Auckland Libraries blog

He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. Central City Library's current exhibition, ‘ Kīnaki: Ngā reta Māori ’, is a collection of ngā reta Māori (Māori letters) handpicked from the Sir George Grey Special Collections by Robert Eruera, Poukōkiri Taonga Tuku Iho Māori | Senior Curator Māori. For the purposes of the exhibition, Kīnaki refers to the small things that we relish and take pleasure from. These letters were chosen in the hope that our interest will be piqued by the morsels on offer. Stretching over 50 years, these letters span an era of time during New Zealand's colonial infancy and illustrate the close relationships between rangatira (chiefs or leaders) and Governor Grey. Almost all the letters are addressed either to Governor Grey or his wife Lady Eliza Lucy Grey, and many of them are surprisingly uncluttered by the kind of formalities that you might expect from letters written to the Governor of New Zealand.  Unknown photograph

The RBdigital eMagazine collection is expanding, bringing you 42 brand new titles in April.  Amongst the collection are internationally recognizable mags such as  Pip Permaculture , The Hollywood Reporter and In the Moment .  RBdigital’s expansion caters to a variety of literary tastes, whether you’re after the latest Vogue UK or a diehard Fishing World fan. Check out the list of new additions below or visit RBdigital to browse the entire collection .  3D Artist APC Australian Country Homes Australian Mountain Bike Australian Photography + Digital Auto Express Autosport Caravan World Chat Classic Bike Classic Rock Climbing Country Life Cross Stitch Crazy Cruising Helmsman Field, The Fishing World Food Heaven HELLO! Fashion Monthly Hollywood Reporter, The Homebuilding & Renovating In The Moment International Traveller Malaysia Tatler Metro Home Metro Society Period Living Pip Permaculture Magazine Practical Photoshop Prog Race Control Rhyt

Karen and Louisa celebrate April Fools' Day with a look at literary hoaxes, from Ossian , an 18th-century Scottish fabrication of a 3rd-century bard, to Go Ask Alice , passed off in the 1970s as the true diary of an off-the-rails teen. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast and read on for the books mentioned in the show. Books and authors mentioned in the show: Ossian’s Fingal 1792 by James Macpherson Go ask Alice by Anonymous The woman in the window by A.J. Finn Forbidden love by Norma Khouri Fragments by Binjamin Wilkomirski Surviving with wolves by Misha Defonseca Go ask Alice by Anonymous Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian How green was my valley by Richard Llewellyn “ Sonnet CX ” by William Shakespeare  Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on Planet FM104.6, Sundays at

Help shape the services and activities our new $21 million Avondale Library and Community Centre will offer, which will, in turn, inform the design process and types of spaces that are available! Whau Local Board Chair, Tracy Mulholland, says that it is important for the Avondale community to have their say. "This facility will be at the heart of the Avondale community, and we want to know how people want to use it. "Over the years the community has told us about the types of things they want to see there, but now is the time to help us build on that feedback with the design process about to begin. "It is really important to us that the connection between the community and this new facility is strong, so we want to hear from as many people as possible during the consultation so that the final facility is well used and enjoyed by everyone." Have your say! Consultation is open now until 26 April and there are a number of ways to contribute your feedback:

Bruce Clarke, Incredible Images, for Urban Hymns, Te Atatu, spring 2018. This week on Books and Beyond, Owen Gill chats with Karen about the ideas in his new book,  Turning Point Auckland: radical policy to prepare Auckland for 2 million people . Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast . Te Atatu, at the time the north-western motorway was under construction, Whites Aviation from the Alexander Turnbull Library Collection . Owen is a public policy advocate who has experience in urban services and regulation in New Zealand and Australia. His change agenda aims to ensure that Auckland, where he was born and lives, will embrace three roles: productive city, city of the Pacific and city enjoyed by its population. Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on Planet FM104.6, Sundays at 9.35pm. Recent shows can be l

This week we celebrate the success of the children’s picture book,  There's a Tui in our Teapot, with its author Dawn McMillan. Dawn's earlier book, I need a new bum , featured in a video of the famous Scottish Granny reading to her grandchild, now seen by millions. The book is a favourite around the world! Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast and read on for the books mentioned in the show. Books by Dawn McMillan: There's a tui in our teapot I need a new bum! Home child: a child migrant in New Zealand Woolly Wally Mister Spears and his hairy ears Doctor Grundy's undies Colour the stars Sea secrets Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on Planet FM104.6, Sundays at 9.35pm. Recent shows can be listened to as podcasts via the Auckland Libraries podcast .

Karen chats with bestselling kiwi author, Catherine Robertson, about her new Gabriel's Bay novel What you wish for  and about what Catherine wishes for her readers - interested and varied characters, topical themes and lots of laughs. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast : Catherine's Gabriel's Bay novels are: Gabriel's Bay What you wish for   Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on Planet FM104.6, Sundays at 9.35pm. Recent shows can be listened to as podcasts via the Auckland Libraries podcast .