We have moved!

You can find our new blog here

Race Relations Day 2008

Each year, 21 March is observed around the world as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The theme this year is "We all sit under the same stars". Because Race Relations Day falls on Good Friday, the official day of celebration will be Tuesday, 18 March.

What's on offer?

There will be activities and displays on at Wellington libraries for the whole week (17 to 20 March). A full schedule of events is available on our kids' Events page - we'll be making earth people, putting on performances and activities and much more!

Questionable culinary creations

In this month's cooking recent picks, explore the cheese ripening caves of Tallegio, the underground cellars of Gorgonzola and the alpine delights of Gruyere; read James Lileks's acerbic, off-the-wall commentary on a remarkable assortment of questionable culinary creations from the golden age of American cookery and ads heralding the latest in kitchen technology (a bacon-egger?); and discover Italian regional cooking, Sardinian-style.

Best of 2007 - DVDs

Continuing our theme of 'best of 2007', on our Movies page you'll find our picks for best DVD releases of 2007.

Best of 2007 - CDs

Yes, it's that time. The time to separate the wheat from the chaff, the good from the bad. Over on our Popular Music page you'll find our picks for the best CDs of the past year.

Sublime Frequencies

A new addition to the library catalogue is 24 CDs from Seattle publisher Sublime Frequencies. These are largely field recordings and radio collages from Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and particularly South East Asia, and capture a slice of culture and history that can never be replicated. Highly recommended for an entertaining and eclectic look at the hidden corners of world music. The CDs are scattered throughout the world collection but can be found by doing a series search on Sublime Frequencies.

Shrunken heads and okapis' tongues

Did you know that the okapi has such a long tongue that it can reach up to lick and clean its own eyes? Animal facts, genetics, elephants, Sir Edmund Hillary and all kinds of stuff to make: just some of the books highlighted in March's Kids Non-Fiction picks.

Out of Reach: the forbidden bookshelf

Events continue at Johnsonville, Karori and Central Library: join Lynne Jackett, Iona McNaughton, Don Long and others after school this week as they read banned books. The Kids' events page has full details.

Out of Reach - the forbidden bookshelf

Wellington City Libraries in partnership with the Wellington branch of the NZ Society of Authors are running a week long programme from Monday 25 February to Friday 29 February that seeks to highlight the occurrence of banning, sanitising and challenging children's books both here and internationally.

Books that have been banned or challenged around the world will be on display at Johnsonville, Karori, Newtown, Kilbirnie and Central libraries. Children attending class visits will be involved in discussions about whether certain books should ever have been banned or restricted in the first place. The main events for the week are a programme of readings from banned or challenged books by well known children's book writers, illustrators and librarians, and a celebrity debate: "Not enough children's books are banned in New Zealand".

Programme details are available on our kids' Events page, along with short biographies of the authors, librarians, Members of Parliament and illustrators involved in the readings and debate.

Wadestown Library to close for upgrading

Wadestown library will be closed from Wednesday 27 February to Saturday 1 March so new mobile shelving can be installed. The shelves will allow more space for library and community events.

While the library is closed, users can return books through the after-hours slot. The Friday story time session will be held at Karori Library at 10.30am. Reserved items can be collected from Cummings Park Library, Ottawa Road, Ngaio.

The Community Co-ordinator's office will be closed, but you can still contact her on 499 1825.

The library will reopen on Monday 3 March at 10am. We apologise for any inconvenience.

For further details please contact: Karl Gaskin or Jill Spackman on 479 2344.

New Zealand's 4th Most Popular Folk Parody Duo

In this month's DVD recent picks you'll find Season One of the Flight of the Conchords TV show; plus, learn how Star Trek and its poster-boy, William Shatner, inspired a generation of scientists in 'How William Shatner Changed the World'. (The original Motorola cell phone, affectionately called "the brick", was inspired by the classic Star Trek communicator...) Also included this month, 'Perfume', 'Becoming Jane', 'Knocked Up', 'The Bourne Ultimatum', 'SherryBaby' and more.

The art of simple food

The art of simple food, kitchen chronicles from an undercover food critic, how to cook everything vegetarian (with vegan options), bistro cooking at home and Italian food - all in our cooking recent picks this month.

Previously,

"Do you know what Jack was doing before he climbed the beanstalk? Or what Jack and Jill were arguing about before they went up the hill? And what happened before that? This book helps you find out what your favourite storybook characters were up to previously - because every story, every person and everything started somewhere!" (Amazon)

'Previously', by Alan Ahlberg is one of our picture book recent picks this month, along with Captain Pugwash, Raymond Briggs's 'Father Christmas', a horde of rascally rodents and some very stubborn mules. Have a look!

Te Ra o Waitangi: Waitangi Day

Celebrate Waitangi Day in Waitangi Park at the Wellington City Libraries Story Tent, featuring a series of marvellous Maui myths that will enthral all ages told by storyteller and writer Moira Wairama.

Telling Times:

12.15 Maui finds his whanau and the Jawbone
12.45 How Maui used the Jawbone
1.15 Maui makes mischief

The Details:

When? Wednesday 6 February 2008

Where? Waitangi Park

Also check out our pathways to Whakapapa research

Extreme pumpkins

Our craft recent picks bring you metal clay jewellery, a full-colour guide to pumpkin carving that's truly frightening, quilted bags and totes and Japanese quilt blocks.

Hedgehog warriors and winged skeletons

This month our science fiction & fantasy recent picks feature apocalyptic worlds of magic and technology. Alien faster-than-light drives with dubious ethical origins, an earth riddled with tunnels that penetrate its depths and send demons boiling up through our subways and basements, alternate realities ruled by powerful, mafia-like families, and magical kingdoms with lyrical names deserted by all but a few residents. "From the Lake of the Dead and the City of Marrow, to the artists who remain behind in a ghost city of spice, here are stories of hedgehog warriors and winged skeletons, loyal leopards and sparrow calligraphers."

Purposeful, Original and Pithy

In our January management recent picks - create a message that stands out with POP, survive a downturn and use best practice to prepare a winning bid or proposal.

Why eating bogeys is good for you...

"Ever wondered why we have tonsils? What's the best way to cure hiccups? And if kangaroos keep babies in their pouches, what happens to all the poo? Mitchell Symons answers all these wacky questions and plenty more in 'Why eating bogeys is good for you... and other crazy facts explained'." Got a weird, wacky or wonderful question? Get it answered in our January kids' non-fiction recent picks.

Boys get anorexia too

In our health recent picks this month read the life stories of six teenagers with Asperger Syndrome and how they feel AS has shaped their lives so far, master the art of running and read Jenny Langley's account of how anorexia affects boys/men too. "A much needed resource for other parents in similar situations."

Library hours - temporary changes

All our libraries will be closed for Wellington Anniversary Day on Monday 21 January 2008. Libraries will resume normal hours on Tuesday 22 January.

Cummings Park Library will be closed for refurbishment from Saturday 26th January to Saturday 2nd February. For more information, see the CPk branch library pages

Sir Edmund Hillary, 1919-2008

In some ways I believe I epitomise the average New Zealander: I have modest abilities, I combine these with a good deal of determination, and I rather like to succeed. -- Sir Edmund Hillary

These very self-effacing and unassuming words embody Sir Edmund Hillary who died today, aged 88. A New Zealand icon, he shot to fame in 1953 with his and climbing partner Tenzing Norgay's ascent of Everest.

Wellington City Libraries has collected a page of resources on Sir Edmund Hillary. These include a link to The Times' 1953 article, Everest Conquered : Hillary And Tensing Reach The Summit, written after the news of his and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay's successful climb spread around the world (to access the article you'll need to log in with your library card number and surname). You'll also find many books and website links about this 20th century New Zealand legend on our Kids' Catalogue.

Churchill and Roosevelt

The war in Sicily and Italy 1943-44, America and the Korean War, the origin of the term 'Iron curtain', the Royal Navy in 1758, Indian England, the Goths and the 4.4 million year-old story of human history (just briefly in 612 pages), are among the subjects of our latest history picks.

Bloodthirsty long-dead forests and manifold minions

Legendary heroes, ancient evils, a poet-sorceror, deadly assassins, dragons, untold destruction and eternal darkness - all in our latest science fiction and fantasy picks. Plus, book two of The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant from Stephen Donaldson, and the next book in Naomi Novik's Temeraire series (imagine the Napoleonic war with an aerial corps of dragons...).

Pirate dinosaurs, boxes that aren't boxes, and the cow that laid an egg

Majorie the cow who laid an egg, Charlie and Lola on a snow day, pirate dinosaurs, a Russian fairytale, a magical box and a girl who's afraid of Santa Claus - see our children's picture book picks for some of our new favourites.

Pirates, blind faith, and songs without words

Amongst our contemporary fiction recent picks this month you'll find: two friends and childhood neighbours facing an unforeseen calamity, a canary yellow Mustang convertible and a treacherous hitchhiker, men at war on the edge of the great southern desert in Mesopotamia in 3157 B.C, and a small-time TV star with a mile-wide ego.