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New on the CCL website

Unleash your inner film director and win!

Media release: 3 July 2009

RSS: Just Ordered

All the items ordered over the past week.

RSS: New Non-fiction

All the non-fiction books that arrived over the past week.

RSS: New fiction

All of the fiction that arrived over the past week

Library Charges [updated]

New fees and charges apply from Monday, 20th July 2009.

Children's Laureate

List of Children's Laureates since 1999

New Titles July (arrived in June)

Our newly arrived titles across six genres: fiction, non-fiction, audio and video, childrens, large print and young adults. These items arrived in June.

Linwood Public Library: The Voluntary Years, 1909-1993

Information on the history of the Linwood Public Library: The Voluntary Years, 1909-1993

Rules of the Sydenham Public Library

Booklet listing duties of Officers; Committee and Librarian duties; and circulation rules.

Opawa Public Library carnival

Pamphlet advertising an event to raise funds for stocking and equipping the Opawa Public Library. Contains a short history of the efforts to establish the library, fund raising activities, lists of local people and some local history of the Opawa and Heathcote areas.

The story of the South Island Methodist Orphanage and Children's home, Christchurch

A history of the orphanage and childrens home in Papanui opened in 1914; published after the first twenty years of operation. Includes photographs of the buildings, staff and children.

editions 22nd June, YouTubing the Library competition

YouTubing the Library competition, Visit a marae, explore the seaside suburbs and more in this edition

Unleash your inner film director and win!

Media release: 17 June 2009

Middle-class terrorists: the Baader-Meinhof complex

How did a bunch of middle-class student activists end up in a web of international terror and murder? Stefan Aust, journalist, commentator and former editor of Der Spiegel, has spent his career finding out. He spoke with Richard Liddicoat.

Banks Peninsula Library Services

Media release: 15 June 2009

Consultation with Banks Peninsula residents

Christchurch City Libraries took over the running of the four Banks Peninsula libraries (Akaroa, Diamond Harbour, Little River and Lyttelton) in 2006, introducing an expanded range of library services and resources. Three years on, we want to plan for further service improvements, and the first step of that planning is to ask Banks Peninsula residents: “What would make libraries work really well for you?”

Christos Tsiolkas, Commonwealth Writers' Prize winner

Richard Liddicoat discusses controversy, writing and libraries with Commonwealth Writers’ Prize winner Christos Tsiolkas.

Learning Centres' July Holiday Programmes

We offer a variety of accessible, safe and affordable activities for children during their school holidays. Our programmes run city wide and are aimed at children between the ages of 5 - 15 years.

Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards

Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for excellence in literature for children and young adults grants awards in three categories, picture books, fiction & poetry, and non-fiction. Margaret Mahy was won the Picture Book Award for Bubble Trouble.

New Brighton, New Zealand : Canterbury's playground

Pamphlet advertising the general attractions of New Brighton, published by the New Brighton Publicity Committee and the Canterbury Progress League. Includes local information and history of the area.

The Spur, Sumner: the property of S. Hurst Seager

A pamphlet advertising the auction of the Spur properties designed by Samuel Hurst Seager. Includes floor plans, views of the cottage interiors, and general descriptions of the cottages.

Learning Centres

The Learning Centres website is being incorporated into the Christchurch City Libraries website.

Christchurch Mechanics' Institute Archives

A collection of material relating to the early years of the Christchurch Mechanics' Institute. The Institute was the foundation organisation of the Canterbury Public Library, now known as Christchurch City Libraries.

Sir Julius Vogel awards for NZ science fiction, fantasy and horror

2009 awardees were named and include local author Helen Lowe who won best YA novel and best new talent.

Writing and illustrating for children

New Zealand publishers' requirements and addresses. Prepared by Children's and Young Adult Services. 20th edition for the 150th year out now.

Community to contribute to Libraries' anniversary Maori art project

Media release, 3 June 2009.

LIANZA Awards for New Zealand Children's books

Updated with the 2009 shortlists for the Esther Glen Award, Te Kura Pounamu Medal, Elsie Locke Award and the Russell Clark Award.

Montana New Zealand Book Awards 2009 finalists

Were announced this morning.

KidsFest events

TV2 KidsFest runs over the July school holidays and is New Zealand's biggest annual children's festival. This page lists library events only - go to the kidsfest site for all events.

Libraries offer a full storehouse of activities for Matariki

Media Release: 28 May 2009. The Christchurch City Libraries network is gearing up for its annual Matariki celebrations from June 3. The 20 libraries around the city will offer Matariki-themed storytelling, star craft, star weaving, kapa haka and tukutuku panel weaving to mark the traditional Maori New Year.

Budget 2009 [updated]

The 2009 Budget will be delivered in the House on Thursday, 28 May after 2 pm, by the Minister of Finance, Hon Bill English

Running [updated]

Short information about running in Christchurch and the annual SBS Christchurch Marathon.

NZ Post Book Awards 2009 winners

The best New Zealand books for kids and young adults for 2009 have been announced.

Matariki events calendar

We have a number of events for matariki - the Maori new year in June / Pipiri.

Library customers love their music

Media Release - 18 May 2009

Auckland Writers and Readers Festival 2009 [updated]

Christchurch City Libraries connects you with the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival 2009. In 2009 a team of four will provide coverage from the festival on the library blog. Joyce Fraser, Moata Tamaira, Robyn Stewart and Richard Liddicoat will post from individual sessions and provide an audio wrap-up of each day's activities.

Read the Book - then see the film [updated]

Our guide to up-coming movies that are based on books has been updated with 25 new titles.

Anniversary bonus for Libraries' book sale

As the Christchurch City Libraries celebrates its 150th Anniversary, its annual book sale next week is gearing up to be the biggest ever in its 23 year history. In addition to the 50,000 cancelled stock priced $3.00 and below, the sale is offering over a thousand premium art books at very affordable prices for the first time.

Give 'em a taste of library - a radio show

New Zealand music month celebrations continue at Christchurch City Libraries with the first of two radio programmes - Give 'em a taste of Library - going to air today at 12.30pm on Plains FM96.9. Read more about this programme and get the playlists for each show.

Fiona Pears interview and audio

At the moment she's as likely to be reading wedding magazines as she is composing, but Fiona Pears spoke to Richard Liddicoat about writing and recording her new album, and her love of true crime stories. Listen to two mini-documentaries about the tracks Willow Tree and Harbour Light Magic.

You could win an Apple iPod!

Complete our short New Zealand Music survey and go into the draw to winn an Apple iPod Touch 32GB valued at $659 RRP or a 16GB iPod Nano.

think library, think live, local music

Media Release 30 April 2009

Mexican Swine Influenza [updated]

We've updated our flu backgrounder with new links about this international outbreak.

SFWA Nebula Awards

Award winning science fiction and fantasy updated with 2008 awardees.

New Zealand Book Month survey

Here at Christchurch City Libraries we need you to select your favourite New Zealand book in four different categories. We will use the information to develop our unique library theme and then use it as the inspiration for our library activities during the month of October.

NZ Post Book Awards for Children 2009 finalists

The top five books in New Zealand Junior Fiction, Non-fiction, Picture books and young Adults Fiction have been selected. Check them out now!

NZ Music Month [Updated]

More than 50 performances will take place at libraries next month. Find out about the performers and learn how you can win Apple iPod prizes.

Library staff get artistic with anniversary panels

Media release: 20 April 2009

Library 150 celebrations promotions

Our posters, library cards, t-shirts, bookmarks and other promotional material - in Bibliofile

Canterbury kids rise to Reading Crusade challenge

Media release 7 April 2009

Warren and Mahoney

A brief history and links to more information about this Christchurch firm of architects to support the exhibition at the Christchurch Art Gallery.

Sir Miles Warren

A brief biography and links to more information to support the exhibition at the Christchurch Art Gallery

Kids' bookmark design competition

Design the grooviest bookmark in our competition and we'll produce it and give it away through our libraries.

Special visit to new parents and babies for our anniversary

Christchurch City Libraries will this week highlight its achievement as the first public library in New Zealand to establish a Books for Babies programme by making a special delivery of the popular packs to new parents.

Reading Crusade winners announced

Find out who's in the team of 15 children who will join the Crusaders squad at a special training session. There's also runner-up prizes - find out if you won!

Rita Angus

Rita Angus painted some of New Zealand's most well-known images including Cass, her famous 1936 rendering of a small Canterbury railway station. Discover more about Angus's Christchurch and Canterbury connections in this article.

Hugo Award shortlists announced

Hugo Awards established 1953 as Science Fiction Achievement Awards for the best science fiction writing in several categories. Annual prize of chrome-plated rocket ship model awarded at the World Science Fiction Convention.

Earth Day and Earth Hour

Find out about Earth Day and Earth Hour and how your local actions can help improve the global environmental situation. Earth Hour will take place on 28 March, 2009.

Colin McCahon

Colin McCahon is regarded as a major Australasian modernist painter. His works, especially later works with their scale and striking written texts and numbers (often Biblical texts) have iconic status in New Zealand.

Kaitiakitanga - Art at Bishopdale Library

This piece was created to raise community awareness of the fragile elements of our ecosystem. Kaitiakitanga, meaning guardianship is the name given to the artwork. The role of Kaitiaki is about assuring the sustainability and the long term use of our natural environment & resources. This taonga depicts the circle of life and speaks of kinship of all. It is cyclical in nature reflecting renewal & sustainability and of interconnectedness between the realms of Ranginui & Papatuanuku, Ira tangata humankind, the animal kingdom and the natural environment. It is symbolic of the evolution of life, in which one thing is connected to everything else.

Wigram Air base

After more than 90 years, the Wigram air base closed at the end of February 2009. The base was gifted to the government by Henry Wigram in 1923, used by the Air Force until 1995, was home to the original Lady Wigram Trophy and is remembered by the Air Force Museum.

Commonwealth Writers Prize [updated]

Short list of entries has been announced, with three New Zealand authors included. Paula Morris's Forbidden cities is included in the best book section, while both Mo Zhi Hong (The year of the Shanghai shark) and Bridget Van der Zijpp (Misconduct) have been nominated for the best first book award. Finalists in each of the four regional areas are announced mid-March with the winners announced at the Auckland Readers and Writers Festival in May. All of the finalists are taking part in the festival.

Literature

All our reading recommendations, festival reports, author interviews and literary prizes information can now be found in a new section called Literature.

Reorganisation

As part of the onging development of our website, we're reorganising some of our files. Our aim is to create a flexible and logical site structure to help customers find the information they need now and in the future. At first you will notice little change except that the URLs of some individual pages and groups of pages will change. Please note that this will have no effect whatsoever on our Catalogue which is an entirely separate entity from the website.