNJQSQrfzzxqMf82ni9kYefMGOKY_BHG3pr4OP1PpETygTAVGpk3FCXHagLkYuxuWlY07VrezLPp2SrePJ_uvdtYhH0AOwBrE/s200/Pacific+Dancers+Mangere.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dancers, backed by a Pacific <br />
drummer. (Photo: Carol Bartlett)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UYZ1eQBn5BXGaf8dVn_qDtURv9o2HWPVwpWxYg8mA2PfaScsFLssUyWbOVbiLOfkOf-Q7f3qNucr2m9k-LaOJmcy3REHIk_ecAZqUnJPtNfTGWrwVt2Qv7DEWdiW3Op70-fH6N_-GXQ/s1600/Pacific+Drummers.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UYZ1eQBn5BXGaf8dVn_qDtURv9o2HWPVwpWxYg8mA2PfaScsFLssUyWbOVbiLOfkOf-Q7f3qNucr2m9k-LaOJmcy3REHIk_ecAZqUnJPtNfTGWrwVt2Qv7DEWdiW3Op70-fH6N_-GXQ/s200/Pacific+Drummers.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Young audience members do <br />
some drumming of their own.</span> </td></tr>
</tbody> </table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Arriving in the courtyard at the centre of the complex, we joined a crowd that had gathered to watch a free drum and dance performance, then resumed our search for the elusive library. When we found it, it looked on the outside like a poor relation to the flash new arts centre opposite, but inside it was buzzing — more than could be said just then for the arts centre, though it’s since been the venue for <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10745129" style="color: #0b5394;">a highly successful Pacific musical about the migration experience</a>.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Anatomy of a Library</b> <br />
A fascinating fact about the town centre library is that almost all the people using it (while we were there, anyway) were teenagers. It’s hardly surprising that Mangere has a youthful population as well as one that’s rich in Pacific heritage: well over a third of locals are under 20 years old (39% in the 2006 census). </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltc7b7wzJonfUjCwHQFAdeh5JUkweLqkcBF0lbHffKMhVdllexQPtUqQEdWSEcRYl5hORiqqjYAPMxYb_1btz27kQfuwWLfnrOrlT2KtDLOKEmhjI6rXkLC1FRm87oegvgA86BxjXje8/s1600/Mangere+Library+Bibles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltc7b7wzJonfUjCwHQFAdeh5JUkweLqkcBF0lbHffKMhVdllexQPtUqQEdWSEcRYl5hORiqqjYAPMxYb_1btz27kQfuwWLfnrOrlT2KtDLOKEmhjI6rXkLC1FRm87oegvgA86BxjXje8/s320/Mangere+Library+Bibles.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A selection of Bibles at Dewey decimal number 220.5994,<br />
and an interesting blend of fiction genres.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4yjayHAQfCo_gZAQOBdZGnKtV34QFKX73oJRzNZ_VS_LOMpxL4ZXVBonedJhaG5IPwDXV5y6wyVDYOcO4mEvGFg3rgsH7_bZHA62SpbRIPdPDkliy5TKfjihtbS8J2S3woyJ_PbQyqw/s1600/Cowboys+and+Aliens.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4yjayHAQfCo_gZAQOBdZGnKtV34QFKX73oJRzNZ_VS_LOMpxL4ZXVBonedJhaG5IPwDXV5y6wyVDYOcO4mEvGFg3rgsH7_bZHA62SpbRIPdPDkliy5TKfjihtbS8J2S3woyJ_PbQyqw/s320/Cowboys+and+Aliens.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">A staff member confirmed to Carol that teens are a perpetual presence at this library. Free internet access is understandably a drawcard but so, apparently, are the books, which many must use on site — their parents won’t let them borrow library books for fear of accumulating overdue fines. <br />
<br />
Scanning the shelves, I saw what seemed like more than the usual proportion of practical-looking self-development books — and in no other library have I seen so many bibles in so many languages, let alone a repair manual face out on display (though a number of libraries have these <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?q=dixon%20graham%20repair&refx=&uilang=en">books by Graham Dixon</a>, and Auckland Libraries pride themselves on their collections of car manuals). <br />
<br />
Fiction also puts in an appearance. The Mangere Town Centre library is the only one I’ve seen with a display promoting large print books, and the sign pointing to ‘western and science fiction’ created a pairing I found so unlikely that I photographed it — only to learn that the <i>Cowboys and Aliens</i> movie was scheduled for release. Local reviews I’ve seen of this <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2390346" style="color: #0b5394;">Daniel Craig</a>–<a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1281801" style="color: #0b5394;">Harrison Ford</a> combo haven’t been great, but <a href="http://www.praguepost.com/night-and-day/cinema/9898-film-review-cowboys-and-aliens.html" style="color: #0b5394;">the <i>Prague Post</i></a> declares that it works “pretty well”. <br />
<br />
<b>An Encounter with the Volcano Deity </b><br />
We left the town centre to drive to Otuataua Stonefields. On today’s maps this 100 hectare park is in Mangere but its neighbourhood on the shores of the Manukau Harbour is named Ihumatao. The latter means, at face value, “cold nose”. Reading further (as I have no kui or koro — elder/grandparent — to tell me these things) I discovered it refers to the nose of Mataaho or Mataoho, an Auckland volcano deity. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mataaho must have been busy: a new guidebook, <i>Volcanoes of Auckland</i>, counts 50 volcanoes dotted around our isthmus. The one named for his nose (more widely known as Maungataketake or Elletts Mountain) is three kilometres from the airport, but Mataaho bestowed his name on other landmarks too. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqy0wa3GdnCp_a6SzZPTAjYHXst1GmRXsFUi8wRTicAYo_0J3DGgdrmlseZtw979s4MzclAjxibyUBhvGfcUAvO9l0lYt_xTSupc3tCxcuuqi7F8T2lCyFDoOSZY3QOU9ArHbkH-RVwwo/s1600/Otuataua+Stonefields.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqy0wa3GdnCp_a6SzZPTAjYHXst1GmRXsFUi8wRTicAYo_0J3DGgdrmlseZtw979s4MzclAjxibyUBhvGfcUAvO9l0lYt_xTSupc3tCxcuuqi7F8T2lCyFDoOSZY3QOU9ArHbkH-RVwwo/s320/Otuataua+Stonefields.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Scene at Otuataua Stonefields.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Ihumatao area alone has seen (sniffed?) plenty of volcanic activity, and not just courtesy of Mataaho’s nose. The eruptions of Otuataua and other volcanoes tens of thousands of years ago resulted in large amounts of basalt and scoria — hence the Otuataua Stonefields. </div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Much of the stone has been quarried in recent years but before that, gardeners and farmers made the most of it: Maori traditionally used it to mark boundaries, create windbreaks and warm the fertile soil for crops of tropical taro and kumara; later, drystone walls divided up the Pakeha-owned farms there. </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2603344" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Volcanoes of Auckland</i></a><span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span> seems to be what it says on the cover, “The Essential Guide”, and I’m likely to refer to it on future trips. Initially I questioned the need for this September 2011 publication by Bruce Hayward, Graeme Murdoch and Gordon Maitland, as <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1365453" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Lava and Strata: A Guide to the Volcanoes and Rock Formations of Auckland</i></a> was published only in 2000. Apparently, though, geologists are learning new things all the time about these very old (in human terms) landmarks. <br />
<br />
Unsurprisingly, <i>Volcanoes of Auckland</i> has numerous references to Otuataua Stonefields. I’m also finding it more informative and easier to use than its predecessor: its text is more extensive; it looks more closely at human relationships with volcanoes; and it works for the general reader both by providing an index and grouping volcanoes in north, south, east and west Auckland. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGNP0h26KPSFwvwF2cclpfQIYje3gpKIvo7D709p7b60jKFj91wncW6HWtTf5i1BVRZzn-RTFfGIt4pdzSy7jzpB_HsVzN1c0mAFzlfhmgvYZ8Mm3Fx8LWSj_0NqnquFlr5Dnus_uY9U/s1600/Ihumatao+Quarry+Road.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGNP0h26KPSFwvwF2cclpfQIYje3gpKIvo7D709p7b60jKFj91wncW6HWtTf5i1BVRZzn-RTFfGIt4pdzSy7jzpB_HsVzN1c0mAFzlfhmgvYZ8Mm3Fx8LWSj_0NqnquFlr5Dnus_uY9U/s200/Ihumatao+Quarry+Road.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ihumatao Quarry Rd leads to the stonefields, <br />
10 minutes from Auckland International Airport.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Flesh on the Bones of the Land</b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The stonefields are just 10 minutes’ drive from the airport; 13 minutes from the library. These days they appear desolate, beautifully so. <br />
<br />
Anyone visiting may want this book, together with<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="http://www.manukau.govt.nz/EN/Yourcommunity/ParksWalksBeaches/FindAPark/Pages/OtuatauaStonefields.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">other information and advice</a> — such as the request of <a href="http://www.makauraumarae.co.nz/history" style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Te Wai o Hua</span></a> (local Maori people) that we avoid walking on top of Puketapapa/Pukeiti; the exact location of this cone; and that it’s the smallest remaining in the Auckland Volcanic Field. A <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10747484" style="color: #0b5394;">heritage centre proposed for the stonefields</a> will no doubt help more of us to recognise the flesh on the bones of this land.</span> <span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<br />
We might learn about the centuries-long occupation of Ihumatao that continues to this day, a refusal to swear allegiance to Queen Victoria, the breaking of the waka. About the lava caves with their fragile skins, the dumping of rubbish in a sacred place, the removal of human bones by children. About the baches once made from car cases, the fossil forest that emerges at low tide, the endangered native cucumber plant that clings on in the stonefields. About the confiscations, the Bolt that split the Rennie farm in two, what happened once the heritage people came. <br />
<br />
And that’s only scratching the surface of Ihumatao, of Mangere. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Afterword: </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Auckland Libraries has a wonderful timeline of local history, </span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Journey</span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">, compiled by the then Manukau City Libraries and online at <span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://manukau.infospecs.co.nz/journey/intro.htm">http://manukau.infospecs.co.nz/journey/intro.htm</a></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">. Searching with the key word “confiscation”, for instance, you can find out about the breaking of the waka (canoes) and which Maori land was confiscated in Mangere. </span></i><style>
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* Biographical information about Bader is available to Auckland Libraries members through <a href="http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/DigitalLibrary.aspx?Page=SEARCH&Subpage=2&searchval=dictionary%20of%20national%20biography#top" style="color: #0b5394;">the Digital Library in the <i>Oxford Dictionary of National Biography</i></a>.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
<br />
** Statement of interest: I edited <i>M‘ea Kai</i>. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*** The report is downloadable: <a href="http://www.manukau.govt.nz/tec/district/planchange/8_Heritage.pdf" style="color: #0b5394;"><cite>www.manukau.govt.nz/tec/district/planchange/8_Heritage.pdf</cite></a></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">. A further source for this blog post was<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2273475" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Otuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve: Oral History Interviews with Prior European Landowners</i></a>.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvZMOqZ2pp14TNWWGhVVQjYs-ewvdr1RXUSwn5LObsSPMFAkFZf5QPe_TQ9sgFnBCUn7q2Bfxf9dwkkYFVL9QFC0N3LBjxj-C3amtggvm9VFSty9HyMI7xLpkYTlXSxFkxqJKQvDr1Ks/s1600/Stonefields+Gateway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvZMOqZ2pp14TNWWGhVVQjYs-ewvdr1RXUSwn5LObsSPMFAkFZf5QPe_TQ9sgFnBCUn7q2Bfxf9dwkkYFVL9QFC0N3LBjxj-C3amtggvm9VFSty9HyMI7xLpkYTlXSxFkxqJKQvDr1Ks/s320/Stonefields+Gateway.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Gateway at the stonefields, looking <br />
towards Manukau shoreline.</span></td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGNP0h26KPSFwvwF2cclpfQIYje3gpKIvo7D709p7b60jKFj91wncW6HWtTf5i1BVRZzn-RTFfGIt4pdzSy7jzpB_HsVzN1c0mAFzlfhmgvYZ8Mm3Fx8LWSj_0NqnquFlr5Dnus_uY9U/s1600/Ihumatao+Quarry+Road.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-16369995704994468612011-07-20T18:44:00.018+12:002011-07-21T16:20:34.778+12:00Spare a Moment for Massey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsp6qOgs7qH7Op2OPfoQZGiXys1xbi0BdzV15hHKc7uiiMYdlXUM-jvVft1l_13LMqKaw-G4DUDxtgX20o66Da1IgdtshdyfP02altOzybUbyeuPOSqpZbgTui9p715wHGVbGbFGCkkgE/s1600/Massey+Library+Leisure+Centre.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsp6qOgs7qH7Op2OPfoQZGiXys1xbi0BdzV15hHKc7uiiMYdlXUM-jvVft1l_13LMqKaw-G4DUDxtgX20o66Da1IgdtshdyfP02altOzybUbyeuPOSqpZbgTui9p715wHGVbGbFGCkkgE/s400/Massey+Library+Leisure+Centre.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Massey Leisure Centre and Library. If the leisure centre stays, <br />
perhaps they can </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">lop off Jeff Thomson’s “and library”</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Prime Minister opened West Auckland’s new Massey Public Library in December 2001, a decade ago, symbolically placing a copy of<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?q=helen%20clark%20biography&refx=&uilang=en" style="color: #0b5394;">her biography</a> at the entrance. Its building was packed with eco-features and was at that time <a href="http://www.waitakere.govt.nz/cnlser/rl/massey/artintegration.asp" style="color: #0b5394;">“the most arts rich public facility” to emerge from Waitakere City’s “arts/design collaborative process”</a>. The next year it won three awards and was shortlisted for three more. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">People who visit like “the nice feel” and the views, according to a study of Massey from 2006.* The library is used — so much was plain, last Sunday when I called in — and right now it has a wonderful display of local children’s poetry, co-ordinated by West Auckland poet Paula Green as part of “<a href="http://www.writerscentre.org.nz/poetry_project_latest.php" style="color: #0b5394;">A Thousand Poems for Our Place</a>” and National Poetry Day on July 22. But already a replacement building is planned, and it is scheduled for completion in 2013. Did something go badly wrong?</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The present building is shared with the Massey Leisure Centre and the Citizens Advice Bureau, and the library’s usable space seems small. Split levels, curved walls and a ramp leave limited room for the sets of bookshelves, which appear cramped and close together. I wonder about the practicality of other elements, too, such as the moat-like stretch of water outside, which I understand goes below the building to act as an eco-friendly cooling system. It’s nice, but how much work is needed to keep it clean and free of the junk that people love to toss in any public “water feature”? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ltTJTr7n3G1dxNaNx17KooMvCxVhR0N7jZaS4H4JJhI8pwRrvF8dSV7redg7krN7AkTavvxtr_J-3VHs4zfUeEVUknEh-gVZn75ySGv21yw322TRA4CLVV-YoV2REqwGda0PSC6BRhA/s1600/Massey+Childrens+Library.jpg" style="clear: left; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ltTJTr7n3G1dxNaNx17KooMvCxVhR0N7jZaS4H4JJhI8pwRrvF8dSV7redg7krN7AkTavvxtr_J-3VHs4zfUeEVUknEh-gVZn75ySGv21yw322TRA4CLVV-YoV2REqwGda0PSC6BRhA/s200/Massey+Childrens+Library.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">The split-level children’s section <br />
has students’ poems on the pillars.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsf68ArwY5UmWd-R3Vzf26J9FSXz6Cy5SVjaHWiVuJm2scsy86yF1hvkYKXD_hBYxoxQggG_7fMx1f0vd95CR3zAK-Q2jHcY8i8VKpaeaJo9ewqxWFSAzKj-Z_KAB2sLnerV-4uFKNNXw/s1600/Massey+Library+Outside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsf68ArwY5UmWd-R3Vzf26J9FSXz6Cy5SVjaHWiVuJm2scsy86yF1hvkYKXD_hBYxoxQggG_7fMx1f0vd95CR3zAK-Q2jHcY8i8VKpaeaJo9ewqxWFSAzKj-Z_KAB2sLnerV-4uFKNNXw/s200/Massey+Library+Outside.jpg" width="147" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Moated: outside the library.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: white;">______</span> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The library–leisure centre is on a rise with, on one side, a stunning view over trees, residential roofs and out across the Waitemata Harbour to the Sky Tower. From another angle it looks down on the far less aesthetically pleasing Westgate Shopping Centre.</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><b> </b><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>It’s Not Just about the Library</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I was keen to publish this Massey library post while the poetry was on display, and took the silence following my email to Auckland Council as encouragement to draw my own conclusions based on what I’d call informed conjecture. A couple of days’ online reading and direct observation have suggested what should seldom come as a surprise: that the local public library is subject to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, fashion, town planning, and politics. In short, what happens with a library is not just about the library. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s surely significant that in Massey, the present library is three times as big as its predecessor further down Don Buck Road, and that the 2013 building will in turn be three times the size of the 2001 facility. I suspect that rapid population growth has combined with politicians’ age-old inability to be farsighted and generous enough when using the public purse for the public good (lest, at the end of the short, short term, we vote them out). </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The whole area near the end of today’s Northwestern Motorway lacks a hub for its more than 20,000 residents, according to the 2006 study of Massey commissioned by the then Waitakere City Council. The study surveyed 400 people, and uses words like “scattered” and “disjointed” to describe the community, whose suburbs now include West Harbour as well as the original Massey and its progeny East, West and North. A community project the council devised, <a href="http://www.waitakere.govt.nz/ourpar/masseycommunity.asp" style="color: #0b5394;">Massey Matters</a>, has since worked to build neighbourhood links, with some success, but more is needed. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdltdww_iptOw67AyFo1TtjYaBjLtEFwRcIumC-4noRYeXrIBDsIz0f5OiAZ7Yg0fg_y3j1J1fJmRBv1RkHDVQnHK532c_jVPU_72BRf_vL9M3P-mnXJGZrzjdS-AG8uRIA3k8zr7ZNzE/s1600/Massey+Library+Entrance.jpg" style="clear: left; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdltdww_iptOw67AyFo1TtjYaBjLtEFwRcIumC-4noRYeXrIBDsIz0f5OiAZ7Yg0fg_y3j1J1fJmRBv1RkHDVQnHK532c_jVPU_72BRf_vL9M3P-mnXJGZrzjdS-AG8uRIA3k8zr7ZNzE/s320/Massey+Library+Entrance.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Massey library entrance, with the issues <br />
and returns area (left) and Kate Wells’s <br />
carpet (right), picturing local history and plants.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“Massey” is named after William Ferguson Massey. He spent just one term (1894–6) as MP for the Waitemata electorate that covered much of West Auckland, then returned to familiar Franklin and became, eventually, Prime Minister. There was a post office in Don Buck Road from the 1930s but most of Massey’s residential development occurred from the 1950s, creating a dormitory suburb whose inhabitants generally commuted to work elsewhere. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In 1998 the <a href="http://www.westgateshoppingcentre.co.nz/" style="color: #0b5394;">Westgate Shopping Centre</a> opened on Massey’s outskirts. It’s hideous, and I can understand the feelings of one study participant, who contrasted it with “beautiful” Botany Downs: “the way [Westgate] turned out we were just so disappointed. It just seemed like ‘Oh Massey’s not quite good enough to have this beautiful shopping centre’.” </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>From Strawberry Fields to Town Centre</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">With the population continuing to grow and the Westgate shops perfectly positioned (but not perfectly formed) to meet it, you can see why Waitakere’s council hit on the idea of developing a “<a href="http://www.westgatetowncentre.co.nz/" style="color: #0b5394;">Westgate Town Centre</a>” that would serve the northwest borderlands, including Massey North. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In 2002 the council approached the shopping centre’s owner, the New Zealand Retail Property Group, with the idea of building a town centre opposite. Under their partnership, and with Auckland Regional Council permission to extend urban sprawl, this is approaching reality. Former strawberry fields will grow espaliered urban streets, presumably just as quickly as the paddocks across the road raised box-like buildings for retail giants and rolled out expansive tarsealed, road-marked carparks for their customers. (Perhaps in a more attractive manner — and dare I hope that a few strawberry growers will continue to flourish on the road to <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/03/give-me-land-lots-of-land.html" style="color: #0b5394;">Kumeu</a>? George’s Strawberry Garden is a particular favourite.) </span></span><br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaI-b-tViQ5qhYziV99J18HL3cq-gy0hn-8ry_9SRztk5FQiOnTlVqBZKpiXbf95xRW52aVLzGczWguRBHZyvsytwmS07inyFzJH0xNjDIE60EOQKxEMWhokxWpXbq7Q3VKlJsCd44Fg/s1600/Massey+Library+Shelves.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaI-b-tViQ5qhYziV99J18HL3cq-gy0hn-8ry_9SRztk5FQiOnTlVqBZKpiXbf95xRW52aVLzGczWguRBHZyvsytwmS07inyFzJH0xNjDIE60EOQKxEMWhokxWpXbq7Q3VKlJsCd44Fg/s200/Massey+Library+Shelves.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Massey library bookshelves,<br />
viewed from the ramp.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ROdHUNu1-_SLDFGwlshfDI302CFfeytmN030E1SKZPicnk2jcoxJnBaww4n3GvpEtex5IQ2N3za3_3pvofrk1Ypnbew0VOGtrKw-hdG4dx_USbYohUvQMfVyKRcUzKkd1Hy_paBTC9U/s1600/I+Am+Westgate.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ROdHUNu1-_SLDFGwlshfDI302CFfeytmN030E1SKZPicnk2jcoxJnBaww4n3GvpEtex5IQ2N3za3_3pvofrk1Ypnbew0VOGtrKw-hdG4dx_USbYohUvQMfVyKRcUzKkd1Hy_paBTC9U/s200/I+Am+Westgate.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">I am... Westgate? A car at the <br />
Westgate Shopping Centre<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">.</span></span><br />
<br />
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</tbody> </table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This year’s <a href="http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/PlansPoliciesPublications/localboardplans/docs/Pages/home.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">draft plan for the Henderson–Massey ward</a>, in which both the present library and the shopping centre reside, predicts 10,000 new jobs in wider Westgate (including the town centre) and a need for 1700 new homes. Estimates have varied, with <a href="http://www.waitakere.govt.nz/abtcit/cp/massey.asp" style="color: #0b5394;">an earlier Waitakere City document</a> talking of “7200 new jobs or more”. The draft plan, released this month and open to public submissions until August 8, proposes spending $13.411 million over two to five years on “managing</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>the development of the new Westgate Library”. It will be designed for the Westgate Town Centre by Warren and Mahoney, the architects for the <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/04/return-ticket-to-glen-eden.html" style="color: #0b5394;">Glen Eden Public Library</a>. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Ten Minutes’ Walk North</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This may seem like a lot of money, but<i> it’s not just about the library</i>: it’s about creating a community hub for a place that has lacked one for the half-century of its urban existence. The public library will be at the symbolic and geographic centre, but it can’t be the centre all on its own. Perhaps that’s what the current location has shown. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Just after the present library opened and when planning was starting for the new town centre, says a<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10657248" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Herald</i> story</a>, “it was known that the new Massey Library would be better placed a further 10 minutes’ walk north”. The library is less than a kilometre from Westgate Shopping Centre but the council study described it as “isolated from the shops”. If you were in the middle of the Westgate centre you would never know it was there. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzh5MIg9Hr-NQJoWuzNaCo2mRHsa9sAPh2fi4nw0bmXR42xoeW1oeYPy8AB27XHl1gKMCkfc_Y5Wr4khFXKFdbltqKZhyjub7pMHwLxvRvQ1wI46lMaYfm6qOD3ORjT-Az2vDGsffTo3I/s1600/Waitakere+Public+Art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzh5MIg9Hr-NQJoWuzNaCo2mRHsa9sAPh2fi4nw0bmXR42xoeW1oeYPy8AB27XHl1gKMCkfc_Y5Wr4khFXKFdbltqKZhyjub7pMHwLxvRvQ1wI46lMaYfm6qOD3ORjT-Az2vDGsffTo3I/s320/Waitakere+Public+Art.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Moa Mountain</i>, a “discovery play sculpture” designed by Kate Wells<br />
and Renee Lambert, built by Iona Matheson and Jasmine Clark, <br />
with leaf- and feather-shaped tiles by local students. <br />
The library and leisure centre building is in the background.</span></td></tr>
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</style><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Yes, the library is (according to the <i>Herald</i> story and other sources) “at capacity”. It needs more space as it is — but if it were in the right place with other community services, more people would use it and the rest of those essential services. <br />
<br />
The existing building won the <a href="http://www.pacificenvironments.co.nz/practice/architectureawards/" style="color: #0b5394;">Ernst and Young Special Purposes Property Award, the Enhancing the Built Environment Award and the Premier Creative Places Award</a>. It’s quite a looker, especially from the outside, and it was fun to photograph with all its art. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.warrenandmahoney.com/en/portfolio/westgate-town-centre-and-library" style="color: #0b5394;">Warren and Mahoney’s Massey library</a> is to be eco-friendly. That sounds familiar. The design of the building and the neighbouring town square is “motivated by the desire for a... civic environment which will serve the Westgate community for 100 years”. That sounds promising. <br />
<br />
“Above all else,” say the architects, “the new library building has the responsibility to capture the aspirations of a future community”. Thus it must avoid architecture that appears “transient”, instead embodying “the recognised motifs of community, tradition and civic character”. Good, good. <br />
<br />
The Westgate Town Centre’s “lead artist”, Titirangi-based Robin Rawstorne, talks of the library being an exciting part of his brief, enabling him to “design a captivating and dynamic interior landscape for the children’s library... a curving timber room with the prime focus being the experience, and... interactive elements as well as places to relax and read.”** </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Yes, excellent. Just allow enough room for the books, please, as well as the bells and whistles — and make sure the new, new library will be able to stay in one place for a good long while.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">* The report is available for download: <a href="http://www.waitakere.govt.nz/ourpar/pdf/2008/masseymatters/masseymatters-inquiryreport.pdf">www.waitakere.govt.nz/ourpar/pdf/2008/masseymatters/masseymatters-inquiryreport.pdf</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">** Robin Rawstorne, interviewed in <i>Art Link: Arts & Culture West</i>, no. 1, 2011.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_HKK1vVf2j4wRlsdmzFBh1RLfXbEztXQBZ6fjkXs8WueErySZGRpyd7HuGtgMzc5dt4DpmHvoW5JQZEE0VUDxAMapXEZ8KtpZx5BkcKl_SBdgtlho1c1j6YvZFkh0dBqLXyu5uWgSfE/s1600/Thousand+Poems+Jayden+Massey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_HKK1vVf2j4wRlsdmzFBh1RLfXbEztXQBZ6fjkXs8WueErySZGRpyd7HuGtgMzc5dt4DpmHvoW5JQZEE0VUDxAMapXEZ8KtpZx5BkcKl_SBdgtlho1c1j6YvZFkh0dBqLXyu5uWgSfE/s640/Thousand+Poems+Jayden+Massey.jpg" width="450" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Local student Jayden took inspiration from the Sky Tower <br />
in his poem, on display at Massey Public Library.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-11270513757468875252011-07-16T14:20:00.009+12:002011-07-18T11:32:10.823+12:00Looking in through a Library Window<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Remuera on a Rainy Day: Part Two of Remuera Public Library</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdBGU7UkOpnN7luPedSv_EsBdPuNiqeWvBuHE_da0mumHqK_QYxSuwhBrxv0l5jU1HQKffmPQV4JR4Of79uqjgCn2GgNYunGjEQcs4hQtj_CnpRumtL7mvAAfa8Ojbjsiymc45yB4mhw/s1600/Rainy+Remuera+Library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdBGU7UkOpnN7luPedSv_EsBdPuNiqeWvBuHE_da0mumHqK_QYxSuwhBrxv0l5jU1HQKffmPQV4JR4Of79uqjgCn2GgNYunGjEQcs4hQtj_CnpRumtL7mvAAfa8Ojbjsiymc45yB4mhw/s200/Rainy+Remuera+Library.jpg" width="149" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A dark and stormy day.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcvOC3OGKBygR2UhUnLDnx0krxWoo8zxCqArJpPgTOLr76egbhoxvXXUfzrXtnKllOaoC8HKjV39SwWfvYfMFVkCQgb00gQwk8h8PGXhauMAkrRagwJics598lhgn-C803VV0wRgOtsU/s1600/Vampire+Books.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcvOC3OGKBygR2UhUnLDnx0krxWoo8zxCqArJpPgTOLr76egbhoxvXXUfzrXtnKllOaoC8HKjV39SwWfvYfMFVkCQgb00gQwk8h8PGXhauMAkrRagwJics598lhgn-C803VV0wRgOtsU/s200/Vampire+Books.jpg" width="148" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Vampires in the library.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">It was a dark and stormy day. Just right for visiting one of Auckland’s oldest working libraries — and appropriate, too, with “A Dark and Stormy Night”* one of the events scheduled for its forthcoming school holiday programme. <br />
<br />
The Remuera Public Library is unlike any I’ve written about so far in that it is housed in a heritage building, as today’s lingo would say. The Historic Places Trust describes it as<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="http://www.historic.org.nz/TheRegister/RegisterSearch/RegisterResults.aspx?RID=115" style="color: #0b5394;">“one of Auckland’s most distinguished suburban buildings”</a> and ranks it Category 1 for preservation, so people have expectations of the local body charged with its upkeep. <br />
<br />
In 1840, long before the library was built, land in the area was coveted by a would-be buyer named John Logan Campbell, according to <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2588723" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>A Fine Prospect: A History of Remuera, Meadowbank and St Johns</i></a>.** That Remuera has remained desirable ever since should give some idea of how one of its best-known landmarks is valued. <br />
</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kNo1xdJcoUch-em5QVDeylPsssc6CBv52yi8dxsQL7BWYv-oGek2LkuSCZstua1JkmXOEzZWTeLLe2zQ-F-EWSa7pFI-Yq34ncbOr_4B8_cL32-ES9D-F8MRw2O9nftAUANbO_Se7qE/s1600/Remuera+Public+Library.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kNo1xdJcoUch-em5QVDeylPsssc6CBv52yi8dxsQL7BWYv-oGek2LkuSCZstua1JkmXOEzZWTeLLe2zQ-F-EWSa7pFI-Yq34ncbOr_4B8_cL32-ES9D-F8MRw2O9nftAUANbO_Se7qE/s200/Remuera+Public+Library.jpg" width="149" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The front of the library, <br />
Remuera Road.</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The 1926 library building, on the corner of Remuera Road and St Vincent Ave, is neo-Georgian in style with more than a hint of American colonialism about it. The design won a New Zealand Institute of Architects Gold Medal for the Gummer and Ford partnership in 1928. An <a href="http://www.lyndasimmonsarchitect.co.nz/project_CLib.html" style="color: #0b5394;">upgrade and refurbishment</a> more than 70 years later also won an NZIA medal, in 2004. <br />
<br />
Community librarian Sue Jackson clearly loves the library, not only its function but also its form. She finds it a wonderful venue for events, such as the <a href="http://fairfaxmedia.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx?issue=15432011062600000000001001&page=103&article=cce1cbec-6fe1-42db-b27e-3d51c3074f02&key=/9BsgWXUvk0QxLSYNRBTJg==&feed=rss" style="color: #0b5394;">recent launch of <i>A Fine Prospect</i></a> with authors Diana Morrow and Jenny Carlyon. And she delights in giving a guided tour of the tiny ticket office that, tucked away near a side entrance, once served the library’s lecture hall. Now, instead of issuing tickets through a slot in the windowed door, it accepts book returns through a slot in the wall. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSIoZWe2ZGkypwtbZY2ONnFd1inGWGPSOVTu11xfTRPHtm8beIjh4Qbjrji1eNb7JOTt7BgCBU8drnp3rEcFLXoOR-_VEeZQDyp1psd83sw1Np6kzoAbd7NXQv3Gm_uLkyrKaj6u-tPU/s1600/Remuera+Library+Plan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSIoZWe2ZGkypwtbZY2ONnFd1inGWGPSOVTu11xfTRPHtm8beIjh4Qbjrji1eNb7JOTt7BgCBU8drnp3rEcFLXoOR-_VEeZQDyp1psd83sw1Np6kzoAbd7NXQv3Gm_uLkyrKaj6u-tPU/s320/Remuera+Library+Plan.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From the library’s vertical file; original source unknown.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Light Fantastic </b><br />
Remuera’s library may be a stately old lady now but back in the day she was quite a gal, lacking the boundaries that had been the norm in public buildings. With fewer dividing walls between departments, there was greater light and flexibility of function. <br />
<br />
That light is quite something. Initially the eye is drawn to the lines of the building, to the brickwork and columns outside, and to the dark wood contrasting the white walls and ceilings inside. But on the rainy Thursday afternoon I went there, the windows and doors were the thing: for people within they offered the world; for those without they were an invitation to brightness and warmth. <br />
<br />
In the mid-twentieth century the lecture hall was integrated with the rest of the building. More space was needed for books, and the Auckland Public Libraries’ programme of public talks had been phased out decades before. <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1932204" style="color: #0b5394;">Wynne Colgan</a> attributes their demise to “the cinema and... the novelty of the talking picture, which reached New Zealand in 1929”. (Remuera’s own Tudor Theatre had opened in 1926, according to <i>A Fine Prospect</i>.) </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwitkQ24Thv0_jWrcaa_0CF_hEi5W3dmaFvpIbifmtEeewSC108MPcZcM-JaQ7FVQx39OOfqjFVhgccBA0oIG6KbJMiF_YuRYNyWYrHJPYZJXAQ3IuAcz53rSTbEVq4gBIz1BGR05KLQM/s1600/Windows+On+Remuera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwitkQ24Thv0_jWrcaa_0CF_hEi5W3dmaFvpIbifmtEeewSC108MPcZcM-JaQ7FVQx39OOfqjFVhgccBA0oIG6KbJMiF_YuRYNyWYrHJPYZJXAQ3IuAcz53rSTbEVq4gBIz1BGR05KLQM/s200/Windows+On+Remuera.jpg" width="148" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Window through a window <br />
through a window. View <br />
from the ticket office.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6ontno2Sda7mGjmiNfLPwK3njJWxY1mThGkZWMkqadfg72PX_AZOFO3s4OhiqzHTAzPuI6sX8uVY8XzvnwZ1OpC_TzyFdMdCoFbmm7sPnhAUuqpEcwDkz7l6Mov8P3t7BkEL83FRalc/s1600/Remuera+Lecture+Hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6ontno2Sda7mGjmiNfLPwK3njJWxY1mThGkZWMkqadfg72PX_AZOFO3s4OhiqzHTAzPuI6sX8uVY8XzvnwZ1OpC_TzyFdMdCoFbmm7sPnhAUuqpEcwDkz7l6Mov8P3t7BkEL83FRalc/s200/Remuera+Lecture+Hall.jpg" width="149" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This Vincent Ave entrance <br />
was once the way in to the <br />
library’s lecture hall.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">During the 2002 upgrade the hall’s massive doors, kept closed throughout my childhood, made an entrance once more, with a new ramp now offering the best access to the library for those with limited mobility. There’s a disability carpark alongside in St Vincent Ave. <br />
<br />
Other work in 2002 saw additions of the late 1950s and early 1960s stripped away, outstanding original features reinstated and reinforced; for instance, plywood that covered some oak panelling was removed. Sections of wall came out to enhance the open plan, and cramped staff workspace was ingeniously expanded by converting the hall’s former stage into a glassed-in mezzanine. <br />
<br />
Remuera has had more than one public library. The first opened in 1915 in the office of the former Remuera Road Board, which had overseen the area until it became part of Auckland City that year. In 1926 parts of this building would reassembled in Point Chevalier as <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/04/library-and-lieutenant-chevalier.html">a one-storey library for that growing suburb</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgqUgwPT2EOQc53Zm496OQ3r2jBwElQHFYCaK9T4MHNbqjeOAEq-J6vcqikS4Dh93ZydCNlg1oWZO8UonPmPkT0SvovefoDMbYVOh7ZjdTKLybb9LdRv8ar0u8429NFlQdsmLWvore6w/s1600/Former+Library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgqUgwPT2EOQc53Zm496OQ3r2jBwElQHFYCaK9T4MHNbqjeOAEq-J6vcqikS4Dh93ZydCNlg1oWZO8UonPmPkT0SvovefoDMbYVOh7ZjdTKLybb9LdRv8ar0u8429NFlQdsmLWvore6w/s200/Former+Library.jpg" width="136" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The first library, from <i>A Fine <br />
Prospect</i>, Auckland Libraries.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKXfQXzC_2nEpH226LRkKmtluunDYA8z2v0T-BGWYRBArtb_Wrt4meMKSXhBgY1pFCFhi5QbXTG6gVjxLgQAcqG2fcdE_HCVc-BFqXoUt0WF6IR2CH13hQJsGDolRZTEf4zW1x2_TAcM/s1600/Library+Gate+Keeping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKXfQXzC_2nEpH226LRkKmtluunDYA8z2v0T-BGWYRBArtb_Wrt4meMKSXhBgY1pFCFhi5QbXTG6gVjxLgQAcqG2fcdE_HCVc-BFqXoUt0WF6IR2CH13hQJsGDolRZTEf4zW1x2_TAcM/s200/Library+Gate+Keeping.jpg" width="149" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Detail from the front <br />
of the present library.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <b>One Building, Many Libraries </b><br />
In the present, too, there is more than one Remuera Public Library, something I realised when visiting this month. I’d harboured doubts about the place, despite my grandfather’s role as its architect and my own Remuera–Meadowbank upbringing. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of a public library’s gifts, perhaps an unintended one, is its levelling influence (see an earlier post, <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/05/librarians-have-reputation-for-saying.html">Of Lullabies and Libraries</a>). But given this institution’s prestigious location and Remuera’s reputation for a class consciousness that is emphatically not the Marxist sort, I wondered if it could be more of a vehicle for one-upmanship, or promoting things that don’t really matter. <br />
<br />
In 2006 the incorrect positioning of the library’s sundial prompted a Remuera-ite to wage war <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10385271" style="color: #0b5394;">in several newspaper columns</a>. He was right — and now the sundial is too — but some might question whether there might be higher priorities such as, say, global warming. (“Tis later than you think”, warns the engraving on the sundial.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VJifcAoNBPisFw8W6A7-6jBPbbu5me1neoDNwzEwrd_P6QakIPictzhywpctVBftboFauIVE63v-55J96fE21JI0S_77CUpaQJqmNr6gUZYxzFrxjt6VbQa7jQ_NUpKDbdvbX6T9cQU/s1600/Remuera+Georgian.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VJifcAoNBPisFw8W6A7-6jBPbbu5me1neoDNwzEwrd_P6QakIPictzhywpctVBftboFauIVE63v-55J96fE21JI0S_77CUpaQJqmNr6gUZYxzFrxjt6VbQa7jQ_NUpKDbdvbX6T9cQU/s200/Remuera+Georgian.jpg" width="149" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From the front of the <br />
present library.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2RIuijd7ViDRBW_vOwNgn4v196KVAEagAUcw_fbVx4ayS_yH_t_zTuQ7FpEki6Ca_zTSYw9AKNU1boFbutIM8A7Sf4gQbB4ie3mJvvn3v-wf8vSkj0pz9mKowc_O4YKLH6ZxToHxwBo/s1600/Remuera+Sundial.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2RIuijd7ViDRBW_vOwNgn4v196KVAEagAUcw_fbVx4ayS_yH_t_zTuQ7FpEki6Ca_zTSYw9AKNU1boFbutIM8A7Sf4gQbB4ie3mJvvn3v-wf8vSkj0pz9mKowc_O4YKLH6ZxToHxwBo/s200/Remuera+Sundial.jpg" width="149" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The library sundial: a sentinel, <br />
and subject of a saga.</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another local told me of hesitating to borrow magazines from the library because certain proud possessors of doctorates might see and pass judgement. It was a joke, a funny one, and yet... </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Last week I spotted, in the library’s display of recently returned books, <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2583915" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>The Safe and Sane Guide to Teenage Plastic Surgery</i></a>. Only in Remuera, I thought. <br />
<br />
After a couple of hours at this library, I realised that it can be whatever its users want it to be. If they want their library to gauge social standing or to give them the time of day, it can do that. If they want it to aid the pursuit of other forms of knowledge, then it can do that too. <br />
<br />
So there are many Remuera Public Libraries: the one established in 1915; <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/07/up-stairs-and-into-library.html"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=422917906348325042&postID=1127051375746887525">my library of childhood</a>; a beacon for people who love books; an elegant venue for a launch; the switched-on wi-fi library; a cosy place to spend time on a dark and stormy day; a rallying point for <a href="http://www.remueraheritage.org.nz/" style="color: #0b5394;">Remuera Heritage</a>, whose banner is displayed there. <br />
<br />
When I first walked in through the reopened side entrance, my impression was of Serious Reading. The imposing sets of dark-stained timber bookshelves — tall, robust, decisively stationary — made sure of that. But in wandering the library, I found one of the things that impressed me most: that it’s a cool activity centre for today’s kids. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssVkLiYnr6Z6CntzufkcE2CTtLSZUbm1pkDZUDis_5NaiTQSJt9_U1tqxNIU-jB5a0tNAPBSCPkobGYPIbcLLbcHVWnI0UpJSXY3-IxKrtU5Hs1KilWOmm3JPkQvX0fBLrsdGNqqa0hU/s1600/Child+Parent+Library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssVkLiYnr6Z6CntzufkcE2CTtLSZUbm1pkDZUDis_5NaiTQSJt9_U1tqxNIU-jB5a0tNAPBSCPkobGYPIbcLLbcHVWnI0UpJSXY3-IxKrtU5Hs1KilWOmm3JPkQvX0fBLrsdGNqqa0hU/s200/Child+Parent+Library.jpg" width="153" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Parent and child.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5rM9swz0X-S75gjP6vwFxuJbHSwTSoFuDkKiAM8jQOF8n6-1NfPCpOPAw2emf5ERz9s56jR6vg6BBDlIUnxKkzfrXPHoPEue5TLm7mhw46bty2Mv2zFzqwP6rhUsVos5nDi5cK5U7hc/s1600/Reaching+for+Fiction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5rM9swz0X-S75gjP6vwFxuJbHSwTSoFuDkKiAM8jQOF8n6-1NfPCpOPAw2emf5ERz9s56jR6vg6BBDlIUnxKkzfrXPHoPEue5TLm7mhw46bty2Mv2zFzqwP6rhUsVos5nDi5cK5U7hc/s200/Reaching+for+Fiction.jpg" width="140" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Reaching out at Remuera.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It achieves this despite having fewer of the fancy-pants toys and none of the vibrant decor I’ve seen for kids at some other libraries. The “children’s classics” section is a simple brainwave, and the present vampire display for teens draws you from a distance. Remuera library’s Sue Jackson is, I’ve learned, a mover and shaker in <a href="http://www.sparc.org.nz/About-SPARC/Media/2011-Media-Releases/Winners-announced-at-2011-New-Zealand-Sport-and-Recreation-Awards/" style="color: #0b5394;">Wriggle and Rhyme, Auckland Libraries’ and Sport Auckland’s award-winning “active movement” programme for under-twos</a>. <br />
<br />
In the child and teen sections I saw chairs in disarray, crammed book trolleys, half-finished drawings, shelves of teen magazines available at the front desk (presumably they go walkabout), and a small but determined person reaching for the top shelf of the children’s fiction. Such things tell me that this building, its advanced age notwithstanding, attracts the young as well as their elders — and they have made it their own. <br />
<br />
It turns out I was wrong about the teen plastic surgery book: other libraries have it too. (And I’m not advocating a boycott.) Besides, at Remuera, a copy of <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1312627" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Decolonising Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples</i></a> sat nearby, suggesting — what? Possibly that the proud possessors of doctorates had called in recently but also that yes: this library can be what you want it to be. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">* Famous first words from Edward George Bulwer-Lytton in his novel <i>Paul Clifford</i> (1830), <i>Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations</i>. The dictionary is available to Auckland Libraries members through <a href="http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/DigitalLibrary.aspx?Page=SEARCH&Subpage=2&searchval=oxford%20reference%20online#top" style="color: #0b5394;">Oxford Reference Online at the Digital Library</a>. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
The Dark and Stormy Night in the library is 20 July, 6.00–7.30pm. Bookings are essential. School holiday events at various Auckland Libraries branches are listed <a href="http://www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/EN/Events/Pages/winterwarmups.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">online</a> as part of a Winter Warmups programme.<br />
<br />
** I wanted to write more about <i>A Fine Prospect</i>. It’s a rewarding and sometimes eye-opening read. But I should declare an interest: Reader, I edited it. </span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXnLq2i9tk-s5DXs3ai5JHTPQaGappQ-Jsyc3W2ElV36-ieSqPHY1-W2V6BIQaY4yICticE31brG7Np4NRh1L3RygDhFprJloyMZXWVD20JfTxZgfd3HQ7WzIW-muJf6C7zNXWiZd6E8/s1600/Need+An+Answer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXnLq2i9tk-s5DXs3ai5JHTPQaGappQ-Jsyc3W2ElV36-ieSqPHY1-W2V6BIQaY4yICticE31brG7Np4NRh1L3RygDhFprJloyMZXWVD20JfTxZgfd3HQ7WzIW-muJf6C7zNXWiZd6E8/s320/Need+An+Answer.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Need an answer? View from a St Vincent Ave window.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-58895914903971178982011-07-13T12:22:00.002+12:002011-07-13T13:38:39.528+12:00Up the Stairs and Into the Library<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQThCtN8gynxjqldWIhV1ZMp_XxenB1EmA3ZYxd6qOM9W65kowYqCQXB4tXcj_3Nur4yKfxXU_ZlZ_uPeo30axte3B8guNNOWn2Zhn8OYHN6EveAEscEdV_gCxGcBbSsqCgYxurofXf9A/s1600/UpTheStairs.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQThCtN8gynxjqldWIhV1ZMp_XxenB1EmA3ZYxd6qOM9W65kowYqCQXB4tXcj_3Nur4yKfxXU_ZlZ_uPeo30axte3B8guNNOWn2Zhn8OYHN6EveAEscEdV_gCxGcBbSsqCgYxurofXf9A/s320/UpTheStairs.jpg" width="188" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Remuera library, 1970s, cropped from<br />
<a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2588723" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>A Fine Prospect</i></a>, a history of Remuera. <br />
Sir George Grey Special Collections, <br />
Auckland Libraries, 435-D6-2.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQThCtN8gynxjqldWIhV1ZMp_XxenB1EmA3ZYxd6qOM9W65kowYqCQXB4tXcj_3Nur4yKfxXU_ZlZ_uPeo30axte3B8guNNOWn2Zhn8OYHN6EveAEscEdV_gCxGcBbSsqCgYxurofXf9A/s1600/UpTheStairs.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><i>The Remuera Public Library: a Possible Part One</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Up the stairs and into the library. Turn right (though I didn’t know that, I didn’t know my left from my right) and there’s the children’s area. </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">That’s the Remuera library then, not now: then, when I was a child in the early ’70s. And it’s my library, only my library, that I can tell you about. I have no idea about the rest of it. No idea, either, where in the library my mother went or what she did. I had my own concerns. <br />
<br />
I’d gather a stack of picturebooks — the number thirteen comes to mind. There wouldn’t have been thirteen books every time, but it was always an armload for a small person. Perhaps I needed some help to carry them. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">The desk was next to the children’s section, I think, in front of the entrance. Issuing the books, or taking them out, as we called it, was a mystery involving envelopes and cards with coloured stripes and holes punched in them in a seemingly random manner. The envelopes, or pockets, were stuck in the books. The librarian would put the correct card in the envelope. That would tell us when the book had to be back. Mum would have to pay money if we lost the card. I never heard if that happened, and I don’t remember returning the books. Mum must have organised that. </span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5k7l0O1P0x6pvZDKQilScrYc020AOu28c5RULKBd4Bvd8azBP98SoSp_wG3GAVLMIJzkjNb-Ps6BSLyTZQA0nTba3TSzpb2X1GAU_dtBNhvDZE6_BDzb6peyKRJdx5dSLE3qPkECTmw/s1600/The+Due+Date.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5k7l0O1P0x6pvZDKQilScrYc020AOu28c5RULKBd4Bvd8azBP98SoSp_wG3GAVLMIJzkjNb-Ps6BSLyTZQA0nTba3TSzpb2X1GAU_dtBNhvDZE6_BDzb6peyKRJdx5dSLE3qPkECTmw/s200/The+Due+Date.jpg" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The due date was no concern of mine.<br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">There was a favourite story about a tugboat; it went home with me several times. Was it </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%09http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2206934" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Scuffy</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%09http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2559653" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Tommy</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%09http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2474971" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Timmy</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, </span><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1839920" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Mary</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%09http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2185960" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Joe</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, </span><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2503997" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Toot</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%09http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1084758" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Little Toot</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> or some other? I don’t know. And what is it about children and tugboats? When I type “tugboat” into the library catalogue now, </span><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?q=tugboat&refx=&uilang=en" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">30 entries come up for children</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">. One is a toy (an actual toy that you can borrow); several are non-fiction; the odd one is not especially about tugs (</span><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1792752" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge</i></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, </span><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2386408" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Machines Go to Work</i></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">). But yes: there are lots of stories about tugboats. </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">My grandfather had designed the Remuera library. I was aware of this, though it didn’t seem special and I didn’t skite about it. For all I knew, everybody’s grandfather designed libraries, just as the buildings might all have been brick, like this one. There were books, that was the thing. </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkMbKeiaNa42uCEAKir6XAJ8oDcEYlTEseMAmKTgpwuIBlp03JX1vAEdkhWkYF3FRY15YTYV7-wahfFklYicA1Gcm_YFAOl2EPejvfgGSFWXPnmbjctaURGwTA2UN9JNM_G8XYDMvWMc/s1600/timmy.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkMbKeiaNa42uCEAKir6XAJ8oDcEYlTEseMAmKTgpwuIBlp03JX1vAEdkhWkYF3FRY15YTYV7-wahfFklYicA1Gcm_YFAOl2EPejvfgGSFWXPnmbjctaURGwTA2UN9JNM_G8XYDMvWMc/s1600/timmy.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From<i> Timmy the Tug</i>; Ted Hughes, ill. Jim Downer.<br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I had my own at home — bookshelves of my own, even, in my own room — but I could never own enough. And once I thought I’d done with picturebooks, home from the library came <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?q=mrs%20pepperpot&refx=&uilang=en" style="color: #0b5394;">Mrs Pepperpot</a>, <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?q=milly-molly-mandy&refx=&uilang=en" style="color: #0b5394;">Milly-Molly-Mandy</a>, <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?q=pippi%20longstocking&refx=&uilang=en" style="color: #0b5394;">Pippi Longstocking</a> and the <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?q=moomins%20tove&refx=&uilang=en" style="color: #0b5394;">Moomins</a> (most of those, interestingly, by Scandinavian authors). <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1003902" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Swallows and Amazons</i></a> left me cold — strange, given my adventuring ways and love of <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?q=tintin&refx=&uilang=en" style="color: #0b5394;">Tintin</a>, but in the future City of Sails I was no sailor. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago I discovered a taste for Titty, John, Susan, Roger and the rest.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Up the stairs and into the library. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>P.S. One of Arthur Ransome's major characters in </i>Swallows and Amazons<i> really is called Titty. Sadly, it would never happen nowadays. </i></span> </div>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-64115776482008581682011-06-29T15:11:00.001+12:002011-06-29T15:12:35.598+12:00Tour-Guides for All of Knowledge<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">“Librarians”, says author <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/patrick-ness" style="color: #0b5394;">Patrick Ness</a>, “are tour-guides for all of knowledge”. <br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Ness, winner of the 2011 Carnegie Medal for <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%09http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2497846" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Monsters of Men</i></a>, made this comment in what the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2011/jun/23/patrick-ness-carnegie-prize-libraries?CMP=twt_gu" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Guardian</i></a> called an “excoriating” acceptance speech. He criticised UK cuts to public and school libraries, pointing out that when libraries are under threat, librarians and young readers are in danger too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Here’s how he describes the magic of librarians: </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">“Knowledge and information — and by which I do very much include the internet — is a forest. And true, sometimes it’s fun getting lost, sometimes that’s how you learn some surprising things. But how much more can you discover when someone can point you in the right direction, when someone can maybe give you a map. When someone can maybe even give you a treasure map, to places you may not have even thought you were allowed to go. This is what librarians do.</span><span style="font-size: small;">”</span>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-7996036950985535932011-06-19T23:28:00.007+12:002011-06-20T13:40:08.841+12:00Digging for Gold and Gum<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6u2kvrLHTY_NH6cX184u8K-skRKEV_12-RQ46TZvpp4IBobG4KT7Gr8gMCvzCde1q9WP6m8w_lKRRDFxc7k_wp7JcDKhX_hXPVAuevUm3kdqAcoPsERkv_xmsrz-iNrXejRgEZBypiE/s1600/Glenfield.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6u2kvrLHTY_NH6cX184u8K-skRKEV_12-RQ46TZvpp4IBobG4KT7Gr8gMCvzCde1q9WP6m8w_lKRRDFxc7k_wp7JcDKhX_hXPVAuevUm3kdqAcoPsERkv_xmsrz-iNrXejRgEZBypiE/s320/Glenfield.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Subdividing times: In 1960, Glenfield resident Judy Pyle tries a <br />
bulldozer for size. The view is towards Wairau Road. (Photo no. <br />
T1118 courtesy of Takapuna Public Library, also Roy & Judy Pyle.)</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">“What do I remember?” my friend asked. “The mall, the hall (with a little peek of the distant sea outside), suburban streets, boring houses, small trees, little library...”</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> In the late 1970s</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Glenfield was a hell of a place to fetch up if you’d come from a well-resourced and slightly busier city, as Philippa [not her real name!] did — and especially if you were a teenager, as she was. <br />
<br />
The suburb has appeared in fiction more than once. In <i style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1034962">Music from a Distant Room</a></i> Stephanie Johnson writes of “Glenlyn”, with “the hills... where the machines scraped and roared and banged, laying in the new subdivision”. Its primary school was, she goes on, “part of the development opened up after the bridge was put across the Waitemata Harbour” — at the end of the 1950s. <br />
<br />
<b>Subdivision after Subdivision</b></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><br />
It’s an area that’s expanded ever since. By the early 1990s, when I was a reporter at the Takapuna-based <i>North Shore Times Advertiser</i>, Glenfield was creeping inexorably towards Albany. Laughingly dismissed as Nappy Valley* and the childhood home of<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/people/im-no-heather-rachel-hunter/2006/12/01/1164777768592.html?from=rss" style="color: #0b5394;">a model said to be a gold-digger</a>, it was serious about its future, accommodating subdivision after subdivision. A few were uncomfortably close to what we called “the poo ponds” — the sewage treatment area. The houses weren’t bad, but there were hardly any trees and gee, it could get a bit whiffy on those slopes if the wind came from the wrong direction. <br />
<br />
The poo ponds no longer stink, or at least not so you’d notice if you’re passing on State Highway 1 (we used to shut the car windows and turn off the external air flow). And the names of some of those subdivisions are also lost, I think, though Unsworth Heights has lasted and become... what: a suburb of Glenfield? Does that make it a suburbette? Or a sub-suburb?</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6WBur3FjE2j8cn8RcQY7TipbUE05NMWOBGOvV1jkfTNlnLBLhkBJ0UlgfThPqJXsuWSIwt6SUh4RNXbqZUL97EKMPyQUQWBrWyWLohfEjsnlmLnRYQsypde8rjbIhHaPdHcETvVgiko/s1600/Diehls+German+Bakery.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6WBur3FjE2j8cn8RcQY7TipbUE05NMWOBGOvV1jkfTNlnLBLhkBJ0UlgfThPqJXsuWSIwt6SUh4RNXbqZUL97EKMPyQUQWBrWyWLohfEjsnlmLnRYQsypde8rjbIhHaPdHcETvVgiko/s200/Diehls+German+Bakery.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A selection from Diehl’s, down <br />
a right-of-way in Hillside Road.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Hidden Treasure</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In 2004 when I returned to work on the Shore, after a decade or so elsewhere, it was to Wairau Valley, Glenfield’s industrial zone and a former swamp. The valley had concealed pockets containing exotic foodstuffs, such as the delights of Diehl’s German Bakery, and books. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Publishers with headquarters in Auckland had located themselves there towards the end of last century, because it offered relatively cheap warehouse space. Several including <a href="http://www.randomhouse.co.nz/" style="color: #0b5394;">Random House</a></span><span style="font-size: small;"> distributed books from their overseas sister companies as well as books that spoke of New Zealand. They needed somewhere to store them.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some lunchtimes when I worked at Random, a colleague and I would leave our offices at Poland Road, in a former Mormon property and a converted kitchen factory, and go for a walk. Wairau Valley was pretty dire but soon we’d be striding (this was no mere stroll) through residential streets whose now mature trees were home to tuis. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<b>Escape from the Valley</b><br />
These songbirds were both numerous and noisy (in a good way). They brought my friend Philippa*** to mind, because I knew Glenfield had never put on such a show for her. If she wanted entertainment, she’d catch the bus to the cinemas of distant Queen Street in the Auckland CBD. <br />
<br />
On the lunchtime walks it took a while for us to completely leave the Wairau Valley. A solventy smell from some toxic enterprise down below would often accompany us up Bruce Road to Chivalry. <br />
<br />
Another escape, if you could call it that, was the Glenfield Mall which (unlike <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/06/is-it-library-or-lolly-shop.html" style="color: #0b5394;">Botany</a>’s) is fully enclosed. Not long before I went back to the Shore to work, the place had been done up. The ‘feature wall’ by the carpark escalator had strange exhortations to chop and slice, backgrounded by vaguely kitcheny images. It was marketing on the sly, I guess; a surreptitious way of herding people into the supermarket that was part of the complex.<br />
<br />
<b>The Monolithic Mall</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
The monolithic mall opened in 1971 and remains the centrepiece of Glenfield. In <a href="http://www.janetframe.org.nz/" style="color: #0b5394;">Janet Frame</a>’s novel <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1144952" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Living in the Maniototo</i></a>** with its version of Glenfield (Blenheim), “Heavenfield Mall is a huge windowless pretence” where people “buy buy buy... A consumer’s paradise enhanced, you will see, by the aviary on the second floor”. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/department-stores-and-shopping-malls/5" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand</i></a> mentions the aviary’s “100 noisy budgerigars” and quotes architect Warwick Massey: “According to what maxim of commercial law does a shopping centre with a view have to turn so resolutely away from it?” Massey described the site as looking “to the east over a pleasant suburban scene with our beloved Rangitoto [Island] in the background” but the mall itself offered no hint of that in 1972, when he visited. Nor does it today. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDr3aYy6RsCPEO1PPrPhp48z2IU4NV9bzipAgeeLa-4m8pGEJHt3EjXdfTGlE5HG49cmA837RolsqDB0B6bJ0wyJ-ImKrZ8XdJWWphViStwtLjps0Ew_9FDIzz-wAlZBhO-ZXClYiKmgk/s1600/Public+Library+Glenfield.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDr3aYy6RsCPEO1PPrPhp48z2IU4NV9bzipAgeeLa-4m8pGEJHt3EjXdfTGlE5HG49cmA837RolsqDB0B6bJ0wyJ-ImKrZ8XdJWWphViStwtLjps0Ew_9FDIzz-wAlZBhO-ZXClYiKmgk/s320/Public+Library+Glenfield.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Helpdesks at the centre of Glenfield library, opposite the mall.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b>Opposite in Every Way? </b></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Opposite that complex — physically and metaphorically, given its interest in the world beyond — is Glenfield Public Library. A plaque commemorates the opening in 1975, but the space seems larger than in Philippa’s time. I visited recently on a Sunday morning that was almost indecently fine (for winter), and while waiting for the doors to open I saw a dozen people drop their books through the returns slot. With me were other expectant patrons, so even outside I had the sense of a well used community facility. And it was. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;">Inside were hustle, bustle, plenty of patrons, and weekend staff who seemed more than usually inclined to smile. They spent a lot of time helping people. I soaked up the atmosphere, which reinforced for me that a library is what people make it. By people I mean staff, the public and politicians, whose investment on our behalf is essential. <br />
<br />
On my way out I saw I’d missed nearly half the library. From the building’s foyer you can turn left or right but something, perhaps the large windows seen from the street, or the community noticeboards, steered me and most people to the left. The right-hand side is more library — including fiction, whose absence I would normally notice. While loitering on the left I must have been beguiled by the children’s section, whose Maori alphabet frieze is from a children’s art competition that North Shore Libraries (as it was then) held in 1995. When I visited the wing on the right, it was as still as the other was busy; an elderly couple browsed the novels while a young woman was curled up, reading. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8s-F4YncUVVBf_mXKWIek23aqm-3aZuRGjkxiS7NBddESVoylsimNUBiKAR6HeV7RHa812mmjKg6KsVEBXC-bd-o0gLYba9T-ZM2MfG_A6z67OpSBB-lJRx0jL2eKue6SwT2ZIfwH2U/s1600/Glenfield+Childrens+Library.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8s-F4YncUVVBf_mXKWIek23aqm-3aZuRGjkxiS7NBddESVoylsimNUBiKAR6HeV7RHa812mmjKg6KsVEBXC-bd-o0gLYba9T-ZM2MfG_A6z67OpSBB-lJRx0jL2eKue6SwT2ZIfwH2U/s200/Glenfield+Childrens+Library.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Absorbed in the children’s book<br />
section at the Glenfield <br />
Public LIibrary.<br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWMhxIbjfgZfJ1pBZHbGq6hYXmCZ0n7o71nq41RodXZNsiHJ-xUn4J7nelx4gzSxU6oOqcSzVeb9Epf2S8kqmoiK9_KCNJmmkKkqtNRHA93Fi8Q3BCdWdf02xrB-neM4EwOvk6s3z8yg/s1600/Auckland+Libraries+Glenfield.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWMhxIbjfgZfJ1pBZHbGq6hYXmCZ0n7o71nq41RodXZNsiHJ-xUn4J7nelx4gzSxU6oOqcSzVeb9Epf2S8kqmoiK9_KCNJmmkKkqtNRHA93Fi8Q3BCdWdf02xrB-neM4EwOvk6s3z8yg/s200/Auckland+Libraries+Glenfield.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Frieze piece, “ngeru” (cat) <br />
by Melissa Medemblik, <br />
aged nine</span>.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>A Place with a Past</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Also on the right were local history materials. Glenfield had never struck me as having any history — too new, I thought — but here was some of the best local history coverage I’ve seen so far in a suburban library (<a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/02/place-i-call-my-local.html" style="color: #0b5394;">Avondale library</a> also has good materials). Glenfield Historical Society resources are available, and the area’s profile in the library must benefit from the (part-time) local history librarian who works there. <br />
<br />
The library book I borrowed,<a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2141284"> <i style="color: #0b5394;">Old Glenfield: A Portrait in Photographs</i>,</a> describes the place of its title as “poor country. In Maori times the forests were largely burnt, creating a wasteland of fern and kanuka shrublands. Where tall kauri trees had once stood, the soil was a whitish clay.” Mud and clay appear as a recurring motif in Glenfield’s history. <br />
<br />
Europeans used the area for firewood and then it became “a huge gumfield”, with kauri gum (valued in manufacturing as well as for decoration) initially plucked from the land’s surface and then dug from its soil. Dairy farming contributed to the town milk supply, with Glenfield also producing flowers and fruit. <br />
<br />
<b>Out of the Mud and Clay</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">During the housing developments of the 1960s Glenfield lost its topsoil, as Stephanie Johnson describes. This exposed “raw white clays”, says <i>Old Glenfield</i>, so “People with gardening ambitions had to buy their soil back from developers”. <br />
<br />
Until the high school was built along Kaipatiki Road (1968), land there was privately owned and leased to a cattle grazier, according to <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2475583" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Glenfield College 1969–2009: A Portrait of the Past</i></a>. In the late 1960s the road was metal, writes resident Tony McCracken, who joined<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="http://www.glenfieldcollege.school.nz/" style="color: #0b5394;">Glenfield College</a> as a teacher. Now Kaipatiki Road links Glenfield to Birkdale with a major bridge, but then it “petered out into a dirt track at about where the present-day adult education prefabs begin” (the college has always been notable for its community classes). The overhanging banks of nearby Kaipatiki Creek were home to glow-worms. <br />
<br />
Founding principal Ken Buckley recalls mud as a major part of the new school. Peter Voss, his deputy from 1971, saw heavy clay “over-layed with a light depth of introduced top soil... Rugby players would come into afternoon classes bespattered [with] and smelling of reddish, muddy soil!” Perhaps the soil influenced the school’s first uniform, coloured brown and orange? <br />
<br />
Voss’s first impressions of the college and the “young suburb” developing around it were “coloured by how raw and youthful everything was”. Now (if not previously), Glenfield has not just a future but a past. I thank the library for bringing it to my attention. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSgNgxv43h2AKTia7R5737cbfYotaWfZhFSyuMSw0RgxTt79EhLWzNJgb5G7m6Mswycm0PkmXE157spvXtV92NK0XMutRvJCkM-IZlMG9GkiWfekfeNzClY-nKY2Qf72MtVLpy7z5Spc/s1600/Glenfield+Public+Library+Auckland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSgNgxv43h2AKTia7R5737cbfYotaWfZhFSyuMSw0RgxTt79EhLWzNJgb5G7m6Mswycm0PkmXE157spvXtV92NK0XMutRvJCkM-IZlMG9GkiWfekfeNzClY-nKY2Qf72MtVLpy7z5Spc/s320/Glenfield+Public+Library+Auckland.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Lead-up to the library, Bentley Avenue.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Nappy Valley: a colloquial New Zealand and Australian term, says the <i>New Zealand Oxford Dictionary</i>, for “a suburb (esp. a new one) in which a large number of young families reside”. The dictionary is available to Auckland Libraries members through Oxford Reference Online at the <a href="http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/DigitalLibrary.aspx?lang=en-NZ" style="color: #0b5394;">Digital Library</a>. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">**Auckland Libraries appears not to have the latest (2006) edition of <i>Living in the Maniototo</i>, but it’s in print and available through good bookshops. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">***</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">In case you’re wondering what happened to Philippa: she grew up to be a librarian and is busy living happily ever after.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The texts quoted in this post are copyright to their respective authors or their representatives and the 1960 photo to Roy Pyle. </span> </div>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-89007493132983809172011-06-10T13:24:00.001+12:002011-06-10T16:17:30.972+12:00Is It a Library or a Lolly Shop?<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmLzHCKG6Mf6NMBZ_GihR9f61ZAQqJwn4jcVyMWd2zFku8PPpV0Jj0XsNiPZsqITEOW8YaR6hclx8risyHUf0xgHuIrQD_iIqO6ffxwqRQPkQ93tc2d7Ahy8J6P-KXMmoK13KnoRrWNc/s1600/Library+Comfort.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmLzHCKG6Mf6NMBZ_GihR9f61ZAQqJwn4jcVyMWd2zFku8PPpV0Jj0XsNiPZsqITEOW8YaR6hclx8risyHUf0xgHuIrQD_iIqO6ffxwqRQPkQ93tc2d7Ahy8J6P-KXMmoK13KnoRrWNc/s320/Library+Comfort.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">The children’s section at Botany Public Library.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>In April, Auckland’s <a href="http://www.acpmedia.co.nz/ACPMagazines/Metro/tabid/124/Default.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Metro</i></a> magazine caused a stir with ‘Sweetshops for the Mind’, an opinion piece urging readers to “Just look at how they’re selling books these days”. Design and display are the priority for publishers and bookshops, Paul Litterick suggested, and there’s little of worth between the covers. <br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> <br />
This interesting argument could apply to libraries. These days, the wow factor is part of their architecture: they are designed to appeal to a wider public than those who merely like books or the pursuit of knowledge (<a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/05/librarians-have-reputation-for-saying.html" style="color: #0b5394;">they even seem to cater for people wishing to sleep</a>). Litterick’s point seems especially relevant for a library at a shopping mall such as that of Botany Downs, one of the newer suburbs neighbouring Howick and Pakuranga, in east Auckland. <br />
<br />
Many people first heard of Botany Downs once the mall opened in 2004, but long before that, east Auckland’s Botany Road area was known as “Bottney” (in spoken New Zild). Manukau City Library’s <a href="http://www.manukau-libraries.govt.nz/EN/ManukauOurHistory/ManukauResearchLibrary/Pages/Home.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">South Auckland Research Centre</a> librarian Bruce Ringer says the “Downs” suffix was added in the 1970s to give the growing suburb a separate identity. <br />
<br />
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmp4yDhm1rqfughr4y4a3C_K0f1JkUcP_G2IuFV9FAIGjyqDCqIVxTxJ8b5uM4i7jmsRAjFAwbyLcM6ENJoQh_b_UmpwI4I7V3-UJXcOX3Rof9_9lAx7yPjTH4pLmPWtLEvtGRD8CzEmA/s1600/Shopping+Mall+Library.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmp4yDhm1rqfughr4y4a3C_K0f1JkUcP_G2IuFV9FAIGjyqDCqIVxTxJ8b5uM4i7jmsRAjFAwbyLcM6ENJoQh_b_UmpwI4I7V3-UJXcOX3Rof9_9lAx7yPjTH4pLmPWtLEvtGRD8CzEmA/s320/Shopping+Mall+Library.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Not just another shop: the library at the mall.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Let’s Go Shopping</b> <br />
I’ve visited libraries just outside the walls of shopping malls — <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-lynn-new-lynn.html" style="color: #0b5394;">New Lynn’s</a> is one — but <a href="http://www.manukau-libraries.govt.nz/EN/About/LocationsAndHours/Pages/BotanyLibrary.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">Botany Public Library</a> is the first I’ve seen that’s part of the mall itself. On public holidays when other libraries are closed it’s often open, presumably because the landlord requires retail and other tenants to maximise shopping and thereby revenue. <br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">So it was that on Queen’s Birthday Monday, while most library users were taking the day off, Carol set the TomTom (a new satellite navigation whirligig that she’s been hankering after since we got<a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/02/arriving-at-rainbow.html" style="color: #0b5394;"> lost on the way to another library</a>) and off we went. <br />
<br />
This device has been christened “Kate” after the new Duchess of Cambridge, because its English pronunciation is received, or standard British southern. It (or she, if you must) doesn’t do Maori, rendering a major arterial road — Te Irirangi Drive — unrecognisable. But Kate’s directions are otherwise clear, and we had no difficulty finding the <a href="http://www.botanytowncentre.co.nz/" style="color: #0b5394;">Botany Town Centre</a>. <br />
<b><br />
Mall Meets Main Street</b> <br />
Shopping per se does nothing for me, and I’m no mall rat — but as shopping malls go, this one’s quite nice. Like Sylvia Park, another newish Auckland mall, it has indoor–outdoor flow. In case that is interpreted strictly as a home decor trend of the 1990s, I should add that Botany combines mall with main street, offering several ‘precincts’ with outdoor areas as well as some indoor shopping. <br />
<br />
This shows the focus has changed “from internalised box to a community environment”, according to a spokesperson for architects Hames Sharley (<a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/property/news/article.cfm?c_id=8&objectid=3635" style="color: #0b5394;">interviewed by the <i>New Zealand Herald</i> before this AMP shopping centre was built</a>): “Now people are saying, ‘We do like walking along shop fronts.’” <br />
<br />
Given the precinct plan, it’s surely no coincidence that the Botany library sits between a Hoyts three-screen cinema and an Esquires coffee shop: enthusiasm for one such recreational venue can easily extend to the others. The design of the library, with filmset-style lighting in the entrance, even acknowledges its theatrical neighbour. <br />
<br />
Botany Public Library opened in October 2004, and nearly seven years later it still looks fresh. Design historian Douglas Lloyd Jenkins has mentioned it as part of “a new burst of library building”. <br />
<br />
<b>The Library as Living Room</b> <br />
“Step inside any of these new libraries and you will notice that what constituted the library of childhood memory has changed”, <a href="http://www.listener.co.nz/culture/make-it-new/" style="color: #0b5394;">Lloyd Jenkins wrote in the <i>New Zealand Listener</i></a> in December 2004. “Furthermore, the realisation that libraries are never likely to return to the semi-monastic retreats of the past will disturb the equilibrium of some traditional library users” [<a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/05/librarians-have-reputation-for-saying.html" style="color: #0b5394;">such as, perhaps, the one who inspired my last post</a>]. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSl2W7OfbzijXcnyUdWuzPwcbDxNf_q2IMML5gGXqfd93hiNfC2xa_hatUsgz9KxQ1ADutpSqMGUkWLQeW7EyqRRy4J6LEZF9VIkIOTMwkYxvPao9Q2jwQeiME0jzHWjbFUXNQEPLLGk/s1600/Library+Shelves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSl2W7OfbzijXcnyUdWuzPwcbDxNf_q2IMML5gGXqfd93hiNfC2xa_hatUsgz9KxQ1ADutpSqMGUkWLQeW7EyqRRy4J6LEZF9VIkIOTMwkYxvPao9Q2jwQeiME0jzHWjbFUXNQEPLLGk/s320/Library+Shelves.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">High-visibility shelves with plenty on show (above) <br />
and an alluring library entry, with places to go (below).</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsUKD-ZDsXMM-NlNpThxkP1bo2gSzQ8WFSm6J15IwhA1QI0pd66qhvjZe5ajxYA8aeWEI1X7mfu88bjMwC25sTFEoxq1LxQlFjUV1Bp5nQdntxEcYH5GS3al53GRvKfGKhlGdxVl-IZ8/s1600/Library+Mall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsUKD-ZDsXMM-NlNpThxkP1bo2gSzQ8WFSm6J15IwhA1QI0pd66qhvjZe5ajxYA8aeWEI1X7mfu88bjMwC25sTFEoxq1LxQlFjUV1Bp5nQdntxEcYH5GS3al53GRvKfGKhlGdxVl-IZ8/s320/Library+Mall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Like it or not, he added, “the public library has been rethought as a communal version of your living-room at home. As a result, the contemporary library is usually full, and consequently a little noisier than libraries of yesteryear.” <br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> <br />
Most noise at Botany library is from the muzak that I presume the mall management has had piped throughout the mall complex. The vibrant colours and the words etched diagonally on glass are louder than this — part of the “pick me!” (or perhaps pick ’n’ mix) approach of the lolly shop, catering for short attention spans and providing the backdrop for a multitude of jostling library products. <br />
<br />
Is this a bad thing? “The library has to reflect its location”, Manukau city librarian Chris Szekely said, soon after his Botany branch opened. In Manukau Szekely, who now heads the more senior and possibly more sedate <a href="http://www.natlib.govt.nz/atl" style="color: #0b5394;">Alexander Turnbull Library</a>, oversaw the installation of a new library every 18 months, according to<i> <a href="http://trendsideas.com/ViewArticle.aspx?article=5006&region=3&book=73" style="color: #0b5394;">Commercial Design Trends</a></i>. At Botany (and presumably the other locations), he wanted to try new ideas. <br />
<b><br />
Up with the Times at Botany Downs</b> <br />
Some advances are of interest to boffins, though the aim is to benefit budgets and patrons. Botany was the first public library in New Zealand to embrace Radio Frequency Identification, winning a<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0508/S00006.htm" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Computerworld</i> Excellence Award</a> for using this and other technology. <br />
<br />
RFID manages inventory using electronic tags, security gates and self-issue machines (Botany’s are multilingual, giving directions in Maori, Chinese, Korean, Africaans and English) as well as automatic check-in of newly returned items. It’s touted as reducing the time staff spend on repetitive manual tasks and, in Botany’s case, extending the library’s hours. <br />
<br />
Many tempting morsels at the Botany library are at a low height: the DVDs just inside; the books on their movable units, with their chest-high top shelves for ‘face-out’ displays. I thought this a child-friendly policy, and one that created an atmosphere of openness rather than the more blocky, mazelike feeling of libraries that have taller, stockier bookcases. <br />
<br />
It may also cater for the security cameras, which I guess are part of the furniture in a shopping mall (this is the only library where I’ve seen such a thing) or even for some Asian clientele who feel at home sitting on their haunches, as a couple of people were in the Chinese language section when I was there. <br />
<br />
The space dedicated to books and magazines at Botany seems relatively small. Nevertheless, I saw proportionately more people browsing the bookshelves or immersed in reading. In some libraries I’ve visited, the public-use computers have been the main area of activity. <b></b></span><b> </b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacWi6imNKEJ3ybzUPyohtb6xoptQKsXETR0-ntOd0JICg-KagCw_HSbgtsyJ-IUfBQgN5Zv5kTj0hMIAxaJ6YzIXecfwLHFlf11qOoujydwvDotnp1IcLIyyV23wC6kRPUIG_Kj0HyS8/s1600/Auckland+Libraries+Study.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacWi6imNKEJ3ybzUPyohtb6xoptQKsXETR0-ntOd0JICg-KagCw_HSbgtsyJ-IUfBQgN5Zv5kTj0hMIAxaJ6YzIXecfwLHFlf11qOoujydwvDotnp1IcLIyyV23wC6kRPUIG_Kj0HyS8/s320/Auckland+Libraries+Study.jpg" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A quiet room with windows on the world.</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><b>From “Peaceful Place” to “Showcase” </b><br />
A very impressive feature, I thought, was the variety of discrete spaces that the Botany Public Library makes available, though the push-a-button entry for one is a little discouraging. Within the main library are the taken-for-granted armchairs and squabs for people to collapse into or perch on. Elsewhere in the facility you’ll find... </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><ul><li>the “peaceful place” or “nohanga o rongo”: spacious, green-painted — and I gather it’s been acoustically treated to deaden sound. It has a bookcase of ‘fast facts’ publications, tables or desks where people were studying when I found my way in, plus windows on the world outside;<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">a glass-walled internal “focus room” or “ruma hui”, where people can meet or read in an even quieter environment; </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> “learn.net” or “ako kupenga”, the red-and-black technology area where patrons can use the internet or (according to <i>Commercial Design Trends</i>) engage in video-conferences; </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> the “leisure lounge” or “wahi whakaata”, a mezzanine where I saw more students bent over their work (a pile of Maccas snacks between them), and more computers; </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> “Showcase” or “atamira whakaata” just inside the library entrance, a venue for public events. At the time of my visit it contained still more people engaged in research. </span></li>
</ul><span style="font-size: small;">With the possible exception of the muzak, people who get annoyed by library noise have little to complain about at Botany, because there are so many places of retreat. Interestingly, although these zones have new and innovative names and decor, this modern public library offers a variation on what its precursors provided a century ago with their reading rooms, lecture halls, lending departments and committee rooms (see “<a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/05/library-that-got-another-job.html" style="color: #0b5394;">The Library that Got Another Job</a>”). <br />
<br />
The latter were more overtly “improving”. Their version of Botany’s funky <a href="http://www.manukau-libraries.govt.nz/EN/Events/EventsCalendar/Pages/KIP_Botany_110611.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">World Wide Knitting in Public event</a> (June 11) would probably be a Women’s Institute extraordinary meeting to knit scarves for soldiers; that’s the difference. <br />
<br />
Is it a bad thing for Botany’s library or any other to look à la mode — styley, accessorised and even sexy — if this <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2502332" style="color: #0b5394;">wins friends and influences people</a>? That’s the question that this post and its “library or lolly shop” heading really pose. You decide. <br />
<br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Z7MTLYOaOkZVBlpj42TeTMSAuUhtCDJL7ChYXLVFQb4e_-XRY020c5fG81gfLNUdrYl_IlbuIwrN9KrFszbK8Bnh7A-CpcM08JgEfYVrhNZzmKu_t1ZhtpZnQxvsYwmUAsLYfc3sbg8/s1600/Botany+Library+Showcase.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Z7MTLYOaOkZVBlpj42TeTMSAuUhtCDJL7ChYXLVFQb4e_-XRY020c5fG81gfLNUdrYl_IlbuIwrN9KrFszbK8Bnh7A-CpcM08JgEfYVrhNZzmKu_t1ZhtpZnQxvsYwmUAsLYfc3sbg8/s400/Botany+Library+Showcase.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">The “Showcase” room close by the Botany library entrance.</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Notes</b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Paul Litterick’s point (about the attractive presentation of poor literary fare) was made in a magazine whose cover featured a naked female torso and the words: “THE SEX ISSUE!”. </span></i> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Lolly</b> — (NZ & Aust.) a small shaped piece of confectionery made esp. with sugar; a sweet; lolly shop (NZ & Aust.) a shop selling sweets. ORIGIN abbreviation of lollipop. — </i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">The New Zealand Oxford Dictionary<i>, available online through Oxford Reference Online at the <a href="http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/DigitalLibrary.aspx?lang=en-NZ" style="color: #0b5394;">Auckland Libraries’ Digital Library</a>. </i></span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The ‘touting’ of Botany’s RFID system can be <a href="http://www.solgm.co.nz/NZPOSTAWARDS/NZPost+Entries+and+Winners/2005/Technology+Application+Category.htm#w" style="color: #0b5394;">downloaded</a> (scroll down the page). </span></span></i></div>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-77525087825475751892011-05-31T19:19:00.004+12:002011-05-31T22:34:07.683+12:00Of Lullabies and Libraries<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnzap4N3wnY29fAtKcmlqHEYQHPun9B7NhWT1ptueQhhbs9sOP-_qLpZlNaGi_NEm4vpRxhvQ6mMrE8wLFaRAc9AD-hy7AD7SHRazPyZfWGg36EmF4SDy1b0l87mX6hsxDQrvs2nQm2c/s1600/Library+Loafers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="433" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnzap4N3wnY29fAtKcmlqHEYQHPun9B7NhWT1ptueQhhbs9sOP-_qLpZlNaGi_NEm4vpRxhvQ6mMrE8wLFaRAc9AD-hy7AD7SHRazPyZfWGg36EmF4SDy1b0l87mX6hsxDQrvs2nQm2c/s640/Library+Loafers.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Observer and Free Lance</i>, Auckland, 1885</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Librarians have a reputation for saying “Shhh!” and for being fond of rules, but with the possible exception of Sister Francis Mary in my high school years, that’s never been my experience. These days it’s more likely to be the patrons who call for order — most recently in the Auckland Public Libraries where, according to the <i>New Zealand Herald</i>, “<a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10728879" style="color: #0b5394;">Snoring snoozers upset library users</a>”. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
Aucklander Catherine Jones is quoted as saying it’s “rude and inconsiderate for people to be treating our public libraries like some motel.... It’s not just the sleeping... sometimes it’s the snoring that I find irritating when you want to have a quiet read”. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
A section of the community (not just in New Zealand but around the world, I’ve noticed) is emphatic about what a library is for, and even more so about what it’s not for. Mostly, such people say it’s not for noise — on this they are very vocal — but complaints cover a wide range, from internet use by fellow library patrons to their propensity to fall asleep. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_Sv6x5H70MsVgWOHyUQmDpW3xkPElRwK61szkj6CMe2YyeImzPJ66WZer8dwIp65VNH77G79t9UvGQ_yzHa0DSn7RlbGJVpnbfzaT98lfphMNICTmwXycG1jmt4e7FOwAgCYKvax8Qc/s1600/Library+Reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_Sv6x5H70MsVgWOHyUQmDpW3xkPElRwK61szkj6CMe2YyeImzPJ66WZer8dwIp65VNH77G79t9UvGQ_yzHa0DSn7RlbGJVpnbfzaT98lfphMNICTmwXycG1jmt4e7FOwAgCYKvax8Qc/s320/Library+Reading.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Glen Eden Public Library, 2011.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s the libraries’ fault, of course. They shouldn’t have brought us the internet, and especially not for free. Nor should they be running those <a href="http://www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/EN/Events/Pages/WriggleandRhyme.aspx" style="color: #0b5394;">Wriggle and Rhyme</a> sessions for toddlers. And what business do they have providing comfy chairs? What next: a regular broadcast of lullabies?<br />
<br />
Seriously, though, I’ve had no trouble with noise in the public library, nor with anyone sleeping there. The sounds I hear indicate that a wide range of people now feel at home, something that public libraries around Auckland have worked to achieve in the last few years. <br />
<br />
Call me naive, but I like to think that people who visit for ‘the wrong reasons’ (whatever those are) may one day be tempted to pick up a novel or use the catalogue to find out about the world beyond our walls. If not, they may at least catch up on some much-needed sleep, and I can’t begrudge them that. <br />
<br />
If you object to others sleeping and snoring in the library, I have a suggestion for you. As you use the library with your eyes wide open, you’re probably more mobile than anyone engaged in grabbing some shut-eye — so rather than expect them to move along, how about you find another place to be? (And shhh! In case you wake them up.) A number of public libraries in Auckland have areas specified for reading, study and contemplation. Even in those that don’t, there’s usually more than one quiet corner. <br />
<br />
The <i>Herald</i> interviews library sleepers who are neither apologetic nor ashamed — a language school student and a housewife — and quotes Auckland Libraries manager Allison Dobbie. It’s “heartening” that people find libraries “warm and welcoming places to relax and read”, she says, acknowledging at the same time that patrons have probably slept in library buildings throughout public library history. <br />
<br />
In New Zealand libraries, the number of winks some individuals have enjoyed must be many multiples of forty. On searching the National Library’s wonderful <a href="http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast" style="color: #0b5394;">Papers Past</a> website using the key words “library” and sleep”, I found evidence that this activity dates back to the earliest years of the Auckland Public Library. Under the heading “Library Loafers” (above), Auckland’s <i>Observer and Free Lance</i> newspaper of May 2, 1885 reports, “Our Public Librarian complains of a good many people making use of the Library to sleep off their last night’s potations.” <br />
<br />
New Zealand’s nineteenth-century newspapers often printed hearsay from here, there and everywhere, so I was dubious about any particular link with Auckland. But further investigation showed that the luxuriant moustache, receding hairline and erect carriage of the <i>Observer</i>’s cartoon figure look just like those of the then Auckland public librarian, <a href="http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2s22/1/1" style="color: #0b5394;">Edward Shillington</a>. <br />
<br />
In <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1932204" style="color: #0b5394;"><i>The Governor’s Gift: The Auckland Public Library 1880–1980</i></a>, Shillington’s successor John Barr remembers him as “A typical military man, whose aim was to see that visitors obeyed the rules.” I’ve not seen anyone like that staffing an Auckland library recently, but perhaps Mr Shillington lives on in a few of the patrolling patrons. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For more on diverse uses (and users) of libraries, see <a href="http://therumpus.net/2011/05/meanwhile-the-san-francisco-public-library/"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Wendy MacNaughton’s stunning watercolours</span> </a>inspired by the San Francisco Public Library and its patrons.</i></span></div>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-7345547973403390772011-05-22T14:12:00.015+12:002011-05-23T09:09:20.927+12:00The Library that Got Another Job<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglpKGCB4HH28eAOGlJAPy23-n9jIruGiwQxa_Drj_3XVF7EYKe5A0xFad9Pn1G-KTCVQXXWy-Cozwb1TEsufHI-eSmoLntiKTiXXGzG0S-ESm8Bl0qN-A1PHU3_u5NGxIC-lbcT1CLnZo/s1600/Mt+Eden+Pub.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglpKGCB4HH28eAOGlJAPy23-n9jIruGiwQxa_Drj_3XVF7EYKe5A0xFad9Pn1G-KTCVQXXWy-Cozwb1TEsufHI-eSmoLntiKTiXXGzG0S-ESm8Bl0qN-A1PHU3_u5NGxIC-lbcT1CLnZo/s320/Mt+Eden+Pub.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Having some fun: Auckland’s former Grafton library.</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">What happens when you’re made redundant? You go into a decline, graceful or otherwise; you get another job; you have some fun — or try all three. This is as true for buildings as it is for people, and the former library I visited last weekend is a good illustration. </span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br />
The Grafton Public Library had its final chapter 21 years ago, only to begin a sequel focusing on its new career in the hospitality industry — initially as the Palais de Danse nightclub. We all know the stereotype of libraries as places where patrons are urged to “Shhh!”. A nightclub, on the other hand, is a glorified boom box. To this irony, Grafton’s transformation added another layer: in its early years the library had offered a hall for hire, with the injunction that it must not be used for dancing. <br />
<br />
This “lecture hall”, then a common feature in libraries, complemented the lending department, reading room and committee room in architect Edward Bartley’s design for 2 Mt Eden Rd, near the Symonds St intersection. Constructed for £3037, the Grafton library opened in 1913 as the Auckland Public Library’s first branch.* <br />
<br />
<b>Bridge to the City </b><br />
For its existence we can apparently thank a nearby landmark once claimed to be the world’s longest single-span ferro-concrete structure. When <a href="http://www.historic.org.nz/TheRegister/RegisterSearch/RegisterResults.aspx?RID=16" style="color: #0b5394;">Grafton Bridge</a> opened in 1910, “hundreds who lived on the other side of the deep gully suddenly felt themselves to be part of the greater Auckland”, writes public library historian <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1932204" style="color: #0b5394;">Wynne Colgan</a>. Doubtless they wanted the associated conveniences: services pertaining not only to rats, rates, rubbish but also to education, enlightenment, entertainment. <br />
<br />
The Grafton library had at least its share of loyal patrons. Cliff Sanders, lamenting its loss, told the <i>Auckland Star</i> in 1990 that he’d joined in 1949 while working at the nearby ammunition testing unit. He used the branch for the next five decades, despite leaving the area around 1960. Parnell and Remuera libraries would have been more convenient, he admitted. “But it was such a nice building, the atmosphere was so good and the staff so lively I kept on going.” </span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQ512O0ge_daBb9g2n-TIlsGkZ5sFgYQxIiGp8DiUNqfj4mCWo74YrijmetFu8axwb0ClNtZ00Anaa27-gOSiSG5LPf1D3i_kE_Zjuju3YjnK9GhJTR1RctPb9l7vLrCV_p8ZYoJxh5c/s1600/Galbraiths+Alehouse+Bar.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQ512O0ge_daBb9g2n-TIlsGkZ5sFgYQxIiGp8DiUNqfj4mCWo74YrijmetFu8axwb0ClNtZ00Anaa27-gOSiSG5LPf1D3i_kE_Zjuju3YjnK9GhJTR1RctPb9l7vLrCV_p8ZYoJxh5c/s320/Galbraiths+Alehouse+Bar.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The interior of the building today,<br />
including reading matter.</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b>A Grim and Forbidding Reminder? </b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">He would no doubt have disagreed with Colgan, who writes that halfway through its library life, in the mid-1950s, the Grafton branch was “a grim and forbidding reminder of what library buildings looked like in the early 20th century”. But certainly its use quietly declined over the years. By 1990 when the Auckland City Council rubber-stamped the last of several proposals for its closure, it was open just two days a week. </span><br />
<br />
The end of Grafton’s library appears unrelated to the sort of recessionary cost-cutting we see with public libraries around the world today. Nor does it have much to do with the much-discussed end of books, reading, the world as we know it, etc. The neighbourhood simply changed. <br />
<br />
<b>Greater Auckland’s Circulation System </b><br />
This “Upper Symonds Street Historic Area”, <a href="http://www.historic.org.nz/TheRegister/RegisterSearch/RegisterResults.aspx?RID=7367&m=advanced"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">as categorised by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust</span></a>, evolved from residential to retail/commercial between the 1880s and 1930s, then went into decline, says the trust. It followed a pattern seen in parts of several major centres: <br />
– horse-drawn and then electric trams are introduced (turn of the century); <br />
– trams disappear and fewer people come into the area; <br />
– those remaining have “a strong local identity” but are “a small community battling for survival on the outskirts of the central business district”. <br />
<br />
Here the neighbourhood includes the variously intersecting parts of New North, Mt Eden, Khyber Pass and Newton roads. Standing at the top of Symonds St, I think how road widening and the motorways snaking nearby must have further reduced, divided, even choked that community to boost greater Auckland’s circulation system from the 1960s on. A glance at a map will remind you that some of the city’s most complex arterial routes have been constructed there. </span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyuGzMqYf_aJbrlyoOKUyXuvAAXCTriZwzDsfEBGwQFmq_nRLXiiANwRhP1d68848sRdeWpZJvNjFrA9I85rV-MQusG0tlC_vdOXFSCz8xNm9ZKjgmFiumv9tFooHfijLDX6wcdmyNqM/s1600/Old+Grafton+Library.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyuGzMqYf_aJbrlyoOKUyXuvAAXCTriZwzDsfEBGwQFmq_nRLXiiANwRhP1d68848sRdeWpZJvNjFrA9I85rV-MQusG0tlC_vdOXFSCz8xNm9ZKjgmFiumv9tFooHfijLDX6wcdmyNqM/s200/Old+Grafton+Library.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Galbraith’s Alehouse, 2 Mt Eden Rd. <br />
Photo: Laurie MacFayden.</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><b style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">How Books and Beer Compar<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">e</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Despite everything, the building at 2 Mt Eden Rd looks like a winner. The Palais de Danse was short-lived, but the <a href="http://www.alehouse.co.nz/"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Galbraith’s Alehouse</span></a> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">that replaced it in 1995 stands strong, and I don’t just mean with its 8.7 per cent Resurrection Ale. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Admittedly there’s less to read than in a library but they have newspapers available, and extensive beer and wine lists to peruse. I like to think drinking good beer offers something similar to reading some really good books, anyway: complexity, balance, sensory satiation, insight, goodwill...</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">It’s incredible how well this gracious building has adapted to hostelry. I want to describe Galbraith’s as an English pub, but writer <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/peter-calder/news/article.cfm?a_id=37&objectid=10711132">Peter Calder may have a point</a> when he claims it’s nothing of the kind. “Most English pubs have beeping, flashing pokies; many have a bass-heavy techno-funk soundtrack designed to entertain profusely pierced bar staff and make conversation painful if not impossible; few English pubs have real ale now.”</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZ383ozAf4nIF1m-xR_-NonrQLo27g-vi52JFgHkC_mlOIIw_kuCtdg5YFjs4ujjkmB8Qbm9fsM_olDyunvFoHaiCgnqhcWZcyycVBNW9vUCKtB19B3xMkwO-imKuWxjfD1ggZ-vOr34/s1600/Emersons+Bookbinder+Ale.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZ383ozAf4nIF1m-xR_-NonrQLo27g-vi52JFgHkC_mlOIIw_kuCtdg5YFjs4ujjkmB8Qbm9fsM_olDyunvFoHaiCgnqhcWZcyycVBNW9vUCKtB19B3xMkwO-imKuWxjfD1ggZ-vOr34/s200/Emersons+Bookbinder+Ale.jpg" width="138" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Emerson’s Bookbinder Ale.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">At Galbraith’s, he points out, “nothing competes with the burbling chatter of deeply contented patrons”. That’s true, although if you’re after a quiet pint or a meal out with friends, daytime is preferable. Voices increase in volume once the evening arrives. <br />
<br />
In honour of the building’s bibliophilic history, the beer I sampled and enjoyed on my recent visit was not one of the alehouse’s own but an <a href="http://www.emersons.co.nz/">Emerson’s</a> Bookbinder Bitter from Dunedin. My companion drank a favourite dark, Galbraith’s Grafton Porter. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Getting a Good Feed </b><br />
To complement the beer, Carol ordered Sunday Roast Leg of Lamb with All the Trimmings. My choice was Pumpkin and Chestnut Ravioli with Buttered Winter Greens, Confit of Pearl Onions, Smoked Garlic and Sage Butter, Parmesan Crisp. Though in the ‘lighter’ section of the menu, this was robust and sizeable. It was also delicious. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOLEbqlc3hITdKdYnEqdmF3MkwckA4VoRAMmfnTaM5NKvANsoq_ezB7KwA6oFkCBmKaiJAtFLyCa3wBfYhuk87JpVfFr52b_UMVWb-1JH9qqEM6wVEhylJHjRy7sbabtymsf4ErV1Kc0/s1600/Galbraiths+Roast+Lamb.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOLEbqlc3hITdKdYnEqdmF3MkwckA4VoRAMmfnTaM5NKvANsoq_ezB7KwA6oFkCBmKaiJAtFLyCa3wBfYhuk87JpVfFr52b_UMVWb-1JH9qqEM6wVEhylJHjRy7sbabtymsf4ErV1Kc0/s200/Galbraiths+Roast+Lamb.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sunday Roast at Galbraith’s, <br />
and (below) a setting for one.</span> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As my meal suggests, they do ‘do’ vegetarian here, though with such meaty fare as “Chips Cooked in Beef Dripping” on offer, I’m not the key market. The chef is English: Carol said the superb quality of her Yorkshire puddin’s made that indisputable. I’ve had fair-to-middling meals there before as well as excellent ones. As I’ve experienced both parts of the spectrum with the same menu items, perhaps it depends who’s on duty. </span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0KHG44CtXXoddIfFLu6eY6XSO_TZ_RFWXtM8jHCDi9-Zsl2DR5o-cLa6mlGxCxzLUogc2hQzq8gH9cfESek3ENLwefPlI0ZgdUNsDifKWOCvJM4e-1XrgzjdTyQ4Q3ndgo6drCBR0w0/s1600/Mt+Eden+Meal.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0KHG44CtXXoddIfFLu6eY6XSO_TZ_RFWXtM8jHCDi9-Zsl2DR5o-cLa6mlGxCxzLUogc2hQzq8gH9cfESek3ENLwefPlI0ZgdUNsDifKWOCvJM4e-1XrgzjdTyQ4Q3ndgo6drCBR0w0/s200/Mt+Eden+Meal.jpg" width="149" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In the Neighbourhood Now </b><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Within cooee of the alehouse are a few other eateries and watering holes plus the specialty food, kitchen and dinnerware businesses </span><a href="http://www.sabato.co.nz/" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sabato</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, the </span><a href="http://www.worldofcutlery.net/cms/index.php/hokes/" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">House of Knives</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, the </span><a href="http://www.thestudio.co.nz/" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Studio of Tableware</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">. (The nearest public libraries are Central and Parnell, but the Mount Eden Village down the road has a </span><a href="http://www.timeout.co.nz/" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">good bookshop</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">.) </span><br />
<br />
One of the local watering holes is <a href="http://www.cardronaspeightsalehouse.co.nz/">made up to look like the famous old pub at Cardrona</a>, near Wanaka. It’s a Speight’s Ale House, and is it really Cardrona that inspired it? If the Speight’s Ale Houses and Mac’s Brewbars around New Zealand are the two brewery giants’ versions of the Galbraith’s experience, I suspect they’re watered down. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Galbraith’s prides itself on its English-style cask-conditioned ales, made with imported hops and barley. Compared with the ice-cold liquid many Kiwis grew up with, they’re what</span><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1001787" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> my favourite Asterix book</a> calls “warm beer” — and full of flavour. </span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6ZEunhT32VA8knFVqECRJa0A8cMYgRg8LW3U6HhG3UVgKwV1e_lPmGw28kyxP3IoCVLDJe6Yv03S0mJ1erswdeYp30DVTVMHDK2_uXhNRZzCZq1QuP0JLivf6d5_ry_yA_eX_G2lSqI/s1600/Galbraiths+Grafton.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6ZEunhT32VA8knFVqECRJa0A8cMYgRg8LW3U6HhG3UVgKwV1e_lPmGw28kyxP3IoCVLDJe6Yv03S0mJ1erswdeYp30DVTVMHDK2_uXhNRZzCZq1QuP0JLivf6d5_ry_yA_eX_G2lSqI/s320/Galbraiths+Grafton.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The way inn — to a meat-eater’s heaven.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">As you enter the alehouse you can see the large room where they’re made. Last Sunday brewer Ian Ramsay, a man of about 60, let me in and was amused to hear of my <a href="http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2011/01/first-post.html">blog project</a>: it turns out that he used to visit this place as a boy of five — when it was a library, mind. <br />
<i><br />
* The Auckland Public Library opened in 1880. Ponsonby’s library opened earlier than Grafton’s, but Leys Institute (as it was and is) was not a city council initiative. </i></span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKjQ5xnWe2UTZmV9CiPb9ybUq0sOW6DkFeEG8h4W0Xespap6MkqI24TPWUs1nxxx_v377BthTXoduLqcDxqhfF2HWKPI2r-7EB-IpW4VATmru4-OnpuDi-CT5Ug3IlRCT-b0CrQMwRBc/s1600/Galbraiths+Fireplace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKjQ5xnWe2UTZmV9CiPb9ybUq0sOW6DkFeEG8h4W0Xespap6MkqI24TPWUs1nxxx_v377BthTXoduLqcDxqhfF2HWKPI2r-7EB-IpW4VATmru4-OnpuDi-CT5Ug3IlRCT-b0CrQMwRBc/s200/Galbraiths+Fireplace.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Warm welcome.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-69550615131921814192011-05-09T10:02:00.005+12:002011-05-14T10:00:52.536+12:00Along the Great South Road<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1422700">Ed Hillary</a> had stuck with beekeeping in Papakura, would he have made an impression in what was then a southern outpost of Auckland? Who knows? As it happens he went on to bigger things, such as Mount Everest, and in Papakura they think the world of him. He’s esteemed elsewhere, but this town-meets-country district claims him and names things after him, because it’s where he spent the childhood years that people describe as formative. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ArFp8HPLnCtJ7CpC7eId2GljjSKbr1YyeuS95GDUKkEUuxhSqatj1cJt_6Ebf81x2pBNzEL5vsxyoOKn1X1GK5vbPRlQ6OpEBGWPXcJTEt6RjQGKz7YsbOxZjKSA8BVCO8MMJe0-vcc/s1600/Summa+Pete+2.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ArFp8HPLnCtJ7CpC7eId2GljjSKbr1YyeuS95GDUKkEUuxhSqatj1cJt_6Ebf81x2pBNzEL5vsxyoOKn1X1GK5vbPRlQ6OpEBGWPXcJTEt6RjQGKz7YsbOxZjKSA8BVCO8MMJe0-vcc/s200/Summa+Pete+2.png" width="171" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">“Seek the Highest”, <br />
says Summa Pete.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hillary didn’t attend </span><a href="http://www.papakurahigh.school.nz/" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Papakura High School</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> — it opened in 1954, after he was first up the mountain — but it gives a nod to his conquests. The crest has pointy protuberances approximating snowy peaks, and the motto exhorts all to “SEEK THE HIGHEST”... in Latin, which provides the vocabulary essential for pedagogical pomp, GPs’ prescriptions and ecclesiastical accessories. That nearly dead language can bring a sense of gravitas, though to me Papakura’s “SUMMA PETE” brings to mind a sun-loving, bejandalled, txting teen who can’t wait to get out of Hicksville. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> <br />
It isn’t fair. Papakura isn’t Hicksville. All the same, I wonder if summa Pete, that restless fella, can be found in the genetic or psychological make-up of famous Kiwis who hail from there (the four I could identify, anyway). And it seems unlikely any would have stood out when they started... except that Hillary was tall. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-j3p3A_nG1PLjcKKmXcfx1oc1fsrEgISa_RVjE3BIjsFpBgVCQDZfxeQRQqP0zw7EflvgwlEmHLGsQ2zqBPFi6X-m4PGGEkafLtimrseQiVQFWuHztqqbOeRfTE7n43jlw07rXWGB38/s1600/Papakura+Pie.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-j3p3A_nG1PLjcKKmXcfx1oc1fsrEgISa_RVjE3BIjsFpBgVCQDZfxeQRQqP0zw7EflvgwlEmHLGsQ2zqBPFi6X-m4PGGEkafLtimrseQiVQFWuHztqqbOeRfTE7n43jlw07rXWGB38/s200/Papakura+Pie.jpg" width="148" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The price of happiness: <br />
pies for sale in Great South <br />
Road, Papakura.</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Justine Troy and Geoff Ross, now known for the international vodka brand 42 Below, were a prefect and a deputy head boy at Papakura High. Did their mums, both foundation pupils, have an inkling <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2480118">where they’d go and what they’d do</a>? And who had heard of Keisha Castle-Hughes before she starred in <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2035132"><i>Whale Rider</i></a>? (It’s cheating just a little to include her: her student days at Rosehill College came later.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> <br />
<b>Leaving a Legacy </b><br />
Papakura is quite small. (The district, pre-Supercity, covered 126 square kilometres. Franklin, to the south, covered 2109.) But its council seems to have spent up large in its last months. The public library has been open at its current location since October 2010, just before amalgamation, and its move there was among the council’s “legacy” projects, notes the <a href="http://www.papakura.govt.nz/archive/districtnews.htm"><i>Papakura District News</i></a> (Sept 2010). <br />
<br />
It appears that while some other councils marked the end of their tenure by holding big parties, or by commissioning and publishing big books about themselves, Papakura District was investing in its library, museum, theatre and art gallery. It could have done worse. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJvG5hUUSq38aLmc0t2wGTv-MDYEOLcw4CB9llwaLmpfnUuSUFwOijXJyU_AwIhyphenhyphenZkbkPCwRWpDwaG7H-cSlnNyNVAvls_kQWNKe_aWE_f8lkQtORG1pqpn1QqO2etJP4-v6Arqhmtco/s1600/Papakura+Library+Street.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJvG5hUUSq38aLmc0t2wGTv-MDYEOLcw4CB9llwaLmpfnUuSUFwOijXJyU_AwIhyphenhyphenZkbkPCwRWpDwaG7H-cSlnNyNVAvls_kQWNKe_aWE_f8lkQtORG1pqpn1QqO2etJP4-v6Arqhmtco/s200/Papakura+Library+Street.jpg" width="141" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The way in: library and museum<br />
entrance in Great South Road.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Sir Edmund Hillary Library (there he is: you see?) is in the same building as before, but together with the museum it’s descended one storey — to street level. So between shops in Great South Road, a glass-fronted entrance announces the library and museum at 209, and that’s where Carol and I went in. That day, a sandwich board advertised the café inside, bringing to a happy conclusion our negotiations about whether to recaffeinate before or after the library visit. </div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> <br />
<b>Light and Air </b><br />
There’s a pleasant walk up, on a manageable slope (there’s also a lift straight up from the undercover carpark that’s entered from East Street). Here the design, including stunning murals by <a href="http://iwiart.co.nz/artists.php?artist=2">Desna Whaanga-Schollum</a>, is “inspired by the natural environment and important geographical sites of Papakura — Pukekiwiriki Pa [Red Hill] in the east and the Pahurehure Inlet and the Manukau Harbour in the west”, says the sign. In this entrance area and plaza, and the library itself, detailing in unstained pine accentuates a sense of light and air, as do wall-length windows. <br />
<br />
The Esquires Coffee House in the plaza has limited hours, according to <a href="http://aucklandlibrariessupertour.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/papakura-library/">my fellow library tourist</a>. It was open the Saturday that Carol and I bowled up, and offered great views of comings and goings. As we sipped our ginormous lattes, numerous people went in and out of the library, many of them parents and children. This tallied with the former council’s description of its community as having proportionately more young families than other parts of New Zealand. Fewer people entered the museum — a shame, as from the outside it looked well set up. </span><br />
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<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The book-return slot at the Sir Edmund <br />
Hillary Library, and an important family ritual.</span></td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">The library feels spacious. Just inside is a semi-enclosed magazine area whose tables offer space for spreading out, and after that on the left is a large children’s and young adult section. It’s great to have this so visible and accessible, rather than at the far end of the library, and when we strolled by, a couple of Maori mums were reading with their toddlers. </span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> <br />
Walk straight towards the back wall, and you’ll find the reference and Maori sections in another semi-enclosed space. I had a little difficulty telling what was where, eventually realising that the timber framework over part of the area embraces the Maori books and suggests a wharenui, the meeting house at a marae. </span><b> </b><br />
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<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Space to spread out, as seen <br />
through a wall-high window.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Help: I Need Somebody </b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Back near the entrance, at a small cluster of one-person ‘stations’ (and a staff desk large enough for one to work at), we can look for someone to help us or to answer a question. The smallness and subtlety of this compared with the rest of the facilities encourages the feeling that the library is for us to use rather than something to which only librarians can give access.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">By design, this library gives the impression of delivering everything directly to the public. But did the designers go too far? That area for interaction with the professionals is unsignposted, looks like a self-service space. Lack of an obvious help desk can reinforce an illusion that the library is meant to run itself, making things harder for people who don’t have the knowledge they need or want. </span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> <br />
Those funky little ‘stations’ remind me of a similar feature at the East Coast Bays library. There, it seems that designers attempting to create non-intimidatory ‘interfaces’ for staff and patrons have imported white elephants</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> instead</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">. People wanting help gravitate towards a large, clearly delineated counter. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGWCDPR7YFhCfGcpm6dL0PAvhU9NMqDXIz76grRnwpU9lCKfJ-NcuhYP2YxW48LD5NxVtKMIzyFAnzML3yV8o6cTuhow1-Si4imk0qb76bFNtvDVQWXqZkm9pwZOKI43hoR4Po3ZYWaJ8/s1600/Papakura+Village+Green.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGWCDPR7YFhCfGcpm6dL0PAvhU9NMqDXIz76grRnwpU9lCKfJ-NcuhYP2YxW48LD5NxVtKMIzyFAnzML3yV8o6cTuhow1-Si4imk0qb76bFNtvDVQWXqZkm9pwZOKI43hoR4Po3ZYWaJ8/s320/Papakura+Village+Green.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A street-side mural contrasts old Papakura with the new.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><b>The Bishop, Bullock Wagons and Broadway</b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">The town around the Papakura library and museum is worth a wander, and I was surprised to discover the old parts. One of the best is on the corner of Great South Road and Queen Street. “That’s a Selwyn church,” I exclaimed, as we drove past and my long-dormant architectural memory stirred.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yes, it is: one of many commissioned and inspired by George Augustus Selwyn, <a href="http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/selwyn-george-augustus/1">“the missionary bishop <i>par excellence</i>”</a> who travelled New Zealand from the 1840s to the 1860s, frequently on foot. Opened in 1863 and with sympathetic additions since, Christ Church in Papakura retains the steep gables that are a Selwyn signature, though often architect Frederick Thatcher was the designer.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1408327"><i>The Selwyn Churches of Auckland</i></a> lists this as one of the “Late Examples” of Selwyn churches “in the Frontier Towns”. Initially the journey from Auckland to Papakura could take two days’ hard slog by bullock wagon, author CR Knight reminds us, though the road was upgraded for military transit during the land wars. </div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Downtown Papakura seems to have had mixed fortunes. There’s more than one shopping street, and one called Broadway — complete with Broadway Buildings (1922 ) — marks this as a town with ambitions, possibly theatrical. Given its distance from New York, this is as Off Broadway as can be. The <a href="http://www.johnwalkermusic.co.nz/ptc.html">Papakura Theatre Company</a> gets the joke; its nearby HQ is “the Off Broadway Theatre”.</span><b> </b> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> <br />
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<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Two-dollar-shop flowers, <br />
adding splashes of colour.<br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Some premises are empty, with “To Lease” signs in the windows. As with many hard-up suburban centres, two-dollar shops have found a niche. One business that’s booming is the Red Cross Shop, with </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">colour-coordinated racks of good-quality clothing in the window. This is </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">in prime position on the corner of Great South and Queen, opposite the church. <br />
<br />
<b>A Local Living Treasure </b><br />
No weekend excursion is complete without a walk in the park, and <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2300513"><i>The Field Guide to Auckland</i></a> recommends the 5.5 hectare Kirks Bush as “Papakura’s Living Treasure”. It’s just south of the town centre, and even viewed from the outside, this forest remnant is impressive. I hadn’t previously been aware of taraire and pukatea trees, two of the park’s mainstays, and walking between their 20-metre trunks I found them majestic, somewhat primaeval. <br />
<br />
Some people have expressed their appreciation by <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/619821">tagging the trees</a> and defacing the signs that identify them. This place has been a park since 1926, maintained at various times by a paid custodian and teams of volunteers. The destruction must have broken their hearts more than once. <br />
<br />
Still, we loved Kirk’s Bush. I like to think that if more people spend ‘quality time’ in our public places, be they libraries or reserves, vandalism will be vanquished and our community enhanced. </span><br />
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<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Many happy returns: In a mural by Desna Whaanga-Schollum, <br />
local resident John Dory makes for the library’s returns slot.</span></td></tr>
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</span>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422917906348325042.post-39296980344206383942011-04-23T10:09:00.009+12:002011-04-25T12:20:40.627+12:00Return Ticket to Glen Eden<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NV35UDzpLgZJtPxVJniNp73-dY5O_yqBeOHja85JE25sTaUqSh7wCINN8FymrpQ7Xtx0opJn2bwW7nZuiGkXZMakVejnjJFdoeqL_925sEIKLqL3j8oHGJ3z9yJTFyFOluxWLNXu6JE/s1600/Glen+Eden+Library.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NV35UDzpLgZJtPxVJniNp73-dY5O_yqBeOHja85JE25sTaUqSh7wCINN8FymrpQ7Xtx0opJn2bwW7nZuiGkXZMakVejnjJFdoeqL_925sEIKLqL3j8oHGJ3z9yJTFyFOluxWLNXu6JE/s200/Glen+Eden+Library.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Waiting by the library door.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(Photo: Carol Bartlett.) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Mind where you walk when next you enter the Glen Eden library. It’s not that there’s a dog waiting at the door (it’s very well behaved); rather that what’s on the floor is worth noticing: a custom-made carpet whose patterns and colours represent the geological substrata beneath. The carpet follows on from the building’s internal wall, which has similarly subtle, beautiful earth tones. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Though spots comprise one of the patterns, there’s no leopard skin to be seen here. TV’s <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2364573"><i>Outrageous Fortune</i></a> series, made in and of west Auckland, may have bolstered the Westie* stereotype but it’s one this building seems designed to dispute. </span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Architects <a href="http://www.warrenandmahoney.com/">Warren and Mahoney</a>, whose string of awards includes several for libraries, worked with “lead artist” <a href="http://www.johnparker.co.nz/">John Parker</a> — the noted ceramicist and theatre-set designer from Oratia — to create the Glen Eden Public Library in 2004. Incorporating several permanent art installations, it went on to win the Built Environment category in the 2005 Creative Places Awards, presented by Creative New Zealand to recognise local authorities that have enhanced their communities through the arts.<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVeLZzAna1Ov7J7eGyT1eNA9epfA4GQ7Dg4YNfOeAabjRAq3mXFItbSnPXxatf6yeVWgHOVE9j-GykD3rlg7ZcxpqlsA2g5Z8EFuTntGW08HnP-uRN7FyBACT_7OmthOe0RgEICuu-glI/s1600/Library+Arches.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVeLZzAna1Ov7J7eGyT1eNA9epfA4GQ7Dg4YNfOeAabjRAq3mXFItbSnPXxatf6yeVWgHOVE9j-GykD3rlg7ZcxpqlsA2g5Z8EFuTntGW08HnP-uRN7FyBACT_7OmthOe0RgEICuu-glI/s200/Library+Arches.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> Miles of aisles, <br />
with magic carpet.</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table></div><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“Return to Eden”</span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">With the late, great Waitakere City being an avowed eco-city, this library was also a star in its council’s eco-firmament, and the cover story in a 2005 publication that the council co-produced. (Auckland Libraries appear not to possess ‘Sustainable Buildings in the Auckland Region’ but you may be able to find it <a href="http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:2k0z-QXUnl0J:www.sustainableauckland.govt.nz/download/Sustainable%2520Buildings%2520in%2520the%2520Auckland%2520Region.pdf+%22sustainable+buildings%22+%22auckland+region%22&hl=en&gl=nz&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShlrfj0yKosrhX7204Y_X0S4e_5-DkNBTrnVWm5CGHW_qZa7UnnSNTdbDMayjjSxwe-UvPZJoaYnNfuL0VAqksEafeFZxHYJGDl2cb_8eolHxo_ypA5bEqmPO_Xo3CfFk_PoPle&sig=AHIEtbRs303ZL3_bdns2631O1cF6KBMYGA">online</a>, through Google docs.) Under the heading “Return to Eden”, the building is described as: </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">incorporating passive ventilation and cooling systems, passive solar heating, optimised natural lighting, energy-efficient lighting and appliance systems, on-site stormwater management systems, timbers sourced from sustainably managed forest resources, and building materials selected for their longevity. </span></i><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’m not sure even the Almighty had things that well planned when he created the universe, but he did have just six days to work with (the seventh was for rest). And no doubt the extensive consultation required by the Waitakere City Council meant that the Glen Eden library took a bit longer. Did God “bring together a range of professionals and stakeholders” for his project? Probably not, as he made them — male and female — just before its completion. With necessity the mother of invention, he was forced to DIY. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <b> </b></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFljqVLnTuuJzE4g-xQnamIbHjCGlKdwvQULMO2qql6gb4Z84Y0xmxEwBFYAyYqrzKZhGUxaeqwu21aKmBuLFHEY2nMDNBte13v9IsKFHe2ZF_gEaNzqPDhyLKfPUFNhbsl1JEkcbTxY/s1600/Glen+Eden+Library+Entrance.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFljqVLnTuuJzE4g-xQnamIbHjCGlKdwvQULMO2qql6gb4Z84Y0xmxEwBFYAyYqrzKZhGUxaeqwu21aKmBuLFHEY2nMDNBte13v9IsKFHe2ZF_gEaNzqPDhyLKfPUFNhbsl1JEkcbTxY/s320/Glen+Eden+Library+Entrance.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Glen Eden Public Library, part of its community. </span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Down to Earth...</b> </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But let’s get back down to earth. It seems apt that this west Auckland public building makes a feature of the ground beneath our feet, as the geology of the area (the ocean included) is special. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7jVYdBBGxVVfj7b8NwzKyET_jCzCGtJ8U9N7xysRzTMew_gD7B-Tl3dnUpGND3TUlD9EOE_RJZ06oHbBblRc3OcAHvpDEtuD6hWcA8UuXl3-XT-DbpNEd7z0JKElpvHN7zQ9KBYpaCI/s1600/Lets+Go+Library.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7jVYdBBGxVVfj7b8NwzKyET_jCzCGtJ8U9N7xysRzTMew_gD7B-Tl3dnUpGND3TUlD9EOE_RJZ06oHbBblRc3OcAHvpDEtuD6hWcA8UuXl3-XT-DbpNEd7z0JKElpvHN7zQ9KBYpaCI/s200/Lets+Go+Library.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Come on!</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not only has it provided soil for Oratia’s orchards and Henderson’s vineyards; it also some time back, in the Miocene era, sprouted the Waitakere volcano — “similar in nature to our modern volcanoes of Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro”, according to geologist Bruce Hayward, but “five or six times the size of all three... combined” (<a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2300513" style="color: #073763;"><i>A Field Guide to Auckland</i></a>). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If few people think of that or of the architects’ “energy-efficient appliance systems” when they enter the building at 12–32 Glendale Road, it’s not the end of the world. There’s plenty more going on in this local library. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">...and Down to Business </span></b><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The catalogue and the book-issue machines are right by the door. Brilliant: borrowers can get straight down to business. There’s no confusing these with the Learning Centre computers, which are down the other end of the building. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Learning Centre coordinator is trained to help with computer and internet use through classes or individual support. As with other libraries, computers are freely available, but at Glen Eden I noted that one is marked for ‘express’ use — a great idea when others are booked up. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">That end of the library is shared with the children’s section (strangely deserted the day of my visit), and a wall-length window best viewed from outside, with sail-like shade cloths. Also outside is the six-metre-tall pou whenua carved from a single piece of kauri, by John Collins and Sunnah Thompson of Te Kawerau A Maki.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OGwdMO5TsIbpfcKchyphenhyphenTgFQ36QR4Zlxe9k-2IImp2Fo-ODy0zU7vQkTynNe9M54YboG1ldDhH6w1pk1RRJqlZ9mBTBqEhzorg6yn__vqjh97g2hSntK0p5SVfoxBdhbdwfoN3Q2ARKow/s1600/Waitakere+Libraries.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OGwdMO5TsIbpfcKchyphenhyphenTgFQ36QR4Zlxe9k-2IImp2Fo-ODy0zU7vQkTynNe9M54YboG1ldDhH6w1pk1RRJqlZ9mBTBqEhzorg6yn__vqjh97g2hSntK0p5SVfoxBdhbdwfoN3Q2ARKow/s320/Waitakere+Libraries.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Pou whenua and flax by the library window.</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Staff are visible, not just out in the library but in their office area too. This not closed off by such an out-moded thing as a door; instead there’s a wide, wall-high opening. Patrons appeared to respect the invisible boundary when I was in the library, though if I worked there, I wouldn’t keep any treasures on my desk.</span></div><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Love Letters in Large Print </span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Large Print section bookshelves, which a friend had urged me to check on, are the first you come to after entering the library, another good idea. Her dad Bert, an avid reader, struggles in some libraries’ Large Print sections — the aisles are too narrow to manoeuvre his walking frame — but at Glen Eden these books get a lengthy outside row, with plenty of space around them. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s the Thursday before ANZAC Day when I visit. Near the issue machines there’s a nod to the solemnity of the event (and consequently to Bert, a returned soldier), in the form of a book display. It may be the only such feature in this building right now, but as with a number of modern libraries, there’s space to display some books face out on the shelves where they naturally reside, and slanting top shelves are completely dedicated to face-out displays. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPsqa3-jOeEpZfMoz_wpbIsEe_hXliK64dR3AZvQ833O__pTAJUlhGd_cpvpW4yCP23pv3p2ejwtSfUYLzbkMj3OprGUKKgLaK1_CJWNrIMG2Cg_eMdpOnn0RJTd0AnKZKGzSn2WKTKA/s1600/Auckland+Library+Books.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPsqa3-jOeEpZfMoz_wpbIsEe_hXliK64dR3AZvQ833O__pTAJUlhGd_cpvpW4yCP23pv3p2ejwtSfUYLzbkMj3OprGUKKgLaK1_CJWNrIMG2Cg_eMdpOnn0RJTd0AnKZKGzSn2WKTKA/s200/Auckland+Library+Books.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">An Obama backlash?</span></td></tr>
</tbody> </table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here at Glen Eden is something rarer: books ‘face out’ on the shelves look as if they’ve been selected rather than put there for convenience. <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1780080"><i>Consider the Leaf</i></a>, on garden foliage, deserves good marks for a clever title and attractive cover. A well-reviewed biography of Barack Obama,<i> <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2498357">The Bridge</a></i>, stands by <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2516180"><i>Madam Lash</i></a>, prompting conjecture about an Obama backlash.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Another intriguing book that faces out is <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2297769"><i>Four-Letter Word: New Love Letters</i></a>, in which fiction writers ranging from Atwood to Le Guin to Zapruder (no, I don’t know who he is either) explore a classic form. If I’m surprised to see this in the large print section, it just shows that residents of Auckland’s west are not the only people subject to stereotyping. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>A One-Time Drive-Through Village?</b> </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Glen Eden used to be a ‘drive through’ village. En route to Piha beach or the Dalmatian-owned orchards, where Mum would buy the best of the season’s apples and pears for stewing and bottling, we’d pass streets named “Fruitvale” and “Westward Ho”, whizzing through Glen Eden on the West Coast Road. It’s worth stopping and spending time there, however. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEwxDShArBz2oPMNAqZuqO6DTPwxV8sQdgI8rh-c-uNqVmun3CINnIKFPEfe45_w_nW0A4QB5h1llVygIIJo1zC3tm-XduBwLxkqJGDaEWpzdv7BuS8Xn4AnUshxh8VtY2b-V19NWVSE/s1600/Glen+Eden+House.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEwxDShArBz2oPMNAqZuqO6DTPwxV8sQdgI8rh-c-uNqVmun3CINnIKFPEfe45_w_nW0A4QB5h1llVygIIJo1zC3tm-XduBwLxkqJGDaEWpzdv7BuS8Xn4AnUshxh8VtY2b-V19NWVSE/s200/Glen+Eden+House.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Within walking distance<br />
of the library.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As well as the library, there’s the enormous, historic Waikumete Cemetery, the subject of a small book written by poet <a href="http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/writers/olearymichael.html">Michael O’Leary</a> while he was employed him by PEP.** Some stories in <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb1741974"><i>Gone West</i></a> may be too good to be true, but it seems verifiable that with the railway and cemetery established, people assumed Waikomiti (as Glen Eden was then called) would thrive: </span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>the Weekly News during 1886 said, “the rites, ceremonies and requirements of the cemetery will be sure to attract fresh residents to the township and so around the city of the dead will arise a new city of the living.” Unfortunately, while the not so fresh residents kept arriving, it was not until after the Great War that any sort of real population and commercial growth occurred.</i> </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The railway station built in 1880 still stands near its original site, though it’s been altered and currently houses a cafe — perhaps not such a different enterprise from<a href="http://www.localhistoryonline.org.nz/cgi-bin/PUI?e=0--------0----------waitak-0-1-0-0-&a=d&c=supercol&cl=CL15.1920s.1927&d=waim-JTD-12A-04590"> the tearooms that were once the station’s neighbour, together with the local library and Buchanan’s stonemasons</a>. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Last Stop in a Long Journey </span></b><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Glen Eden’s station is distinctive in having once been the very last stop for many Aucklanders. Funeral trains had coffin-bearing boxcars marked by white crosses and, according to O’Leary, mourners travelling in ordinary carriages. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqnKIlNfzZ2rANjo5Xn5jPHEilMYVjGxrp-kTa-xrRmLyyZCPP3wfy7W4XlDkeSUmI_Fmp0lOL3eaiaTIZ0ES0ngIIk3bY-WJFxDkbX2M7mlBrVsXEcJ_x4l9w5nhevdXLzHsMSBn03u4/s1600/Glen+Eden+Church.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqnKIlNfzZ2rANjo5Xn5jPHEilMYVjGxrp-kTa-xrRmLyyZCPP3wfy7W4XlDkeSUmI_Fmp0lOL3eaiaTIZ0ES0ngIIk3bY-WJFxDkbX2M7mlBrVsXEcJ_x4l9w5nhevdXLzHsMSBn03u4/s320/Glen+Eden+Church.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">One of Glen Eden’s surprises: the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ). <br />
This Filipino denomination has two congregations in New Zealand.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://timespanner.blogspot.com/2009/07/black-november.html">Timespanner blogger Lisa Truttman writes</a> that from November 13 of 1918, special trains conveyed some of the flu epidemic’s victims from Auckland to Waikumete, stopping first at Mount Eden for another contingent of both mourners and mourned. (Sometimes Waikumete’s dead were buried unmourned, but that’s another story.) </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The stonemasons’ business and the tearooms may have benefited from Glen Eden’s industry of morbidity, but the library? Well, there’s nothing like having a good book to read during a long journey, though at some point in local history the library (rather than the train) moved on. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><b><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /></b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9dRPGBAlRH_QkXF9Zzcm2QXXWTdQd2xSIdAlaf1tnDjajwCmydJd-9TbQ89tHCwjs_USp65Lfhpp5EgSdhXwIvzxBLrx3hED_kygc350VzgJQQgaky2MRJXO6APjHLNMt0UXmuKEAymg/s1600/Playhouse+Theatre.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9dRPGBAlRH_QkXF9Zzcm2QXXWTdQd2xSIdAlaf1tnDjajwCmydJd-9TbQ89tHCwjs_USp65Lfhpp5EgSdhXwIvzxBLrx3hED_kygc350VzgJQQgaky2MRJXO6APjHLNMt0UXmuKEAymg/s200/Playhouse+Theatre.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Playhouse Theatre,<br />
once the town hall and library.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Arts in the Community</b> </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Traces of another former library location can be seen at the Art Deco-style Glen Eden Playhouse Theatre. Built in 1935 as the local town hall, town board offices and library, it still has “PUBLIC LIBRARY” engraved above an external side door. You can peer through the ex-library window into what looks like a single room. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Today’s Glen Eden Public Library is directly across the road from the theatre, and on another corner opposite the library is a book exchange that appears to thrive, large, light and airy. This part of town bordering the Glen Mall shops is a small but perfectly formed arts precinct — with library patrons, in a way, also patrons of the arts. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpVqKWQWGJDuKz6TyNs7UU9asiK9ABXYHYWmTnf_E3wlmKeK39DBcgglSm2IDzw1-V98NSEqZAReeWtbgdByKz4EXbPWmBWrmyv4UfuDfogVGCYtnBG5tibnnZYAKcswYIKUODJe4Rv4/s1600/Glen+Eden+Shops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpVqKWQWGJDuKz6TyNs7UU9asiK9ABXYHYWmTnf_E3wlmKeK39DBcgglSm2IDzw1-V98NSEqZAReeWtbgdByKz4EXbPWmBWrmyv4UfuDfogVGCYtnBG5tibnnZYAKcswYIKUODJe4Rv4/s200/Glen+Eden+Shops.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A mural on the book exchange wall.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">* Westie: “often (derog.) a person from the (north-)western suburbs of Auckland, esp. perceived as being uncultured and uncouth [also attrib.]: westie chick).” </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“westie n.” <i>The New Zealand Oxford Dictionary</i>. Tony Deverson. Oxford University Press 2004. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Auckland City Library. 22 April 2011 <http://0-www.oxfordreference.com.www.elgar.govt.nz/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t186.e60708> </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> ** PEP — “Project Employment Programme (a state-subsidised work scheme)”, according to <a href="http://search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/?itemid=%7Clibrary/marc/supercity-iii%7Cb2518882"><i>The Oxford Dictionary of New Zealandisms</i></a>, a new book that defines approximately 6500</span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Kiwi terms.</span></span>Claire Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17549609289169890919noreply@blogger.com3