Library Life 435 June 2015

Transcription

LIBRARY
LIFE
Issue 435 • June 2015
One Hell of a Guy: 6
For the Love of Language: 19
Curiously Good Publishing: 30
CONTENTS
ISSN# 1176-8088
12 19
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From the President .
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FAQ: Fabulously Answered Questions .
One Hell of a Guy .
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Pizza Party: Meet the Personalities .
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The Finalists for the LIANZA CBA’s .
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Q&A with Hell Pizza Whangarei . .
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Have you met Ester Glen? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
For the Love of Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Q&A with Te Mihinga Komene .
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Go make something, we need it! .
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Librarians - not just changing lives, but saving them . . . . . . . . 27
Bombastic Scholastic .
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Curiously Good Publishing .
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Telling it like it is .
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Surprised by YA: The life of a new Publisher .
Be that Collision .
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Bee’s Introduction to Book Lists .
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The Latest in Professional Development .
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How to Build an International Professional Network, from home . . . . . . 47
Safely Informed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Regular Features .
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Members who require a version of Library Life suitable for printing will find current and previous
issues on our website at lianza.org.nz/our-work/publications/library-life
News And Updates
DOING IT FOR THE KIDS
With LIANZA’s Children’s
Book Awards around the
corner, this month’s issue
is a journey into Hell, or
maybe that’s just the
sponsor’s name. Really,
it’s a voyage of discovery, a
series of tales which delve
into the lives of the people
behind some of those
stories: the writers and
artists, the publishers and
the people who make it all
happen.
In this edition of Library
Life you can read about
the inspiration behind
David Riley’s books and
how he made his stories
relevant for the kids in
his community. Discover
Gary Paulsen’s very
personal account of how
a librarian altered the
path of his challenging
childhood. Children’s Book
Awards finalist Te Mihinga
Komene discusses the
philosophical significance
of writing in Te Reo Māori
while the whānau behind
Huia publishers explain
their kaupapa and how it
underpins their business.
We have words from
Scholastic and Gecko
Press, and the challenges
they face at the forefront
of publishing New Zealand
children’s literature. And
thanks to LIANZA’s intrepid
Ines Almeida there are
interviews with the people
behind the CBA sponsors,
Hell pizza, granting us
a flavour of life from the
kitchen to the caravan to
the boardroom.
There is plenty to reflect
on terms of professional
development, including
an introduction to the
Aussie-born International
Librarians Network and
details of LIANZA’s online
resources and courses.
And then there’s the
librarians: Lorna Smith,
flicking on her Spotify
playlist to block out
the memories of the
cleaning jobs she once
had and Bee Trudgeon,
a children’s librarian from
Porirua, whose piece on
passionately advocating
and marketing the stories
in our libraries, even the
ones hidden away in
stacks and those sleepily
awaiting their book sale
fate, is a brilliant rallying
call. It is a reminder of
the power of words and
images, and how as
librarians we can use them
to stir the imagination, to
inspire and to connect with
others.
Ngā mihi
Luqman
If you want to contribute to making Library Life the voice of our industry
in Aotearoa, email [email protected] or tweet me: @theluqmanarian
Issue 435 • Library Life • www.lianza.org.nz
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News And Updates
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Hi all
I hope you have had a good month. I want to spend this column reflecting on something which I have been
thinking about lately and I have taken the opportunity to speak about at a couple of recent meetings.
In October last year I attended the South Island Children’s and Young Adult
Librarians Conference in Balclutha. It was a wonderful conference with a
lot of great content, but what really struck me was two presentations, one
which looked at early brain development and one that looked at storytelling.
The sum total of these two sessions left me reflecting on our role in the
development of young children and how engagement with them with things
such as active storytelling is so important.
We all know that libraries engage with families when the children are at a really
young age and acknowledge how important this is for literacy and a culture of
lifelong learning. However, I think we have a long way to go and indeed have
a great potential to embed a more scientific understanding of the importance
of what we do and why it is important. To tell this story in a way that goes
beyond book literacy and to the contribution of libraries to the wellbeing of
society.
I think this is particularly important as the opportunity is there for us to mesh ourselves more fully in the early
childhood ecosystem and build an understanding of the role of libraries wider than just increasing literacy.
There is good scientific literature covering the importance of engagement with children as their brain develops
in the 0-3 years old age range. That this can be incredibly
beneficial both for their lifelong learning and the ability to
reason and engage emotionally. How often do we spend
time reflecting on this and telling this story?
My ambition is for us as a profession to imbed a holistic
understanding of our contribution in this space into our
professional development and the opportunity for those
who wish to, to specialise in this in their training. This is of
course a very multi-disciplinary approach to the work we
do and requires us to both reach out beyond the traditional
library skills and bring these skills into what we call library. In
the coming year I want to continue this discussion from my
position as Immediate Past President of LIANZA and I hope
many of you will be keen to engage in this discussion.
And that brings me nicely to the fact that this is my
last column I write as President. I leave the year more
experienced, more rounded and feeling humbled for having
had the opportunity to lead the association. I am immensely
proud of the work Council has done this year and I look
forward to the coming year and working with Kris in her role
as LIANZA President.
Over and out.
Corin Haines
LIANZA President
Feature Articles
FABULOUSLY ANSWERED QUESTIONS
This month Lorna Smith, a liaison librarian from Christchurch
Polytechnic Institute of Technology, reveals that she likes nothing
better than rolling around naked in the snow after a good library
sauna, but perhaps only when wearing her invisibility cloak.
What’s on the decks?
Fave superpower?
I listen to Spotify pretty much all the time, so a VERY
wide range of tunes. I’m a bit of a rock chick so
you can never go wrong with a bit of Dire Straits,
Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles, Bon Jovi, Meat Loaf,
David Bowie, Foo Fighters, Guns n Roses and music
by Scottish artists such as Deacon Blue, Paolo Nutini,
Wet Wet Wet, KT Tunstall and on and on….
Invisibility. I’d like Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility
please. More for my girls than for me.
Cheese or chocolate?
Oh chocolate all the way! My absolute favourite is
praline.
Why libraries?
I fell into libraries after doing my degree in Art History,
but so, so glad I did. Libraries are amazing in every
way and I am very proud to be in this profession.
The worst job you ever had
I’ve had a few: cleaning a working man’s club at the
weekends (cleaning up after people who have had a
few too many sherbets), cleaning hospitals, working
at a nightclub (again cleaning up after people who
have had too many sherbets!).
Every library should have a…
Sauna. I lived in Finland for four months and had
daily saunas that just make you feel on top of the
world. Of course you need to be naked and have four
feet of snow to roll around in after! The one thing I’d do with lots of money…
Fave gadget/device?
My iPad. Not very exciting, but love it for the size and
the ease of use. I enjoy playing Words with Friends
with family and friends around the world - Mum I will
beat you again!
Buy my sister and brother-in-law a house and a house
for us too. Neither of us are on the ladder yet. When I retire....
Start painting again, go to lots of arts and craft
classes, be a lady who lunches, and always live near
my family.
Fave tipple?
Depends what mood I am in. Normally it’s a nice
Sauvignon Blanc, fruity cider or if I am feeling frisky, a
Martini or two.
Lorna Smith
Liaison Librarian
Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology
Te Mātāpuna o Te Mātauraka
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Feature Articles
ONE HELL OF A GUY: AN INTERVIEW
WITH JASON BUCKLEY
LIANZA and Hell Pizza caused quite a stir when they teamed up in 2014, but we’re half way through the second
year of a successful partnership and the popularity of the Reading Challenge is growing every year. We sat down
with Jason Buckley to talk books and pizza!
What’s your role at Hell Pizza and how long have you worked for the company?
I’ve been the National Marketer for Hell Pizza New Zealand for five years, but before that I owned three Hell
stores, so altogether I’ve been at Hell for over 14 years.
After 14 years of working at Hell, are you still able to eat and appreciate pizza?!
Ha! Yes! I love Hell pizza, but also the ribs, and my wife loves the pastas. Sure, I’m biased but have a look at the
menu, there’s so much to choose from!
Given your controversial branding, how did Hell become the major sponsor for the LIANZA Children’s
Book Awards?
I can see how people initially thought this was a strange partnership between HELL and LIANZA, but when
you look at the amount of community support HELL is involved in every day it’s not so strange after all. We
introduced ourselves to LIANZA after literally over hearing that they needed a sponsor for the book awards! We
love getting in behind kiwi initiatives as we’re a NZ owned and operated company, and decided to throw our
weight behind it. Initially we didn’t know how successful the relationship would turn out to be so it was a risk –
but obviously we’re a risk taking company!
Hataitai School
Feature Articles
and I’m very proud of them. My wife got them reading
from an early age. It’s one of the reasons why I
wanted to get involved with LIANZA – I wanted my
kids to feel cool and proud to walk in a library. Hell
is a cool brand so I thought the two could easily go
together!
What are you currently reading? Do you go to
your local library?!
I’ve just finished the book ‘Who killed Scott Guy?’
and I loved it! I love reading true crime books because
before I read it I was certain who killed Scott, but my
mind has changed as I read the information presented
in the book. I regularly visit the library with my boys.
Paparimu Primary
Are you surprised at the amount of schools that
have taken up the challenge considering your
controversial branding? Do you think there are
fewer detractors this year? Why is that?
In the first year there was definitely some scepticism
around the partnership, because many people
assumed from our previous controversial marketing
that we wouldn’t be taking it seriously. But once the
librarians and public saw the effort we were making
they slowly realised we were genuine and have
been a bit blown away by some of the initiatives we
have launched – especially the very popular reading
challenge. We are not surprised that so many libraries
have taken up the challenge, but we are very happy
with how it’s gone this year, and looking forward to
getting even greater coverage in future.
If you could have any author over for dinner, who
would it be and why?
Linwood Barclay – my wife’s favourite author, I would
surprise her and for dinner we would have my Holy
Duck Pizza with Champagne!
LIANZA isn’t your first charitable work. Can you
tell us a bit about the other initiative Hell Pizza
has been involved in?
Every day our franchisees are involved in local
community support initiatives, so that all adds up to
be a significant effort. But the one thing that comes
to mind for me is our Active in Hell project, where
we have partnered with IHC to provide paid work
experience programmes for young IHC people who
have recently left school. The programme is designed
to give the trainee valuable skills and experience in a
commercial environment so they can hopefully move
on to employment – and also helps them have a
huge amount of fun! It’s been so rewarding to see the
difference these programmes can have on the young
trainee’s lives.
Do you have children of your own and are they
library members? Are they big readers?
Yes, I have three boys and they’re all library members.
They read books every day; it’s something special
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Feature Articles
Do you have a favourite book that has inspired you in your life?
Julia Donaldson , hands down. I have great memories of reading her books to my kids when they were small.
She also uses sign language and writes about deaf children, which I think is important.
What roles have libraries played in your life? Are libraries still relevant?
Libraries play a big part of my life because of my proud relationship with LIANZA and my family who love
reading. Libraries are always going to be relevant because they provide a safe environment for New Zealand
kids.
Why do you think children’s literacy is important?
Literacy will always be an important part of every child’s learning. As well as the obvious important practical skills
reading provides, I think it also fosters their imagination and teaches them a lot that digital technology can’t.
Given the cuts that are happening to the literary world here in NZ, how important is it for you that the
LIANZA CBAs continue? Are awards like this still relevant and why do you think they’re important to
fund?
The LIANZA children’s’ book awards provide recognition for the authors and publishers, which can only have a
positive effect on the children’s book industry in New Zealand. But also the awards provide a vehicle for LIANZA
to promote literacy, so it’s important that we keep the awards going so NZ can maintain a vibrant book industry
and try to get more people than ever reading books.
Otahuhu Library
Feature Articles
PIZZA PARTY: MEET THE PERSONALITIES
BEHIND THE FRANCHISEES
Last year we had a few issues with pizza disk fraud, so we thought if we spread the word about the real-life
people behind the businesses, some people would be less inclined to take advantage of such a generous
initiative. Hell Pizza is giving away 100,000 pizzas all across New Zealand to support our Children’s Book
Awards – and if each pizza costs them $3, well, you do the maths! It’s time to meet the peeps making your
pizzas!
HELL BOTANY, AUCKLAND
Dene Kendall took over Hell Botany on the 18th of
February this year. Her work experience is long and
varied: she’s worked as a chef, sure, but for the
last 15 years she’s been working in IT. Dene calls
herself a “foodie”, and has worked front of house
in the hospitality industry too. When we asked her
how she found herself back in the kitchen she was
happy to have a chat, considering how busy her
new life has been in, er, Hell. Take it away Dene!
interaction with people and the fact that Hell isn’t a
straight-laced company. We can have a bit of fun with
the customer and are free to express our personality
within the Hell structure. Not having to drive into the
city at rush hour is also a bonus.
I think the reading challenge is a great idea. There is
nothing quite like reading a good book. Reading from
a screen just isn’t the same, you don’t get the same
kind of immersion. I’ve had quite a few redemptions
of the wheels and make sure I congratulate the kids.
They’re surprised and very proud of themselves when
I do.
Unfortunately the only reading I’m doing at the
moment is the Hell manual. I am sure, in time, I will be
able to read for pleasure again!”
MASTERTON, WAIRARAPA
“I’ve been a customer of Hell since the Botany store
opened 10 years ago and have followed the company
with great interest (you must admit their marketing
is catchy!). I wanted to make the move back into
hospitality for some time and when the opportunity
arose to purchase the Botany store, I jumped at it.
Hell Masterton opened their doors September 11,
2011, an ominous day if there ever was one. The
business is owned by four people: Manager/Owner
Jason (pictured above, far right), Mitchell, and
shareholder-sisters Phillipa and Janine. All four of
them have known each other for twenty years from
working in the hospitality scene in Wellington.
The friends decided to bring Hell to Masterton
because they wanted to work together again and be
their own bosses. Masterton was in dire need of good
pizza, and the business has been successful over the
last three and half years.
The best part of owning a Hell Pizza, for me, is the
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Feature Articles
Hell Pizza Masteron
When we asked them about the perks of owning a
small business in Masterton, their answers blew us
away:
“Being a small business owner in a small community
that supports locals is really important to us. We’re
always supporting children through ‘player of the
day’, through sponsorships of kids triathlons and
other local events.” And how do they feel about
supporting LIANZA?
“
We love the reading challenge! Anything that
can get imaginations going and increase word
power is empowering.
“We love the reading challenge! Anything that can
get imaginations going and increase word power is
empowering. We have four children between us from
five -12. We’ve been reading to our kids since they
were born and encourage them to read every day.”
HELL STRATHMORE, WELLINGTON
James Morgan-Watt came to own a slice of Hell by
working from the bottom to the top. Here he is in his
own words:
“I worked at Bogarts pizza as a delivery driver and
then made the move to HELL Webb street and
worked for Jason Buckley. I went and lived in Canada
for a year and worked in a pizza joint called Aardvark
Pizza and Sub. On my return to NZ in 2009 I worked
again at Webb St with Jason and then Queenie.
In 2012 I finished up there and took over Hell
Strathmore which I’ve owned for three years.”
“The reading challenge is great. I personally love
reading as do both of my parents. Lots of people,
especially young people, don’t enjoy reading so this
gives both parents and kids a good reason to hit the
library and get some books out. I’m currently reading
‘Catch 22’ by Joseph Heller. After that I’m going to
re-read ‘Slaughterhouse 5’ by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Keep
the satirical WW2 theme going. My favourite book
from my childhood is the Dead mans head series by
the great NZ author Jack Lasenby.”
Feature Articles
Q&A WITH HELL PIZZA WHANGAREI
Adrienne Chubb takes time out of her busy day to answer our
questions about work, life and the Hell Pizza/LIANZA Caravan Tour.
What’s the hardest part of running your own
business?
We find it hard not being able to completely switch
off from work, even when we are home. I even hear
the phone ringing in my dreams sometimes! It can
be really stressful especially when we are short
staffed or have an unexpectedly busy night.
What’s the best part?
We love the flexibility of working our own hours,
making the best damned pizza in town, and we
have a great team of staff. We’re really proud of the
brand and it’s really satisfying hearing our awesome
customer feedback and getting to know our regulars
on a first name basis!
Are you all big readers? Were you readers as
children?
“
We were all massive
readers as kids, and
still are! Jacob
mostly reads nonfiction these days
(he knows so much
we call him google), and Courtney and I frequently
swap books and suggestions. I have a three year old
daughter and going to the library is always a much
anticipated trip and it’s so cool to see the sheer
volume of books on offer.
We were all massive
readers as kids, and
still are!
What’s your favourite kid’s book EVER?
Courtney: the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Jacob: Mrs Windyflax and the Pungapeople by Barry
Crump
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Feature Articles
Adrienne: Wombat Stew!!
Common favourites between the three of us were Enid Blyton & Roald Dahl too.
Are you excited to be participating in the CBAs Reading and Pizza Challenge this year?
Of course, it is great to see a programme aimed at getting young people into reading. It was highly successful
last year and we are excited to see it become even bigger.
Can you tell me anything about the caravan tour?!
Last year, after massive flooding the weekend before the tour we had to detour all over Northland to make it
through to the towns because the roads were all closed, including the State Highway. We ended up taking a
three-hour detour through the Waiapoua Forest towing the caravan just to get through.
The libraries were so happy to see the effort we went through to get
to them and many of the kids collecting their wheels were surprised
we didn’t cancel and this added to the high we received of doing the
tour. We don’t know much about this year’s tour yet, but we can
promise that (on the Northland tour) we hope to visit more towns
and spread the tour out a bit more to cover more ground. It was so
much fun in 2014 we can’t wait to do it again this year!
we hope to visit more towns
and spread the tour out a bit
more to cover more ground.
“
Feature Articles
THE FINALISTS FOR LIANZA CHILDREN’S
AND YOUNG ADULT’S BOOK AWARDS 2015
LIANZA ESTHER GLEN JUNIOR FICTION AWARD:
• Conrad Cooper’s Last Stand by Leonie Agnew – Penguin
• Monkey Boy by Donovan Bixley – Scholastic
• The Volume of Possible Endings (A Tale of Fontania) by
Barbara Else – Gecko
• Trouble in Time by Adele Broadbent – Scholastic
• Letterbox Cat by Paula Green – Scholastic
LIANZA YOUNG ADULT FICTION AWARD:
• Night Vision by Ella West – Allen and Unwin
• I am Rebecca by Fleur Beale – Penguin Random House
• The Red Suitcase by Jill Harris – Makaro Press
• Singing Home the Whale by Mandy Hager – Penguin
Random House
• Recon Team Angel: Vengeance by Brian Falkner – Walker
Books
LIANZA RUSSELL CLARK
ILLUSTRATION AWARD:
• Marmaduke Duck on the Wide Blue Seas by
Sarah Davis – Scholastic
• Jim’s Letters by Jenny Cooper – Penguin Random
House
• Mrs Mo’s Monster by Paul Beavis– Gecko Press
• Have You Seen a Monster? by Raymond McGrath
– Penguin Random House
• So Many Wonderfuls by
Tina Matthews – Walker
Books
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Feature Articles
LIANZA ELSIE LOCKE NON FICTION AWARD:
• The Book of Hat by Harriet Rowland – Makaro
Press
• Maori Art for Kids by Julie Noanoa
and Norm Heke– Potton and Burton
Publishing
• A New Zealand Nature Journal by
Sandra Morris – Walker Books
• Mōtītī Blue and the Oil Spill: A Story
from the Rena Disaster by Debbie
McCauley – Mauao
LIANZA TE KURA POUNAMU (TE REO MĀORI):
• Ngā Kī by Sacha Cotter, Josh Morgan and Kawata
Teepa – Huia
• Hui E! by various authors – Huia
• Tūtewehi by Fred Te Maro – Huia
• Kimihia by Te Mihinga Komene and Scott Pearson –
Huia
• An early Te Reo Reading Book Series by Carolyn Collis
- Summer Rose Books
LIBRARIAN’S CHOICE AWARD:
• The Song of Kauri by Melinda Syzmanik –
Scholastic
• Maori Art for Kids by Julie Noanoa and Norm
Heke– Potton and Burton Publishing
• Monkey Boy by Donovan Bixley – Scholastic
• I am Rebecca by Fleur Beale – Penguin Random
House
• Kimihia by Te Mihinga Komene and Scott Pearson
– Huia
Feature Articles
HAVE YOU MET….ESTHER GLEN?
Working on the Children’s Book Awards is a rewarding experience, and it’s helped me learn about iconic Kiwi
writers who I may not have come across otherwise, like Esther Glen. This phenomenal journalist and children’s
book author and editor had her very own award named after her in 1945. Seventy years later the award is still
given out to honour a distinguished contribution to literature for children aged up to 15 years.
Betty Gilderdale has written Esther Glen’s life story for Teara, which we’ve reproduced here for your reading
pleasure. Settle in, it’s a riveting read!
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Feature Articles
Alice Esther Glen was born in Christchurch on 26
December 1881, the third of twelve children of Robert
Parker Glen, an accountant, and his wife, Alice
Helen White. She grew up in spacious surroundings
in Gloucester Street, Linwood, and exhibited early
literary promise when, at the age of 11, she won a
story competition in the English magazine Little Folks.
After leaving Christchurch Girls’ High School, Esther
(as she was known) helped her elder sister, Helen, to
run a kindergarten before taking an extended holiday
in Australia. While there, she became aware of a
flourishing Australian literature for children, particularly
in the novels of Ethel Turner and Mary Grant
Bruce. The enormous success of Turner’s Seven
little Australians (1894) challenged Glen to provide
similar domestic fiction for New Zealand children –
something conspicuously lacking at the time. The
result was Six little New Zealanders (1917), set on
an imaginary Canterbury sheep station, Kamahi,
owned by three bachelors whose six nephews and
nieces come from Auckland to spend a memorable
summer with
them. The cheerful
juxtaposition of
uncles unused
to children
and children
unaccustomed to
the country makes
for hilarious reading,
and in the lively
narration Glen
moves far from
the didacticism of
earlier children’s
fiction.
conditions. In one of two fantasy stories in Twinkles
on the mountain (1920), fairies wave banners of
peace after the carnage of the First World War. Her
last book, Robin of Maoriland (1929), is for teenaged
readers and chronicles the lives of a poor urban
family in the late 1920s. It is more sentimental and
considerably less humorous than the earlier family
stories.
Her success
in competition
and with Six
little New
Zealanders
prompted Glen
to venture
into the world
of free-lance
journalism,
and she began
sending regular
articles to the
Christchurch
Sun. The editor,
acting on her
suggestion
that something
be done for
children, began
a children’s
section in
1922. By 1925
this had proved so popular that Glen was
appointed to a full-time position as its editor as
well as assisting with the women’s page and
general reporting.
The comedy is
authentically based.
Robert Glen’s
position as an
agent for Dalgety
and Company had
meant frequent
visits to sheep
stations, often accompanied by his children. This
fact, combined with Esther’s own experiences in the
hurly-burly of a large family and her keen eye and
ear for detail, ensured that Six little New Zealanders
and its sequel, Uncles three at Kamahi (1926), are as
readable today as when they were written.
The energetic, slightly built young woman
became ‘Lady Gay’, and her chaotic office
was filled not only with children’s stories
and art work, but also with the products of
their hobbies, and even their pets. To many
Christchurch children, the office became almost
a home. However, Glen was acutely aware of
the isolation of many country children, and her
first remedy was to organise pen-friends for
them, to encourage them to become ‘citizens of the
world’. The next was to set up a network of clubs
throughout Canterbury and Westland, where children
could meet to make friends, develop their interests
and hobbies, and gain confidence through taking
turns to entertain and to speak on various subjects.
The lightness of touch and deftness of construction
that mark these two books is less evident in her two
other published works for children. Both are more
didactic and more concerned with prevailing social
As the depression years of the 1930s began to take
their toll, the clubs became increasingly involved in
alleviating hardship. Children learnt to knit and sew for
the needy, and at Christmas time Glen set into
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motion an enormous pudding-making enterprise.
The puddings were stirred in the Sun offices by as
many children as possible and cooked on the stoves
of the neighbouring Christchurch Gas, Coal and
Coke Company. In 1939 the children provided 120
puddings and 130 gift parcels for the poor. This was a
triumph for the organisational abilities of ‘Lady Gay’.
Committee was to persuade the city council to
provide appropriate accommodation for single
women, and she was instrumental in setting up the
Christchurch Home Service Association as well as the
Cholmondeley Memorial Children’s Home.
Esther Glen died on 9 February 1940 at Christchurch.
At her best, she was undoubtedly one of New
Club children were also brought in as actors
in several pantomimes devised by Glen in
association with Georgina Mackay, and as
advisers and critics for Glen’s pioneering radio
work. She wrote broadcasting versions of the
classics for children and scripts for some of the
earliest junior radio plays.
Glen was part of a close and lively literary circle
in Christchurch, meeting frequently with Edith
Howes, Eileen Soper, Mona Tracy, Jessie Mackay
and H. C. D. Somerset, and joining in their bridge
parties. She developed a keen interest in New
Zealand history and also enjoyed more vigorous
pursuits. Her love of tramping took her into
remote country
and furnished
her with material
for the Sun. She
grew particularly
fond of Banks
Peninsula, and
wrote a series
of articles about
the early settler
families. She was
the only woman
journalist included
in the short list of
the New Zealand
Journalists’
Association
competition in
1934.
In 1935 the Sun
closed down
and Glen was
transferred to the Press. Here, she was given two
children’s supplements, the Gay Gazette and the
Press Junior; Joan Mayo continued to be her regular
illustrator.
Esther Glen never married but her love of children
inspired her work. Increasingly, however, she was
drawn into social service for adults. Her contribution
to the Christchurch Women’s Unemployment
Zealand’s finest writers for children. She has
been commemorated since 1945 by the
Esther Glen Award, which is given by the New
Zealand Library Association for only ‘the most
distinguished’ contributions to New Zealand
literature for children.
Betty Gilderdale. ‘Glen, Alice Esther’, from the
Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara
- the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 1-Oct2013
‘Licensed by Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and
Heritage for re-use under the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand
Licence.’
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LIST OF RECIPIENTS:
• 1945: Stella Morice, The Book of Wiremu
• 1947: A. W. Reed, Myths and Legends of
Maoriland
• 1950: Joan Smith, The Adventures of Nimble,
Rumble and Tumble
• 1959: Maurice Duggan, Falter Tom and the
Water Boy
• 1964: Lesley C. Powell, Turi, The Story of a
Little Boy
• 1970: Margaret Mahy, A Lion in the Meadow
• 1973: Margaret Mahy, The First Margaret
Mahy Story Book
• 1975: Eve Sutton and Lynley Dodd, My Cat
Likes to Hide in Boxes
• 1978: Ronda Armitage, The Lighthouse
Keeper’s Lunch
• 1979: Joan de Hamel, Take the Long Path
• 1981: Katherine O’Brien, The Year of the
Yelvertons
• 1982: Margaret Mahy, The Haunting
• 1983: Anne de Roo, Jacky Nobody
• 1984: Caroline Macdonald, Elephant Rock
• 1985: Margaret Mahy, The Changeover
• 1986: Maurice Gee, Motherstone
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1988: Tessa Duder, Alex
1989: Jack Lasenby, The Mangrove Summer
1990: Tessa Duder, Alex in Winter
1991: William Taylor, Agnes the Sheep
1992: Tessa Duder, Alessandra: Alex in Rome
1993: Margaret Mahy, Underrunners
1994: Paula Boock, Sasscat to Win
1995: Maurice Gee, The Fat Man
1996: Janice Marriott, Crossroads
1997: Kate De Goldi, Sanctuary
1998: David Hill, Fat, four-eyed and useless
2001: Margaret Mahy, 24 Hours
2002: Alison Robertson, Knocked by six
2003: David Hill, Right where it hurts
2004: Ken Catran, Jacko Moran, sniper
2005: Bernard Beckett, Malcolm and Juliet
2006: Elizabeth Knox, Dreamhunter
2007: Bernard Beckett, Genesis: A Novel
2008: Mandy Hager, Smashed
2009: Fleur Beale, Juno of Taris
2010: Richard Newsome, The Billionaire’s
Curse
• 2011: Diana Menefy, Shadow of the Boyd
• 2012: Barbara Else, The travelling restaurant
• 2013: Rachael King, Red Rocks
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FOR THE LOVE OF LANGUAGE:
HUIA PUBLISHERS
You can’t be a reader of great books in Aotearoa
and not know of HUIA Publishers. An awardwinning independent book publisher, HUIA has been
producing magnificent and challenging books with a
range of Māori perspectives for over 20 years. HUIA
tells stories; stories that no one else can tell in the
same way. And Brian Morris, a new company director
at HUIA since 2014, believes that there are still many
more stories out there in Aotearoa that must be told.
Brian and his business partner, Eboni Waitere, have
been managing the iconic publishing house since
April 2014. Walking up to their impressive office in
Thorndon, I know I’m in for a treat.
THE LEGACY
In 1991, Robyn and Brian Bargh created HUIA NZ
LTD in Wellington. With their whānau, they set up this
small publishing company to fill a gap: there were
no publishing houses specialising in Māori writing in
Aotearoa at the time. Since then, HUIA has enabled
the voices of a generation of Māori and Pacific writers
to be heard. An added bonus is that HUIA is able
to employ Māori editors, translators, illustrators and
designers – all up they currently employ 15 fulltime staff. In the fickle publishing business, that’s
an impressive number of employees. Brian Morris
worked at HUIA for 13 years, before he and Eboni,
who had been at HUIA for five years, decided to take
over the business when Robyn and Brian retired.
The decision to wasn’t an easy one. Brian and Eboni
were and are at different stages in their lives: Brian
is nearing his golden years while Eboni is raising a
young family. In the end they decided that keeping
HUIA going was important to themselves, iwi Māori,
and the publishing industry in Aotearoa. When asked
if he has felt the pinch from the current financial
climate in publishing, Brian is confident. He tells
me, “It depends on how you look at it. We’ve never
had a relationship with a multinational company,
so we haven’t really felt the changes that may have
impacted on other publishers. HUIA is a niche
publisher – we publish stories by Māori and stories for
Māori.”
Brian believes that the success of HUIA can be
attributed to having established its place in Aotearoa
publishing, and building a very strong brand over the
last 21 years. He adds, “There’s a different type of
expectation on HUIA from the Māori community –
we’re here to publish and tell our stories.” The largest
independent publisher in Aotearoa is meeting those
expectations.
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HUIA READERS
HUIA books are sought after by people interested
in Māori history, Māori stories and Māori people,
here in Aotearoa and overseas. Their non-fiction is
of particularly great interest to academics, students,
policymakers and critical thinkers. Their popular
fiction appeals to anyone interested in reading a good
book and that’s a pretty big market. Even though
the books they produce fill a niche, they still manage
to garner a lot of interest, from Pākehā and Māori
alike, and anyone interested in Māori culture. The
books are distributed nationally and internationally,
and range in topic. HUIA books include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
in the wheel of language resurgence.” They make
sure that these stories continue to be published in
Te Reo because HUIA are passionate advocates for
the language. Proof of this advocacy can be seen
not only in their Montana Book Awards, and with the
creation of the Pikihuia Awards, they’re dedicated to
the future of te reo Māori.
Novels and short fiction collections
Play scripts
Histories and biographies
Political commentary
Lifestyle and gift books
Children’s picture books in English and Māori
HUIA WRITERS
TE REO: A THREATENED LANGUAGE
In addition to their commitment to publishing
Māori stories, Brian says HUIA is dedicated to
the revitalisation of te reo Māori. Even though
the growing interest in te reo is good news for
language advocates, Brian says that “te reo is still
under threat. We still need to do a lot of work to
ensure its survival.” Brian himself is bilingual, but his
grandparents’ and parents’ generations grew up at a
time in Aotearoa where the language was banned in
schools. “The survival of the language is only going
to happen with an increase of speakers,” he argues.
Ideally, Aotearoa would be a completely bilingual
population. “It seems like such a simple thing –
people would be enriched through learning and
experiencing life through another language – all they
have to do is say yes! There’s value in being bilingual
– for any language to survive it needs speakers!”
It’s no pipedream: with 50% of Māori under the age
of 24, the possibility of a bilingual nation is very real.
With the encroachment of English, te reo Māori needs
more speakers, and with it, more readers. Brian tells
me “I think te reo Māori is the most beautiful language
in the world,” and I believe him because he says it
with a tender sincerity. As a publisher, HUIA is “a cog
HUIA has held the Pikihuia writer’s competition since
1995. It’s a writing competition for Māori writers
from all across Aotearoa and it’s where HUIA is able
to find and identify talent. Together with the Māori
Literature Trust, HUIA Publishers have organised this
biennial contest for 20 years, and it has produced
award-winning Māori writers in various genres. The
aim of the awards is to promote Māori authors, but
also to develop them. “What we’re trying to do is
grow writers.” He adds, “We want to show people
that any story can be told with a Maori perspective
– from children’s books to graphic novels. What we
want to do is provide models and examples –and
we’rve making a contribution in that respect. We
are kaupapa- driven – our role is to grow people,
not just writers – and we’re in the business of
telling our stories the way they should be told.”
Big names have come from the Pikihuia awards –
Paula Morris and James George to mention two of
Aotearoa’s literary stars. HUIA, the Te Papa Tupu
programme that runs on the off year of the Pikihuia
Awards. The programme receives funding from
Creative New Zealand to place six up-and-coming
Māori writers in a mentoring programme where
they are nurtured as writers. It gives the writers time
to develop techniques and receive and process
feedback. Graduates of the programme have gone on
to do great things, like Whiti Hereaka, who wrote the
successful book Bugs, and LIANZA finalist Fred Te
Maro, who wrote Tūtewehi during his time there.
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A BIT OF GENIUS
Huia (NZ) Ltd
So, how does HUIA choose its titles? “With Kimihia
it was easy. The storyline is about the importance
of showing consideration for others, particularly
others who are different. The values within a story are
important to us.” HUIA publishes stories with Māori
perspectives – perspectives that might not find their
way easily into regular children’s literature. This is
another branch of their genius: with funding from the
Ministry of Education, HUIA has been able to provide
quality resources in Māori language for Māori medium
schools from early childhood to secondary level.
“With Hui E! magazine, we saw this as a way to grow
young writers – the magazine is for 11 and 12 year
olds. There’s student advisory group who help decide
on content – we show them what it takes to develop
written content, taking them through the process of
writing for a magazine – we ask them, what do you
want to see? Some of the students wanted tongue
twisters so they’re in there along with reviews of
games and movies.” It’s an impressive magazine
that gives contemporary teen magazines a run for
their money, and he’s proud to show them to me.
He hands me a stack of graphic novels HUIA have
produced and they’re of exceptional quality too.
Huia Publishing has the following books as finalists in
the LIANZA Children and Young Adult Book Awards:
• Tutewehi by Fred te Maro
• Kimihia by Te Mihinga Komene
• And Nga Ki by Sacha Cotter
www.huia.co.nz
Postal Address:
P O Box 12-280
Thorndon 6144
Wellington
Aotearoa New Zealand
Delivery Address:
39 Pipitea St
Thorndon 6011
Wellington
Aotearoa New Zealand
Phone: +64 4 473 9262
Fax: +64 4 473 9265
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Q&A WITH TE MIHINGA KOMENE
The LIANZA office was lucky to talk with up-and-coming
children’s book writer, Te Mihinga Komene, whose book
Kimihia is a finalist in our Te Kura Pounamu Award.
Can you tell us a little bit about your
background?
He uri ahau nō Ngāpuhi, Waikato-Maniapoto, Ngāti
Tamaterā, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Porou anō hoki. Ko
Ngāti Apakura, ko Ngāti Hikairo ngā iwi Ko Pirongiate-aroaro-o-Kahu te taumata Ko Waipā te oranga
Ko Pūrekireki-wīwī te tūrangawaewae Ko Te Mihinga
Komene ahau. Kia ora!
How did you become a writer?
I’ve always had an interest in writing - keeping diaries
as an adolescent, writing articles for magazines, a
couple of blogs, and short plays for online resources.
There are a few stories in my head and in my heart
that constantly bug me until I do something about it
and get them out there, so the opportunity to write
Kimihia was readily agreed to with some relief from
the whakaaro department. I’m the cliché writer too as
I used to carry a blank-page notebook and black pen
with me to write down quotes or funny quips, traits
for characters and ideas for scenarios. These have
now been replaced with the handy Notes app on my
iPhone and iPad.
How important is it for you to be writing in Te
Reo Māori?
I’m a self-proclaimed Māori language activist (hehe)
so writing in Te Reo Māori is my passion, it’s in my
name, it’s who I am, it helps define me. The more
I learn, the more I realise I don’t know but I do
know that I’m more comfortable writing in Te Reo
Māori because there are tikanga, world-views and
values that you can say with just one word, like
manaakitanga or mana, and it is understood in reo
but easily misinterpreted when defined in an English
medium setting.
Can you tell us about Kimihia? How did you
come up with the story?
Knowing my target audience was important and
I played with a few ideas of relevant topics to the
age group, what they know, understand and think is
important. Are the characters real to them? Do they
see themselves in the story or is there someone they
know who have had similar experiences? That’s why
the content of the story is based around a hurt and
confused younger sibling, the annoying new kid who’s
more talented than anyone else in the school, the
infamous Michael Jackson 720 spin, an Aunty who
always burns whatever she cooks, and that teacher
who made a difference.
There were a few cycling accidents on the news at
the time when I got asked to write a chapter book
so I wanted to highlight cycle safety and how the
consequences of a tragedy affects whānau, how
behaviour and attitudes change too and deal with
those situations.
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other talented writers selected for this award and the
echelon of previous winners of Te Kura Pounamu, like
Katerina Te Heikōkō Mataira, it’s an endorsement of
my aspirations and commitment to writing in Te Reo
Māori.
Our Te Kura Pounamu judge loved your work but
she lamented that not many Te Reo books were
entered into the competition this year. How do
you think we can inspire Māori writers to write
for children?
By creating more avenues to write in Te Reo Māori
like the biannual Pikihuia awards! There are only a
handful of quality creative writing courses for Māori
writers and limited opportunities to publish their work.
I know a lot of teachers in kura rumaki or kōhanga reo
are always writing waiata, rotarota, and pakiwaitara
for their tamariki because there is not a lot of relevant
and localised content as there is in mainstream
education. I’d encourage them to get their classroom
to start blogging, which many are already doing, and
share their work online.
Relationships played an important role in developing
the story as I wanted to show kids there are options
about how we react if things don’t always go our way
or when our world falls apart and that there are good
role models in our lives, especially our teachers and
aunties! Once I had a strong idea of the characters’
relationships the ideas flowed and I wrote the first
draft in one night.
Given the current troubled literary climate in
NZ, how important is it for New Zealanders to
support our writers, publishers, and literary
awards?
It’s heart-breaking to hear that major sponsors like
BNZ and NZ Post are no longer backing major literary
awards. Aotearoa has too many talented people in
the creative arts for us not to support them. There
are common instances where artists are recognised
overseas before they are acknowledged here. It’s a
similar situation with Te Reo Māori.
Can you tell us about Hui E Magazine? You were
the editor – how did that process go for you?
I helped established the tween magazine Hui E! with
our resource development team and when I left Huia
Publishers, I was given another opportunity to write
articles for it as well. We realised that there were no
recreational reading resources for tamariki in years 7
and 8 schooled in Māori medium immersion settings.
There was already Tāiki E! for younger learners and
Haumi E! for wharekura students, therefore we
wanted to produce something for tweens where they
could contribute as writers, talent and creators of
the magazine. Te Mata Ohinga, an advisory group of
tamariki from various Māori medium schools around
Aotearoa, was set up to give a solid foundation of Hui
E! and ensuring we got the right tone, look and feel of
the magazine.
Are you happy to be shortlisted for the Te Kura
Pounamu award?
I’m elated! Pleased as pūhā! Not only because
LIANZA recognises the importance of Te Reo Māori in
literature by having this category but considering the
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Do you have any tips for budding Te Reo writers?
Mahia atu! Just do it! Never think that you’ll wait ‘til it’s perfect because it never will be. Take the opportunities
such as attending many kura reo as you can, learning tikanga and reo from other iwi, surrounding yourself with
other Te Reo Māori speakers and writers. It takes a lot to put something out there to be reviewed, critiqued and
even discarded, especially if you’re really attached to your ideas and characters. Kia whitu hinganga, kia waru
aranga ake. Fall seven times, arise eight times. Learning to let go and move on is huge. Kia manawa tītī!
What books inspired you as a child?
Mr.Men books for humour and colour, Dr.Seuss books for rhythm, rhyme and wit, Enid Blyton books for
imagination and adventure, Trixie Belden and Pick-a-Path books for mystery, School Journals for dialogue, Judy
Blume books for the awkward, transitional, puberty years and Kei hea a Spot? and He Kurī for the first Te Reo
Māori books that I could understand when I first started learning my native language at 11 years old. And Roald
Dahl books for their descriptive language and unforgettable characters!
What are you currently reading?
I always read multiple books simultaneously for professional learning, personal empowerment and pleasure.
It’s also because I travel a lot and rarely do I have a good night’s sleep in a strange bed, no matter how tired I
am, without reading before lights out. At the moment the books I’m reading are, Maiea te Tupua by Tom Roa
and Maehe Paki, Learn Like a Pirate by Paul Solarz, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel and Wizard’s First Rule by Terry
Goodkind.
NZMS 25TH ANNIVERSARY
NZMS is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. This means we started in 1990 when
the World Wide Web was born and Microsoft released Windows 3.0. In those days
microfilming was still the way of
the world and we took pride in a)
being at the forefront of setting
industry standards for preservation
microfilming and b) capturing over 12 million pages of
NZ’s national & regional newspapers. And yes, we’re
the guys who are still advocating for the preservation of
New Zealand’s newspaper heritage .
A lot has changed since we first opened our doors
– from a single office we now have operations in
Auckland, Christchurch, Grenada North, and the
Wellington CBD. We purchased our first scanner in
1998 and our digitisation service for NZ’s heritage
sector was launched. Since then we’ve been privileged
to work with a lot of great content and tremendous,
passionate people in the sector.
The technology keeps expanding and it brings exciting
new opportunities. We’re looking to the future by
providing new data conversion services and developing
platforms like Recollect that embrace community
engagement and the sharing of digital content and
knowledge online.
What hasn’t changed in the last 25 years is our passion
and our commitment to the preservation of NZ’s history.
Here’s to another quarter century as exciting as the first!
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“GO, MAKE SOMETHING. WE NEED IT!”
It’s 2009 and a Kiwi teacher based in South Auckland is determined to help his students become lovers of
reading. He teaches them about the importance of being able to read well, tells them inspirational stories of
readers like Dr Ben Carson, takes them to the library.
The students respond enthusiastically … they know they need to be good readers in order to be successful at
school, and in life.
‘Sir, you know how the Kiwis won the World Cup last
year?” one of the boys asks.
“Sure do, watched every minute of it!” the teacher
replies.
“Are there any books about those players?” the
student asks. “That’s what I’d like to read about.”
“There’s lots of books like that,” the teacher says. “Of
sporting heroes, inspirational figures, overcomers …
But there’s just one thing – they’re really written for
adults. Sorry.”
The American author Toni Morrison once said: “If
there’s a book that you want to read but it hasn’t been
written yet, then you must write it.”
My students forced me to write.
I decided to write about one of the most popular Kiwi
players from the champion World Cup team – Benji
Marshall. I sent a nervous email to Benji Marshall’s
manager, Martin Tauber, sharing my thoughts with him
and asking his support to write a biography of Benji for
teenagers. I wasn’t sure what their reply would be, after all, who was I?
They said, “Go for it!”
I wrote the book and sent it optimistically off to publishers. “Unfortunately we will not publish this book,”
publishers said. “There’s no market for these kinds of books.”
“Wow, now I know why there’s very few books about our amazing Kiwi achievers,” I remember thinking. “It’s
because publishers don’t think they will sell.”
Whether they would sell or not I didn’t know. I just knew what my students were telling me they wanted to read.
And my gut told me that other Kiwi young people would feel the same.
They forced me to self-publish.
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Eventually a box of books arrived on my doorstep.
Steppin’ with Benji Marshall was released! And just
like my gut had told me, the book filled a definite need
in New Zealand literature.
“The book is a HUGE hit!!!!
Keep writing – a whole
series would be awesome!”
Kimberley Atkinson
(Roberston Rd School,
Mangere)
“
author for the sake of their students and I’m really
happy for the young people I write for.
I’m so thankful to the educators
and librarians who took a
chance on an unknown
self-published Kiwi author
“It has surpassed my expectations. It’s fabulous! The
kids are going to absolutely love it, and hopefully carry
it’s inspirational message away with them. Thank
you so much for writing such high-interest, relevant
books. Please keep them coming!”
Jennifer Cunningham (East Tamaki School)
“It is absolutely fantastic and can be used for my
boys. They will be thrilled. ”
Louisa Hala (ASDA High School)
In the next couple of weeks I’m
going to launch my new book
Samoan Heroes. It’s a collection
of profiles of achievers who
have Samoan ancestry and it’s
timed for release during Samoan
independence celebrations.
I can’t believe that I’ve now
published five books!
I hope this post encourages others out there who see
a need and have an idea of how to meet that need.
For those whose ideas have been rejected, whether
rejected by your own thinking or by ‘experts’. I
encourage you to trust yourself and go make that
thing. The world needs it.
Can’t wait to see what you make!
“This is the first ‘real’ book my son has ever read
without having to be nagged to read! I am looking
forward to reading it myself – but may have to wait
until my partner also reads it since there are daily
reviews from his son about the book.”
Melissa, an Auckland Mum
*The words in the title of this article come from a blog
post by Seth Godin
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/03/
are-you-making-something.html
I’m so thankful to the educators and librarians who
took a chance on an unknown self-published Kiwi
David Riley is Head of Dance and Drama and a
Specialist Classroom Teacher at Tangaroa College in
Otara, South Auckland, NZ.
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LIBRARIANS - NOT JUST CHANGING
LIVES, BUT SAVING THEM
“When I was 13
a librarian gave
me book and I
consider every
good thing that
has ever happened
to me since then
a result of that
woman handing
me that book. I’d
been wandering
the streets of the
small Minnesota
town we lived in
one bitter winter evening, waiting for the drunks in the
bars to get juiced. I sold newspapers, trying to scrape
together a little money so that I could buy better
clothes, believing, as kids do, that the right clothes
might somehow lift me from my wretchedly unpopular
social life. And if I waited for the men in the bars to
get a few drinks in them, I could hustle them for extra
change.
One night, as I was walking past the public library in
twenty below temperatures I could see the reading
room bathed in beautiful golden light. I went in to get
warm and, to my absolute astonishment, the librarian
walked up to me and said, ‘Would you like a book?” I
said, ‘Sure.’ And she said, ‘Bring it back when you’re
done and you can get another one”. The librarian
typed my name on a card, I looked at it and somehow
that made me somebody.
Later that night back at what passed for home, a
crummy apartment in the bad part of town, I took
the book to a hideaway I’d created behind the
furnace where someone had abandoned a creaky old
armchair under a bare light bulb. I sat in the corner
plodding through the book. It took me for ever to
read. I was such a poor reader that, by the time I’d
finished a page, I’d have forgotten what I’d read on
the page before and I’d have to go back. That first
book must have taken me over a month to finish,
hunched over the pages late at night.
I wish I could remember the name of that first book - I
can’t even remember what it was about. What I do
remember about that evening at the library was that
it marked the first of many nights the librarian would
give me a book. “Here,” she’d say, handing me a few
battered volumes. “I think you’ll like these.” She would
hand select books that she thought would interest me
- westerns, mysteries, survival tales, science fiction,
Edgar Rice Burroughs. I would take them home to
hide in the basement and read; I’d bring them back
and we’d talk about them, and she’d give me more
books. She didn’t care if I wore the right clothes,
dated the right girls; none of those prejudices existed
in the library. But she wasn’t just giving me books,
she was giving me ... everything.
When she handed me that library card, she handed
me the world. She gave me the first hint I’d ever had
in my entire life that there was something other than
my drunken parents screaming at each other in the
kitchen, ....where I wasn’t going to get beaten up by
the school bullies. She showed me places where it
didn’t hurt all the time.
I read terribly at first but as I did more of it, the books
became more a part of me and within a short time
they gave me a life, a look at life outside myself
that made me look forward instead of backward”. (edited)
American Author
Gary Paulsen (Hatchet etc)
Exert from The Children’s Bookshop Newsletter
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BOMBASTIC SCHOLASTIC
Lynette Evans has been part of the small, hardworking publishing team at Scholastic NZ, with Penny
Scown and Sophia Broom, for two years now, but
prior to stepping into the role of Publishing Manager
at Scholastic NZ, she worked with Scholastic affiliates
for several years and has lived, breathed and loved
children’s publishing for many more, as a publisher,
author, editor and truth be told – a big kid at heart.
Scholastic has been bringing the
best in children’s books to New
Zealand for more than 50 years and
is recognised as the world’s market
leader in children’s publishing. As a
trusted and long-established publisher
of books for Kiwi kids, Scholastic NZ
has the great privilege of telling truly
Kiwi stories – written by and for the
people of New Zealand. The Scholastic
NZ publishing team works with
dedicated and talented authors and
illustrators throughout New Zealand to
create books that children across our
country and around the world love to
experience, and adults love to read with
them. They believe that books can be a
launching pad into ‘a world of possible’
for children, and the motivation behind what we do
is to instil a passion for books and reading into new
generations of Kiwi kids.
Scholastic has entered titles in the LIANZA CBAs
for many years. Their first winner of the Esther Glen
Award was for William Taylor’s Agnes the Sheep
in 1991. We sat with Lynette to talk shop about
publishing in New Zealand and the importance of
children’s literacy.
LIANZA: Given the amount of titles, would you
say publishing in NZ is strong and healthy?
Lynette: In regards to children’s publishing in NZ,
we believe the environment is both exciting and
challenging. When you witness the contagious
enthusiasm of children as they queue to have a
much-loved book signed by a favourite author, and
when you share in the bouncing excitement of a child
opening a package containing an eagerly anticipated
title, you have little doubt that kids love books and
that there is always room for imaginative, well-written
and creatively crafted titles to be published. However,
these are lean times and they are rapidly changing
times. We need to be nimble enough to adapt, brave
enough to explore and at the same time remain true
to what we believe in. We know New Zealand has
an insane amount of talent and we believe that New
Zealand children’s authors, illustrators, designers and
publishers have the grit and vision to
nurture strong and healthy publishing.
How many titles did Scholastic
publish in 2015?
Scholastic NZ publishes approximately
40 original new titles each year. The
bulk of these are picture books for
children 3-7 years of age. We also
publish board books for babies and
toddlers, activity books, nonfiction
titles and junior fiction series and fiction
for children 8-10 years and 12 years +.
What are some of Scholastic’s
most popular titles?
Some all-time popular Scholastic titles include
picture books such as The Little Yellow Digger by
Betty & Alan Gilderdale and Grandpa’s Slippers
by Joy Watson and Wendy Hodder, both of which
have spanned generations of readers and become
Kiwi classics as well as Platinum bestsellers. Other
enduring favourites are The Best-Loved Bear by
Diana Noonan and Elizabeth Fuller, The Big Block of
Chocolate by Janet Slater Bottin, and A Kiwi Night
Before Christmas by Yvonne Morrison and Deborah
Hinde. Other favourite titles are more recent, but
have already become household names, such as
The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith and Katz Cowley,
Do Your Ears Hang Low? by the Topp Twins and
Jenny Cooper and Quaky Cat by Diana Noonan and
Gavin Bishop. Hilarious junior fiction titles, such as
the Dinosaur Rescue series by Kyle Mewburn and
Donovan Bixley have proven immensely popular both
in New Zealand and internationally, and fiction titles
by authors such as Sherryl Jordan and Des Hunt are
undeniably firm favourites.
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Where do you see the children’s book publishing
industry here in NZ going in the future?
Can you give any tips for budding children’s
book writers/illustrators?
As parents, we love being able to offer our children
choices and we want them to enjoy reading, no
matter what the format. Many children today have
a wonderfully wide world of entertainment choices
and books have to compete with the digital options.
However, most of us don’t want our children on
devices all day, we want a balance, so we strongly
believe that the printed book is here to stay, and
that there is an exciting future ahead for a savvy,
tenacious and passionate NZ children’s book
publishing industry.
The most important thing is probably to READ as
many children’s books as possible – in that way,
budding children’s book writers and illustrators
will have a better idea of what is already out there.
What we are looking for is not something ‘as good
as’ the existing market, but something that is fresh
and unique and special, that will stand head and
shoulders above the rest. If you’ve already read 20
books on a similar theme, it’s unlikely we’ll be looking
to add to the pile. If you want to write in rhyme and
rhythm, it’s not as easy as you think – it must be
faultless and be able to be read by someone seeing it
for the first time without tripping up on the rhythm and
having to have several goes to get it right or ‘make it
fit’.
How important, in your opinion, are children’s
books to the life of a child?
Very. From the get-go. Next to food, warmth and
love. In our bustling, noisy world, picture books can
be a key to unlocking the playful energies of a busy
parent, as we take time out to snuggle up and explore
words and illustrations with a baby or toddler in arms.
Through a picture book, a parent’s familiar voice
can take on new and exciting tones as the words
of different characters are read aloud. And entire
new worlds can unfold through the illustrations – as
picture book art is often the first art that many of us
encounter. Picture books open up a world of possible
for children. They are the first stepping stones on the
pathway to reading, and a love of books and reading
is often passed from generation to generation.
Can you give a reading list of your favourite
children’s books?
There are too many. I was lucky enough to grow up
in a family that treasured books and reading. I still
have my very first picture book (it’s pretty old now!).
In fact, my mother still has her first picture book. And
you can bet that I have each of my children’s favourite
first picture books too. One all-time family favourite is
Margaret Mahy’s A Lion in the Meadow; Roald Dahl’s
The BFG is another. As a kid, I went through a stage
of devouring brumby books, then detective books – in
fact my little sister still holds a grudge about not being
able to get to sleep at night because I was reading …
still!
Given the difficult climate for literature in New
Zealand (with BNZ and NZ Post cancelling their
financial support), how important is it for Kiwis
to support their writers?
Helping children become life-long readers is
Scholastic’s number one goal. To achieve this,
wonderful stories need to be written and eyecatching, engaging books need to be published. It is
deeply important for New Zealanders to support their
writers, illustrators, publishers and local booksellers
if we want our young children to take their first steps
towards becoming life-long readers and our older
children to become avid and able readers.
Are you proud to be a part of the LIANZA CBAs?
Hell, yes. It excites children to read books. Books are
food for the imagination.
The following Scholastic titles are finalists in the
LIANZA Children and Young Adult Book Awards:
•
•
•
•
Monkey Boy by Donovan Bixley
Trouble in Time by Adele Broadbent
Letterbox Cat by Paula Green
Marmaduke Duck on the Wide Blue Seas by Sarah
Davis and Juliette MacIver
• The Song of Kauri by Melinda Syzmanik
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CURIOUSLY GOOD PUBLISHING
I didn’t know what to expect when I secured an
interview with Julia Marshall from Gecko Press. I’d
seen her at the Wellington Writer’s Festival in 2014,
hosting events with some of her authors, Ulf Stark
and Leo Timmers. These were two authors I’d never
heard of before, but I’ve
since bought all of their
books as the events were
so inspiring. Gecko Press
was the first publisher
in the world to publish
Ulf Stark’s work – and
my son is grateful as he
loves Can you Whistle
Johanna? So am I.
to come home and set up her publishing house.
Almost ten years later, Gecko Press has 100 titles
in the catalogue, and with 15 new books published
annually, that number is set to grow quickly. But how
does she do it?
As I wound my way
through the streets of
Wellington to the downtown office
knowing a little bit about the Gecko’s
success, I had assumed its space
would be huge, bustling with staff,
buzzing with high energy. Instead, I
found Julia and two dedicated staff
members, working away silently at
their computers, tucked away in a
sun-filled corner surrounded by boxes
upon boxes of books in a shared
loft-office space. There’s a beauty in
this kind of simplicity - Gecko Press
is a tight team of four: Rachel in
production and promotion, Frances in accounts, Jane
on social media and general communications, and
Julia at the helm.
Julia grew up in a family that
loved children’s books and
reading, “the people in my
family are interested in words
and pictures” and she knew
from school age that she
wanted to be in “books”.
She’s one of the lucky few
in the world who
know exactly
what they wanted
to be in life. So
when she says,
“And so I do,”
I can’t help but
admire her drive
and dedication
to her childhood
dream. This is a
bit of a crush. I
ask her how she
manages to do
it all she admits
that it’s a bit of a
struggle, but sitting
across from her I can’t see her ever breaking a sweat.
She keeps her cards close to her chest and she’s
disarmingly disarming.
If you’re a reader of children’s books, you know
Gecko Press, New Zealand’s main publisher of
award-winning children’s books from countries
including France, Taiwan, Sweden, Japan, Germany,
New Zealand, Poland and the Netherlands. The first
book Gecko Press published in 2005, Donkeys, sold
out immediately. Clearly, Julia was onto something
when she left Sweden after 12 years of living there
I ask Julia about what she thinks of the children’s
book scene in New Zealand. “More attention is being
paid to the production of children’s books here.” She
drops the big names like Mahy, Cowley, and Lasenby
when she talks about the “wonderful New Zealand
writers of fiction.” The tricky part is, she admits, is
matching that package with the writer, and if you
take a look at Gecko’s enticing covers, you can see
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that actually, it’s not so tricky at all for Gecko Press.
With the aim of encouraging children to love to read,
Gecko Press covers do just that – they inspire you to
pick up their books and dive right in.
Her books inspire a lot of would-be writers to send in
their manuscripts as well. Julia is firm about not giving
false encouragement and will only take manuscripts
from authors who have been previously published.
Otherwise, there are just too many manuscripts in
her inbox. That said, when she reads something
she knows right away whether or not she’ll publish
it. “The first sentence can do a lot for a book,” she
says. And there are very few books that Gecko
Press publishes that she doesn’t love herself. As an
independent publisher Gecko Press can afford to be
more adventurous and take more risks. Some of their
most controversial books have become their best
sellers, such as the wordless The Chicken Thief and
The Noisy Book, which at 120 pages, many American
publishers thought it would be too long and that
children wouldn’t like it.
So what does Julia look for in a children’s book?
“What I look for in a picture book is the same as what
I look for in a novel - drama, humour, and pathos,
all in the same book, or complete simplicity and
understatement – which leaves room for the readers
to think –and of course stories with a difference.”
While many people underestimate a children’s ability
to process deadpan humour, and difficult subjects like
death, Julia doesn’t.
Judging by the amount of manuscripts heading
for her inbox, people have a lot of great ideas for
children’s books, but when it comes to producing
them it’s a lot harder than it may seem. For example,
Leo Timmers, one of Gecko’s best-selling authors,
took an entire year to write and illustrate a children’s
picture book. “It’s easy to underestimate the care
and effort that goes into a great picture book – it’s
the hardest kind of writing.” We talk briefly about
how charming Leo Timmers was in person, “Often
children’s books authors are in touch with their inner
child, and like children, their bullshit detectors are
quite strong.” I think she might have a lot in common
with Timmers.
Gecko Press isn’t just a NZ brand – you can find
their books in Australia, the UK and America. This
globalisation is smart business: when the market is
tough in one location, another could be taking in the
sales. Julia says she has noticed the effect of book
stores closing, but that libraries and schools were still
going strong with orders. The problem isn’t only in
New Zealand – Julia believes that every country must
promote the benefits of reading, now more so than
ever. “At the moment it’s really important that children
are given the chance to read for pleasure.”
It’s at this point that I tell Julia that I can’t get my 7
year old daughter to read at all. She hands me a
book that she thinks will do the trick: Reflections of
a Solitary Hamster. It’s a book about an existential
hamster. Where does she find books like this? Annual
trips to Bologna’s and Frankfurt’s International book
fairs help her find manuscripts. And NZ books?
She knows what’s good just by reading them Take
Barbara Else’s The Volume of Possible Endings –
“That was a fairly instant decision for me - the perfect
combination of substance and irreverence – with
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important things present like character, humour
and humanity.” Julia says Gecko Press is always
looking for good New Zealand writers. They keep
their standards high because the books they publish
represent the publishing house. Children’s picture
books in New Zealand have a wonderful history, but
it’s a short one compared to America and Europe. As
a small publisher Julia says they’re allowed to make
the decision to publish something simply because
they like it. Fair enough. But there’s more to it – she
must have a sixth sense about what will work in the
market.
“Books are more than just book,” she tells me when
I ask about what’s happening in the publishing world
today. “It’s an interesting time in publishing with
a bigger interest in interactive children’s books.”
And future plans? Gecko Press would love to host
workshops for parents, teachers, and yes, librarians,
on how to look at picture books. I know I’ll be signing
up.
When I get home later that evening I give my daughter
the hamster book. We read it together before bed and
she’s angry when I stop halfway because it’s bedtime.
The next day I see that she’s put it in her bag to take
to school to show her teacher and her friends.
Gecko Press’ The Volume of Possible Endings by
Barbara Else and Mrs Mo’s Monster by Paul Beavis
are finalists in the LIANZA Children’s Book Awards.
Winners will be announced June 15th, 2015.
Gecko Press
Street Address
Level 1
9A Holland St
Wellington 6011
New Zealand
Postal Address
PO Box 9335
Marion Square,
Wellington 6141
New Zealand
Tel +64 (0)4 801 9333
Fax +64 (0)4 801 9335
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TELLING IT LIKE IT IS
Catherine O’Loughlin, the Children’s Publisher of
Penguin Random House New Zealand speaks her
mind on everything from the LIANZA Children’s and
Young Adult’s Book Awards to what it takes to make
it as a children’s books author in New Zealand.
PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE NEW ZEALAND:
SUPPORTING THE CBAS
Both Penguin and Random House have been
supporting the LIANZA Children’s Book Awards for
a number of years. This is our first year entering as
Penguin Random House New Zealand and we look
forward to supporting the LIANZA Children’s and
Young Adult Book Awards for many years to come.
We’ve published more than 20 children’s books this
year – among these were 10 new picture books,
one junior fiction and three young adult novels, and
three non-fiction titles, along with a handful of books
for babies in various formats and the revitalising of a
number of excellent backlist titles.
PRH POPULARITY
We have so many popular authors it would be
impossible to name them all, but anything by Lynley
Dodd, Margaret Mahy, David Hill, Kate de Goldi,
Gavin Bishop, Joy Cowley, Peter Gossage, David
Elliot, Fleur Beale, Mandy Hager, Ted Dawe and Bob
Darroch can be relied upon to sell well.
A Pukeko in a Ponga Tree by Kingi Ihaka and Dick
Frizzell remains a long-standing Christmas staple.
Recent picture books such as Vasanti Unka’s The
Boring Book, Glyn Harper and Jenny Cooper’s blend
of historical fact and first-person storytelling about
New Zealand’s involvement in the First World War, Le
Quesnoy, Jim’s Letters and Roly, the Anzac Donkey,
the beautiful Treasury of New Zealand Poems for
Children edited by Paula Green and illustrated by
Jenny Cooper, and Raymond McGrath’s It’s Not a
Monster, It’s Me! and Have You Seen a Monster? have
all been very well received too. We are committed
to continuing to publish our stories for New Zealand
children of all ages and adults to enjoy.
THE NZ LITERARY SCENE
Everyone would agree that New Zealand continues to
punch well above its weight in the quantity and quality
of local books published. This can only be because
New Zealanders themselves punch well above their
weight when it comes to reading ¬– as a nation we
place a high value on our culture and telling our own
stories in our own voices.
A thriving local creative writing and publishing scene
in New Zealand relies on a willing and supportive
New Zealand readership for its survival. With so
many other distractions, activities and entertainments
on offer these days, as well as an ever-raising cost
of living and competing demands on wallets, we
publishers need to keep working at finding ways to
engage with our readership and keep our enticing
offerings in good view. Events such as the recent
Auckland Writers Festival with its record turnout
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this year demonstrate that the booklovers are out
there in great numbers. And awards such as the
LIANZA Children’s and Young Adult’s Book Awards
and others, which honour New Zealand authors and
illustrators and celebrate excellence, play a critical
role in raising the profile and consequence of our
children’s literature in the public eye.
2. Characters with character: It’s too easy to treat
characters as a means through which the plot unfolds
rather than as vital entities in their own right. Some of
the best-loved children’s books are more character
driven than plot driven.
TIPS FOR BUDDING WRITERS
is naughty, subversive and often plain rude. Even if
you are writing about quite dark, serious issues there
is always room for lightness.
We receive a huge number of children’s manuscript
submission every year – far more than for any other
genre – and what we want to find among these is
something so original we haven’t even thought of it
yet. We often talk about books having ‘the x factor’
or ‘a certain indefinable something’, which isn’t a very
useful description for aspiring writers, but there are
a number of things that most good children’s books
have in common:
1. A really good and original idea: This would
seem to be stating the obvious, but we receive so
many submissions that rehash concepts that have
been done many times before and that emulate the
style of books that already exist. In the competitive
market for children’s books a new title needs to stand
out from the crowd in order to sell. There is always
a place for a traditional theme excellently done – but
you do need to reinvent it and make it your own.
3. Humour: How many children have you met without
a sense of humour? Young readers love material that
4. Well-written: Strong, imaginative writing is the
one constant in our search for new authors. And it’s
not just what your writing says¸ it’s as much how it
sounds.
5. The right kind of detail: Too much can kill a
story as much as too little, but we often receive
manuscripts where everything is described very
generally. We are told that there is a bird, but not
what type of bird it is; that a character touched a
surface, but not what it felt like. The way a character
drops something or walks might tell us a lot about
them. And the old line ‘show don’t tell’ is always
something to be aware of.
6. Being in touch with a young person’s world:
We are often sent manuscripts that the writers claim
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preached to and children are no exception. If you must have a message bury it in the story – even better, don’t
think of it as a message but a conclusion that readers will probably draw themselves if they enjoy the narrative.
Don’t play it too safe either – often young readers like being scared or challenged. If you create an ideal,
sanitised world then your audience won’t believe in it.
THE IMPORTANCE OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
As far as I’m concerned: Books come right after food, shelter and love. I can’t think of a better way to equip a
child for life than the gift of articulate, creative expression through written and spoken language and visual art.
A good example of this – the other day I overheard my five-year-old repeating some words over and over to
himself – ‘Schemozzle . . . Hullabaloo . . . Scarper . . .
Skedaddle . . .’ – clearly relishing the way they rolled around on his tongue. Then he said “Shoo!” and I
recognised where he had heard these wonderful onomatopoeic words - Lynley Dodd’s Hairy Maclary, Shoo.
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SURPRISED BY YA:
THE LIFE OF A NEW PUBLISHER
by Mary McCallum
My mother was a
school librarian,
amongst other things.
What this meant was
books … on tabletops,
in a basket by the
toilet, in teetering
piles beside our beds.
Books held up as the
most satisfying activity
to do on one’s own.
Books as a solution to
boredom, loneliness,
curiosity, heartache, sickness and, well, simply
being a child. They told you stuff about Vikings, let
you live for a little as a Viking, gave you friends that
were Vikings. Ditto wolves. Ditto orphan girls. Ditto
people the size of a clothes peg who live under the
floorboards. Ditto talking bears found at railway
stations. Ditto children in the war with a strange sort
of wardrobe …
daunting in that space because the child sets the
perimeters, and knows how far she can go, and what
to let in.
I didn’t intend to publish children’s books when I set
up Mākaro Press just over two years ago with my
son Paul Stewart. Our intention was to publish an
anthology of writing about Eastbourne and see how
we went from there. Some poetry, some fiction …
And then, without expecting it, we found ourselves
publishing young adult writing under an imprint we
hurriedly called Submarine. First up was Talisman of
Vim, a young adult fantasy novel by talented 17-yearold writer Robert Wainwright. Then came The Book of
Hat.
Well, it wasn’t a book then, it was a blog written by
a young woman diagnosed with cancer, just days
short of her eighteenth birthday. Harriet Rowland
known as Hat. A young woman with chutzpah, charm
and a zest for life who wrote online to let friends
and family know what was happening to her during
cancer treatment. Not an unusual thing
to do these days, but here was someone
who had a talent for storytelling and a
There is no doubt that the books
way of writing that had an authentic and
we read as a child help make us
compelling voice.
All my childhood
there were stories –
told to me, read to
me by both parents,
books I read myself.
the adults we become. They give
And there were
us more than one world to be
those core books
Each blog post was a little story in itself
alive in and to learn about.
that my mother,
with an intriguing title, well-told anecdotes
and sometimes
to pull the reader in, and references to
my brothers, read
ongoing themes and threads: all about
too. And we’d talk
living life while she still had it, making the
about those worlds as if we’d been there: Earthsea,
most of things, finding the humour and heart. About
Moominvalley, the Yorkshire Moors, New England.
pizza and rugby and clothes and friends and family
Whole worlds floated around our house invisible but
and books. And dogs. She wanted a dog.
acknowledged, settled on tabletops, congregated
beside our beds. And the same is true of my children,
Harriet loved to read. One of her favourite books was
I like to think.
John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, a worldwide
hit with the young adult market and the protagonist,
There is no doubt that the books we read as a child
Hazel Grace, has cancer. Harriet explained that the
help make us the adults we become. They give us
book gave her a friend. Not that she didn’t have
more than one world to be alive in and to learn about.
friends – she had loads of them. But she said that
They also create a kind of golden interior space
while they understood what she was going through
for a growing person to go to – somewhere that is
and were sympathetic, they weren’t living with cancer.
both safe and creative. Nothing is too frightening or
Hazel Grace was.
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her family and friends and anyone else who wanted to
read it.
And people wanted to read it, here in New Zealand
and elsewhere in the English-speaking world, both
adults and children – and over a year later they still
do. Support from Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and
Philippa Boyens (who recognized a writer when they
saw one) ensured web orders for The Book of Hat as
far afield as Prague, Moscow and Wisconsin! Word
got around. The book’s been awarded shortlisted,
made a Notable Book and was runner-up for the
Ashton Wylie award. Sales have donated hundreds
of dollars to CanTeen. It’s been described as the local
go-to book for finding about living with cancer as a
teenager, to the extent that the character of young
Pixie on Shortland Street, who has cancer, has a copy
and is reading it now. We reprinted and reprinted …
Harriet died three weeks after her book launch, but
she caught a glimpse of the path her book was
already on and was simply amazed and delighted.
But then so many things amazed and delighted
her, right to the end. She was a magnificent young
woman. It touches me to meet a young person with
cancer who’s read The Book of Hat, finding their
own story there as well as Harriet’s story, and Hazel
Grace’s and Anne Franks, and perhaps even – while
reading it – making a friend, and feeling some of the
amazement and delight of that friend.
Wonderfully in The Fault in Our Stars, Hazel Grace
is also smitten with a book, which becomes a kind
We published The Red Suitcase hot on the heels of
of companion, a flawed one, but a companion
The Book of Hat.
nonetheless, and it takes her to Anne
It is a novel for
Frank’s house in Amsterdam – another
young adults set
young woman who fell back on the written
Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam
in contemporary
word to create something separate and
– another young woman who fell
Takapuna and in
safe from the world that was collapsing
back on the written word to create
World War Two.
around her. So Harriet Rowland, Hazel
something separate and safe from
On the surface it
Grace, Anne Frank. Three young women
the world that was collapsing
couldn’t be more
in their teens whose lives are under threat,
around her.
different from
and they’re writing stories and reading
Harriet’s book,
stories, and creating their own internal
but in fact it has
golden spaces to shore themselves up,
a lot in common.
while paradoxically also learning deeply
Author Jill Harris was dying. In her seventies, she had
about the world and the people in it, and developing
been diagnosed with leukemia and needed to publish
compassion, creating it in others.
the book she called her ‘best yet’. Like Harriet she
had chutzpah and determination and a vision for her
The Book of Hat is a collection of Harriet’s blogs,
work. And, a former librarian and teacher, Jill believed
lightly edited with her to make them work as a
absolutely in the power of books. Unlike Harriet,
book, designed by Paul Stewart to reflect their blog
Jill had published previously – successful children’s
origins, with Hat’s own introduction and postscript,
books with Longacre and Harper Collins – but in
and ending in the way she wanted it, on a positive
a contracted market was having trouble finding a
note. We approached Hat with the idea, I knew her
publisher for The Red Suitcase. She sought me out,
parents, and all were enthusiastic and supportive. It
and convinced by the manuscript – and more than a
was tough, though. Harriet was dying, her strength
bit surprised at doing another YA book so shortly after
came and went, and there were things to do – people
Hat’s – we took her on.
to see, but she loved the idea of making a book for
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The Red Suitcase is based on a true story – the life
Anzac Day last year, just over two months after
of Jill’s uncle, a navigator in a Lancaster bomber
Harriet’s. It sold well, was reviewed well and reprinted.
during World War Two, who
Jill gave marvellous talks to
never returned home. But
schools and libraries and other
Jill’s protagonist is a young
groups. One not long before she
The Red Suitcase is based on a
Takapuna girl in 2014, who
died on Christmas Day. Since
true story – the life of Jill’s uncle,
feels under threat following
then The Red Suitcase has
a navigator in a Lancaster bomber
experience of a terrorist
been shortlisted for awards and
during World War Two, who never
attack in the country she’s
her husband Ian continues to
returned home.
just returned from, and is
support it out in the world.
finding it hard to settle back
in her home country. To
So, I guess it’s an eventful
make matters worse, she starts having ‘episodes’,
way to start publishing, with two authors like Harriet
which thrust her out of her life in Takapuna, and into
Rowland and Jill Harris. Two YA books at that. Who
the frightening world of a navigator in a Lancaster
would have thought? But how could we resist? I
bomber during World War Two. So The Red Suitcase
would put The Book of Hat and The Red Suitcase up
allows the reader to experience two things: the life
there with some of my life’s greatest achievements.
of a young woman needing to find her way in difficult
Since then, Mākaro Press has published poetry,
times, and the life of a young airman in a war. Ruth
fiction and non-fiction for adults … but we’ve kept up
her name is. Ah yes. Harriet. Hazel. Anne. Ruth.
with the children’s and young adult books. This year
we have already launched books by Denis Wright
Like Hat, Jill wasn’t always well while we worked on
and Raymond Huber, and there are other surprises
the book with her, but we discovered very quickly that
to come. It’s a wonderful world to be in. One I didn’t
that was not to be an issue. She was in fact a grownexpect. But I think I always knew those teetering piles
up version of Harriet with the same no-nonsense
of young adult and children’s books would one day
approach to life and death, a determination to really
catch up with me.
live while she could, and an unwavering belief in her
book. We launched The Red Suitcase the day before
ENDS
“
Feature Articles
BE THAT COLLISION
by Bee Trudgeon, Porirua Children’s Librarian
It’s a wintry Wednesday afternoon, and my trusty
sidekick Sally Warburton and I have just been
escorted into the lovely old hall of a small Catholic
school in Porirua. Our job is to convince 80 kids
in the last hour of their Book Day celebrations that
books are the best fun on earth. The children have
to be settled a less than average amount of times
before things get off to a pretty promising looking
start. Nevertheless, my primary concerns are the
same ones I usually have: Can they hear us? Will we
hear them? Are their hearts on? Are their ears on?
And will I be able to mind my Fs and Cs all the way
through our hastily decided upon duelling ukuleles
performance of ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’?
It is not always tuneful, but passionate advocacy
is the sweet key that can unlock library life for
children and their caregivers, in turn keeping libraries
themselves alive. Permission to work with infectious
joy does wonders for staff retention and personal
satisfaction too. While all librarians orchestrate
collisions between stock and customer from which
no party need remain unmoved, children’s librarians
in particular need to be that collision for the first time
for a lot of their customers. They need to actively
seek out and resurrect stories from all times to select
the best, as opposed to simply the most obvious,
books. They also need to deliver them to new readers
and listeners at a broad range of levels in direct and
attractive ways.
As a children’s librarian, indiscriminate book lover,
storyteller, writer, and mother of two, I spend my life
immersed in story – internally entertained by a near
constant jumble of competing narratives. Whether
working the children’s desk, in the story chair,
cataloguing, purchasing, reviewing, or personally
recommending titles, I often fret that I’ll never have
time to read even a fraction of the flood of books
around me. Day after day, these stories shuffle
around, chattering to me, trying to claim superior
suitability over one another, waiting for me to break
them out at story time, blog about them, our make
them a ‘You Really Ought to Read’ title on our
children’s services web page. Good stories are not
quiet, but if not broadcast, suggested, and suitably
received, they are effectively silenced. In strict library
formula terms, they are not issuing enough to earn
their keep on the shelf. In reader terms, these are
chords never struck – silenced opportunities.
Nothing excites me quite the way reading a brand
new book to a crowd can. An old book the audience
have never heard before, but should have, gives
me an entirely different feeling. I imagine, in the
time before I introduced the book to the person/
people sitting in front of me, it must have been
resting between the poles of being read and ignored
– rustling nervously as we weeded. I imagine it
dreaming, as it risked being deleted through no fault
of its own, of that perfect meeting between the right
book, the right reader, often the right previous reader,
and the right time.
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Feature Articles
With children’s books, the window of opportunity can
be quite small, although it might open again when
that child becomes the adult picking books for their
own child. Still, the fact it takes so long for these
stories to be discovered (why have the adults with
these children never seen them before?) makes me
wonder if the stories are being unnecessarily kept
from the people for want of enthusiastic marketing.
It’s not enough to keep old stock in the stack
cupboard and pray children will seek it out and not
notice what a long way children’s publishing has
moved towards making books attractive to children.
Toss out the tattered and wormy ones, with eightpoint font and 1980s television tie-in covers,
and buy new copies of the classics. Think of the
gorgeous 70th anniversary reissues of Enid Blyton’s
Famous Five books (1942-1963), with new covers
by top illustrators like Quentin Blake; or the Vintage
Children’s Classics new editions of books like Sheila
Burnford’s The Incredible Journey (1961) and Frances
Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess (lending hot since
1905). Remember the things you love about them
and get vocal.
It’s all marketing, and children’s books need it to be
made as enticing as the myriad of other information
based entertainments and educative tools working
harder (faster, noisier, brighter) for their attention.
Whether on pages or lips, or even on You Tube,
the really important thing is to keep the stories alive
regardless of what medium we receive them in. Great
stories are what people yearn for every second of
every day – they’re one of the main reasons humnas
spend so much time with their finger on the scroll
button, or swiping (the international sign for: ‘I’m
dying of boredom! Help me!’), waiting to be grabbed
and changed for life.
Just as life can be richer beyond the screen, risking
throwing down the books you are hiding behind/in
from time to time has its own hyper-real power too.
Practise the ancient art of telling stories from the
heart. Vulnerability is the surest road to connection,
and as there are not many things more vulnerable
than kids, the least you can do is join them on the
bridge. Sometimes this might manifest in craziness
(I’m picturing Sally, resplendent in her Captain
Underpants get-up, pausing every five minutes in
a sprawling holiday story time to rise, waggle her
backside at them, and ask, “Have I got a wedgie?”).
There may even be tears (Sally, again, making herself
and several audience members cry during a day of
repeat readings of Jim’s Letters, by Glyn Harper and
Jenny Cooper, 2014).
It’s about bringing stories to life, and stories so
good, people will do anything (even learn to read
themselves!) to get more of them. This cuts out the
middle stage of decoding, shooting the essence of
narrative straight to the heart – but it also installs the
need for a route to more of the same in the listener.
Get them hooked on stories and your library will start
doing your work for you.
Feature Articles
No audience need be too old to benefit from a
sharing session when the books are well chosen.
Try very interactive books - like Tap the Magic Tree
(Christie Matheson, 2013), Press Here (Herve Tullet,
2010), and This Book Just Ate My Dog, Richard
Byrne (2014) - moving among your audience to
ensure maximum tactile reach, and generate the
excitement inherent in the message breaking out of its
medium, or the performer breaching the prescribed
confines of the stage to join the audience.
Try any of these methods in combination, and in
combination with great books. You don’t have to suit
up to do this work – although that can be fun. The
only real costume requirement is to wear your heart
on your sleeve, and make sure you remain in touch
with the pace its beating at. If it quickens or aches,
passionate advocacy is at work. Grab a childhood
favourite, try connecting it to the next sympathetic
child you meet, and then take your pulse. If you’re
excited, chances are it will be contagious.
Source meaningful illustrations to illustrate short
stories or long poems for older children, providing
visual focus points for the theme you are highlighting,
or invite them to close their eyes while you read.
Read to them about big and important themes that
are impacting on their lives, and even bigger ones
beyond their personal realities, because this educates
and encourages empathy. Arrange for them to be
able to draw or paint while you’re reading, then
exhibit the results, in honour of the contribution their
consideration brings to the subject. Let no topic,
presented age appropriately for your audience, be
taboo. Rest assured, no matter what happens in the
story, no reader will actually be injured by learning
about it rendered in the safe confines of a book save
the occasional paper cut and bruised heart. On the
best days, you might even open someone’s eyes to a
new point of view.
Back in the school hall, the story time has ended
triumphantly and the crowd are being marshalled into
four tidy lines. Two girls have joined forces to break
the directive, and are beating a trail towards me,
eager to show me what each has clenched in her fist.
They unfurl their fingers…
Wordless books make great spontaneous story
launch pads for older groups of kids, empowering
them to apply their own powers of storytelling to
visual narratives. They also work well as lap-sits with
little ones, freeing them from the complications of
decoding text that can seem too fixed, or just too
slippery to the early or struggling reader.
“Wow!” I’m genuinely impressed in a couple of ways.
“You’ve got bionic ears just like mine.” I pull out one
of my hearing aids and put it beside theirs.
They nod, wide-eyed, but apparently stunned
speechless by this unusually intimate instance of
bonding.
“All the better to hear me with, huh?” More nodding.
We have a brief conversation about our audiologists,
and the principal (whose dog had apparently eaten
her hearing aids), and all the while I am thinking, ‘I
just know there’s a story in this.’ Then we all pop our
hearing aids back in, they join their tidy lines, and
Sally and I head back out into an afternoon that feels
a lot warmer than it did an hour before.
I felt we’d been particularly well heard, and I am sure
we all sang loud enough to cover any bum notes
inadvertently struck.
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Feature Articles
BEE’S INTRODUCTION TO BOOK LISTS…
Consider these lists a mere sampling of some of my currently enduring favourite things to share and
recommend. All of the authors/illustrators warrant further investigation, as I’ve tended towards singling out just
one, or one series, of their works. For reasons of space and time (yours and mine), too many great authors and
titles to list have been omitted. Make your own lists like these and find ways to share them whenever possible. I
would love to see them.
Good stories to tell…
evocative that you may not notice there is no text.
The Sneetches and Other Stories, Dr Seuss (1961)
‘What Was I Scared Of’ in particular never fails –
especially if you can engage someone to help animate
a pair of spooky pants.
Flotsam, David Wiesner (2006)
A boy finds a camera at the beach, and gets the film
developed. This won Wiesner his third Caldecott
Medal.
The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein (1964)
A boy, a tree, and a selfless love that lasts a lifetime.
Journey (2013), Quest (2014), Return (coming soon!),
by David Wiesner
When picture books play like silent movies. Journey
won the Caldecott Medal.
Frog and Toad are Friends (1970), Frog and Toad
Together (1972), Frog and Toad All Year (1976), Days
With Frog and Toad (1979), Arnold Lobel
With friends like these, all life’s quandaries find
resolution.
Picture Books
The Widow’s Broom, Chris van Allsburg (1992)
Perfect for a nocturnal event for older thrill seekers.
Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown and Clement
Hurd (1947)
The perfect first book for any baby, and the one I
remember being my ‘first book’ too.
Snake and Lizard (2007) and Friends : Snake and
Lizard (2009) Joy Cowley
The Frog and Toad of their time.
Dreams, Ezra Jack Keats (1974)
A cat, a dog, a paper mouse, and a little boy teetering
between wakefulness and slumber.
Just One More, Joy Cowley and Gavin Bishop (2011)
An essential storytelling primer.
Outside, Over There, Maurice Sendak (1981)
The concluding volume of the thematic trilogy which
included Caledcott Medal winner Where the Wild
Things Are (1964), and Caldecott Honor winner In the
Night Kitchen (1970) – and acknowledged influence of
Jim Henson’s 1986 film Labyrinth.
Dark Night (originally published as L’école des
loisirs, 2007, published in English in 2009), Dorothee
deMonfreid
Into the woods…
I’d Really Like to Eat a Child, Sylviane Donnio and
Dorothee deMonfreid (2009)
Dark, twisted, tricky and fun.
Kitten’s First Full Moon, Kevin Henkes (2004)
Oh, what a night – all played out in glorious black and
white.
Mayfly Day, Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross (2006)
The treasured first and only day in the life of a mother
mayfly.
Wordless Picture Books
Sunshine (1981) and Moonlight (1982) Jan Ormerod
A family of three - getting up, going to bed - surely
this is the stuff of life.
Window (1991) and Belonging (2008), by Jeannie
Baker.
Watch time pass.
The Arrival, Shaun Tan (2006)
Mesmerising, intricately panelled graphic novel,
depicting an immigrant’s life in an imaginary world that
vaguely resembles our own. The illustrations are so
Maraea and the Albatrosses, Patricia Grace and Dave
Gunson (2007)
In a coastal town with a diminishing population,
year after year, Maraea waits for the coming of the
albatrosses.
City Dog, Country Frog, Mo Willems and Jon J Muth
(2010)
A year in the life of two friends with different life
spans.
Feature Articles
Hannah’s Night, Komako Sakai (2013)
Hannah wakes in darkness and has a lovely little
domestic adventure.
Sophisticated Picture Books for older readalouds
Once a Shepherd, Glenda Millard and Phil Lesnie
(2014)
A moving account of the effects of war, from the
home front to the trenches, told in the simplest
language.
Younger fiction (primary-middle school)
The Tunnel, Anthony Browne (1989)
The perfect spell for sibling rivalry.
Prayer for the twenty-first century (1997), John
Marsden and various artists and The Rabbits, John
Marsden and Shaun Tan (1998)
A poem and an allegory for mankind. Consecutive
year winners of the CBCA Children’s Book of the Year
Award for picture book.
Mr Peabody’s Apples, Madonna and Loren Long
(2003)
Gorgeous vintage-style illustrations and a timeless
moral tale about the pervasiveness of gossip.
Haere: Farewell, Jack, Farewell, Tim Tipene and
Huhana Smith (2005)
The circle of life.
Henry Huggins series (1950-1964) and Ramona
series (1955-1999)
Cleary, a librarian, wrote the first Henry Huggins book
in response to the boys in her library searching for
books “about boys like us”. She followed it with series
centring around the neighbouring Quimby family, and
sisters Beezus and Ramona.
My Happy Life (Originally published as Mitt lyckliga
liv in 2010, with English edition by Gecko Press in
2012), My Heart is Laughing (Originally published
as Mitt hjarta hoppar och skrattar in 2012, with
English edition by Gecko Press in 2014) (2015), Rose
Lagercrantz and Eva Eriksson
Yes, please, more meaningful, real life, ageappropriate books for the newly confident reader!
Older Fiction (intermediate)
Tales From Outer Suburbia, Shaun Tan (2008)
Strange scenes from the Australian suburbs, rendered
in a series of wide-eyed views.
In Our Mothers’ House, Patricia Pollacco (2009)
Three adopted children experience the joys and
challenges of being raised by a pair of the world’s
best mothers. You’ll want to move in.
Desmond and the Very Mean Word, Archbishop
Desmond Tutu and AG Ford (2013)
Based on a true story of Tutu’s childhood in South
Africa, Desmond and the Very Mean Word reveals the
power of words and the secret of forgiveness.
Maia and What Matters, Tine Mortier and Kaatje
Vermeire (originally published as Mare en de Dingen in
2010, with English edition by Book Island, 2013)
Gorgeous and deeply moving account of a
grandchild/parent bond from happiest to hardest
times.
The Silver Sword, Ian Serrallier (1956)
Classic and highly influential World War II story sure
to captivate fans of Morris Gleitzman’s equally brilliant
Once series, and acknowledged by John Boyne as an
early influence that would contribute to his own The
Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2007).
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler,
Sheila Konigsburg (1967)
A sister and brother leave home to take up residence
in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art.
The Brothers Lionheart, Astrid Lindgren (First
published as Broderna Lejonhjarta in 1973, and in
English translation, 1975)
When death takes two brothers separately, they are
reunited for an adventure transcending mortality in the
land where sagas are born.
Book With No Pictures, BJ Novak (2014)
Exactly what it says, and a guaranteed hoot-fest.
The Neverending Story, Michael Ende (1979)
Fantasy told in two worlds. The first edition I ever read
was printed in two different colours of ink, denoting
the alternating lead characters’ voices.
The Day No One Was Angry, Toon Tellegen and Marc
Boutavant (Originally published as N’y a t-il personne
pour se mettre en colère in 2002, with English edition
by Gecko Press, 2014.)
New fables/old feelings. An instant classic.
Magic! The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six
More, Roald Dahl (1982)
‘The Swan’ in particular is a great intermediate level
read-aloud, stimulating discussion on the subject of
bullying, animal rights, and freedom.
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Feature Articles
Fruitloops & Dipsticks, Ulf Stark (originally published
as Darkfinkar & Donnicker in 1984, with English
edition by Gecko Press, 2010)
A girl, mistaken for a boy, comes of age in a world
gone loopy.
Once (2005), Then (2008), Now (2010), After (2012)
and Soon (coming late 2015!), Morris Gleitzmann
The hottest reads I know – capable of turning
the most reluctant reader into a voracious one.
Impossible to put down or forget.
Wonderstruck, a novel in words and pictures, by
Brian Selznick (2011)
Past, present, and two deaf strangers – one’s point
of view portrayed in pictures, the other’s in text – race
towards each other at the speed of film.
Eep!, Joke van Leeuwen (Originally published as Iep!
in 1996, with English edition by Gecko Press 2010).
A winged child answers the prayers of a staid middleaged couple.
Sharing Non-Fiction
Life Doesn’t Frighten Me, Maya Angelou and Jean
Michel Basquiat (1993)
Strong words meet street art making a great picture
book for the older set, and introduction to the works
of its two creators.
A Cool Drink of Water (2002), You and Me Together :
Moms, Dads, and Kids Around the World (2005), and
A Little Peace (2006), The World is Waiting For You,
by Barbara Kerley
Fascinating photographs from the far reaches of the
earth, described with simple, meditative texts (with
further reference text included) render these perfect
for both story time sharing, and deeper exploration.
I Have a Dream, Martin Luther King Jr. and Kadir
Nelson (2012)
The historic speech paid tribute with luminous
paintings, with accompanying audio CD
Wonder, RJ Palacio (2012, reprinted with ‘The Julian
Chapter’ added, 2014)
Love and share this story of the most beautiful soul
you’ll ever meet.
Professional Development and Industry News
THE LATEST ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
We’ve had a few changes in our website and professional development
line-up over the past year – there’s some exciting stuff happening.
It’s on the web and it’s FREE
If you haven’t already seen them check out our lineup of “5 Minutes on…” – these are short videos on
a variety of subject areas and can be a great way to
get an overview of a new topic quickly. We also have
transcripts for those of you who prefer reading to
listening.
It’s on the web and it’s FREE (for members)
We’ve just launched a series of webinars on a whole
range of topics – these will be happening every
month – Corin Haines launched the series with a
presentation on his recent trip to Turkey and ANZAC,
and Laurinda will be talking to us in June about the
“Future of libraries and why it isn’t what we think”.
It’s on the web and we’ve found it for you
There are an enormous range of training courses,
written resources, and learning tools out there and
we’re keeping you in the loop. We’ve got links
relating to almost every “Future Skill” identified for the
profession, and a whole tonne of leadership tools as
well. Just go onto the learning resources page of our
website and in the keyword box at the bottom enter
the topic you’re after. You’d be surprised what you
can find.
Speaking about on the web… Check out Library
Intelligence
This isn’t a LIANZA initiative but is worth a look – Sally
Pewhairangi (of Heroes Mingle) has just launched a
resource for those who want to upskill digitally. It’s
based on a solid framework of digital competencies
and can be done from anywhere. Check it out here:
http://libraryintelligence.co.nz/about/
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‘SOLD OUT’
LIANZA/NZLA History Digitised
LIANZA Executive Director Joanna Matthew recently reported
that the Association’s 2010 centennial history had sold out. Late
in 2006, LIANZA (formerly The New Zealand Library Association),
commissioned Julia Millen to research and write its full 100-year
history, but with particular emphasis on the last 50 years. Launched
in the Grand Hall, Parliament by Hon. Nathan Guy then Minister for
the National Library, and again at the LIANZA Conference in Dunedin,
2011 by Carolyn Robertson, A Century of Library Life in Aotearoa,
Te Rau Herenga 1910-2010, by Julia Millen is now out of print. The
LIANZA executive has decided that reprinting at this stage is not
feasible, preferring to wait until an updated history could be produced
in 2020. Meanwhile, a solution to the problem of availability has
now been presented with the National Library undertaking a new
project to digitise both the LIANZA centennial history by Julia Millen
and its predecessor: W.J. McEldowney’s The New Zealand Library
Association, 1910-1960.
HOW TO BUILD AN INTERNATIONAL
PROFESSIONAL NETWORK WITHOUT LEAVING HOME
Kate Byrne, Alyson Dalby & Clare McKenzie
International Librarians Network
Libraries around the world are facing a multitude of
challenges. Many of us are facing shrinking budgets
at a time when the need for digital resources and
tools is increasing. The ways we connect with our
patrons are changing, as are the ways we organise
and manage our collections. Emerging fields of
librarianship offer exiting new career paths, but if we
rely on our old methods of communicating with each
other we risk missing out on these opportunities.
Having a professional network is about
• knowing someone else that can help solve a
problem that we are facing
• having a broader perspective on our profession
and opening up to new ideas and new ways of
doing things.
• knowing more about what opportunities there are
in our profession to help build our careers.
Investing in building
an international
professional network
is for people who
are eager to see
their work and their
profession from a
wider perspective.
Librarianship is an
ideal professional
for international
engagement as the
core principles of our
profession, such as a passion for helping people
and sharing knowledge, traverses countries and
continents. Certainly there are many differences
between libraries in different parts of the world or
different sectors but an extraordinary amount of what
we do is remarkably similar.
“
Investing in building
an international
professional network
is for people who
are eager to see
their work and their
profession from a
wider perspective.
It used to be that developing an international network
required international travel to attend conferences or
visit libraries. This can be expensive and out of reach
for most librarians, so we created the International
Librarians Network (ILN) to change that.
THE ILN: HOW IT WORKS
The ILN is a facilitated peer mentoring programme
aimed at helping librarians develop international
networks. We believe that innovation and inspiration
can cross borders, and that spreading our networks
beyond our home countries can make us better at
what we do.
Participants in the programme are matched with
a colleague from outside their country, based on
information provided in their application. Partnerships
are made for a fixed term of four months, and are
supported by regular contact and discussion topics
led by the programme directors. It is our vision that
over a series of programme rounds, participants
develop a widening network of ongoing, independent
professional relationships.
Peer mentoring means that partners are not placed
into established mentor/protégé roles, but rather are
encouraged to view their partnership as a way to
learn from each other - we believe that we all have
something to learn and something to teach.
Participation in the ILN is free and open to anyone
in the library and information management field,
including students of librarianship. To date, the ILN
has run five rounds of the programme, and has
facilitated nearly 1300 partnerships for over 2000
individuals from 112 countries, from Afghanistan to
Zimbabwe.
Created in Australia, the ILN is now run by over 30
volunteers all around the world, each with a different
role to play in the success of the programme. While
the ILN enjoys the support of many esteemed
professional and commercial bodies worldwide, it is
run independently as a non-profit organisation.
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ILN founders and directors, from left to right: Clare McKenzie, Alyson Dalby and Kate Byrne. Find out more
about us at http://interlibnet.org/about/meet-our-team/iln-directors/
IMPACT OF THE ILN ON PARTICIPANTS
We have an ongoing programme of evaluation for the
ILN with participant surveys run at the mid-point and
the conclusion of every round. One of the questions
we ask is “What impact has the ILN had on your
professional activities?” Coded into seven broad
groups, these responses come from the first four
rounds of the ILN.
Unsurprisingly, participation in the ILN supports
the development of an international perspective
on our profession. The ILN community is witness
to the similarities and differences across the entire
world of our profession, and participants develop an
appreciation of cultural communication differences
and the role of libraries in different countries. Equally
important, participation in the ILN generates a wider
professional awareness. It helps individuals step
outside of their immediate job to consider issues that
face other sectors in our profession and helps us
appreciate the issues that we have in common.
the programme and some participants told us that the
ILN assisted the development of a particular skill.
OTHER WAYS TO JOIN THE ILN COMMUNITY
If you don’t have the time to participate in the ILN’s
peer mentoring programme, the ILN offers a number
of ways to engage with the international world of
librarianship. The ILN seeks to create a true meeting
place for librarians from around the world. The ILN
website includes a blog that showcases library-related
content from around the world, created and curated
to connect with our discussion topics. Or join us on
social media where the ILN’s active Facebook and
Twitter accounts are a chance to share library news
and chat with colleagues from around the world.
CONCLUSION
Many of our participants told us
that the ILN exposed them to new
Participating
ideas that they can use in their own
in the ILN has
workplace. Our favourite comment
increased
was from someone who shares her
professional
partner’s suggestions for problem
confidence and
solving with her entire team at work,
motivation.
who then respond and build on those
ideas. Participating in the ILN has
increased professional confidence and
motivation. Some participants reported that the ILN
enhanced their general professional development,
several participants noted the networking benefits of
“
We hope we’ve inspired you to build
your own professional network on an
international scale. Remember, you’ll only
get out what you put in – so you need
to get out there and start connecting.
We welcome your participation in the
International Librarians Network and we
hope to see you online or in the next
round of our international peer mentoring
programme - applications open in July
2015. Find out more about the ILN on our
website: http://interlibnet.org
SAFELY INFORMED
Helena Westwick outlines the awareness raising services and
library resources available through her organisation.
Safekids Aotearoa was established around 1993 and
one of the first employees (after the Director) was
a librarian. Information has always been important
to Safekids and this is reflected in the “Spectrum
of Prevention” model used to guide the work of
the organisation. Over the years the librarian (or
Information Specialist) has been largely responsible
for building the model’s “solid base of information”.
Safekids has recently published a new safekids.nz
website, and there’s a new look Information Service
page and online catalogue interface. There’s also a
prominent “Ask a Question” link on the front page to
encourage customer engagement.
As part of its advocacy role, Safekids publishes
position papers, factsheets and infographics on a
range of child injury topics. Publications are now
reported to the National Library of New Zealand,
and there is a new Order Resources module on the
Safekids website. Let us know if there’s anything
you’d like for your library.
Safekids is a national service but is only 10 people.
Our child injury programmes are run in partnership
with community injury prevention stakeholders
such as Well Child providers, NZ Police, HSNZ and
many more organisations working at the coal face
with families. We rely on others to deliver our safety
messages. Safekids is also venturing into social
media and we’re on Facebook and Twitter - @
safekidsnz.
Safekids Aotearoa’s mission is “To reduce the
incidence and severity of unintentional injuries to
children aged 0 to 14 years”. It does this through its
advocacy, programmes, and Information Service. The
Information Service is a conduit for information about
child injury prevention and the main target audiences
are policy makers, researchers, community injury
prevention workers, health professionals, educators,
parents and caregivers.
The current information specialist role is sole charge
and provides reference, current awareness, library/
publications/content management and proofing/
editing services to internal staff, stakeholders and
members of the public. In the last year, we’ve
refreshed our free current awareness services
Kidsinfo Bulletin (bimonthly) and SafetyLit child injury
references (weekly). Patrons can now subscribe
online.
We’re always looking for new ways to get child safety
messages into the community, especially Māori,
Pacific and other vulnerable communities. Perhaps
your library would like to work with Safekids on an
injury prevention display for your children’s section.
We have all sorts of resources that could work.
Contact: Helena Westwick, Information Specialist.
Email: [email protected] Phone: +64 9 631 0724
Safekids Aotearoa Information Service is on Level 5,
Cornwall Complex, 40 Claude Rd, Epsom, Auckland
(Greenlane Hospital Campus) and open Monday Friday 8.30am - 5pm. Issue 435 • Library Life • www.lianza.org.nz
49
50
INFO
CALLS
STUDIES
FOR PAPERS:
@ VIC
CONGRATULATIONS TO
OUR GRADUATES!
On Thursday 14th May we
celebrated with our newest
graduates. Four students
graduated with a Master of
Information Studies. They
did well to make it to the
ceremony as there was
a severe weather event
going on in Wellington at
the time, which shut down
a lot of the public transport
network and prevented
some of our staff from
attending. Congratulations
to you all and all the best for
your future endeavours!
RUTHERFORD HOUSE
BUILDING WORK
For those of you that haven’t
been past Victoria’s Pipitea
Campus recently, Rutherford
House, where we are based,
is undergoing a major building
project. An extension is being
built on the East side of the
building, going up to the fourth
floor. This is exciting because
it will mean that the majority of
our student services, including
the Commerce Library, will be
based in one place. Some
face-to-face classes will have
to move to different rooms
on the Pipitea campus to
accommodate the building
work, but we are keeping
students informed about this.
INFO520 WORKPLACE
SHADOWING
As part of our revised
INFO520: The Information
Professions, each student
is required to undertake a
day of shadowing in a type
of Information workplace
which they had not previously
experienced. Organising
placements for over seventy
students was no easy task,
but we managed it, and there
has been good feedback
from students and employers
so far. Thank you so much
to everyone who provided a
shadowing placement for our
students, it’s a great way for
each of them to build on their
understanding and experience
of the sector. We look forward
to working with you again in
future iterations of this course.
REVALIDATIONS AND NEW REGISTRATIONS
Congratulations to those who have successfully revalidated or
became professionally registered in the past month:
Hikuwai
Karen Lawson
Jennifer Hobson
Aoraki
Colleen Faye Leov
Te Upoko o te Ika a Maui
Louise Mercer
Joanne Horner
Kathlyn Cuttris
Waikato/Bay of Plenty
Angela Broring
Sarah-Jane Saravani
There will be monthly updates of new registrations and revalidations. For up to date information
of registrants see lianza.org.nz/professional-registration/registration-roll.
EBOOK LIBRARY UPDATES
New titles are always being added to our EBL service. Here are our top picks:
Members can access these titles and many more via the LIANZA
EBL portal at lianzamembers.memnet.com.au/lianza-ebl
51
52
UPCOMING CALENDAR EVENTS
Remember to check lianza.org.nz/event-calendar
for full details on these listings, and for new events.
JUNE
23 Webinar; Laurinda Thomas
Why the future of libraries isn’t what you think!
AUGUST
25 Webinar; Kris Wehipeihana
Meet your president
SEPTEMBER
JULY
02 Quiz Night in the Dunedin Celebrity Squares
Albany Street, Dunedin
15–18 30th Australian and New Zealand
Theological Library Conference
King’s College, Auckland
21 International Conference & Business Expo on
Wireless Communications & Network
Linthicum Heights, USA
28-30 SLANZA 2015 Conference
St Andrews College, Christchurch
21 Webinar; Irena Burton
Making great video
To be kept up-to-date with the latest eLearning opportunities in library and information
management, sign up to regular email announcements with these great course providers:
www.alastore.ala.org • infopeople.org
BIBLIOBROWSING
This month’s links are all about the tech, the access and the design. K?
Open Access: New modes of collaboration,
unforeseen in 2000, are emerging in a variety of
scientific subcultures.
http://blogs.plos.org/scicomm/2015/04/13/helloworld/
Elsevier clashes with researchers over open access
publishing for academic texts
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/
rearvision/big-deals-bad-feelings-in-the-knowledgebusiness/6480274
Dot what?
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_
tense/2015/05/icann_transition_the_interesting_
history_of_the_internet_domain_name_system.html
An angry librarian: Enforcing artificial scarcity is a bad
role for a public institution
https://medium.com/message/things-that-make-thelibrarian-angry-1d30cd27cf60
Browser extensions and privacy
http://www.cilip.org.uk/cilip/blog/can-browserextensions-really-protect-your-privacy
The purpose of public libraries is exactly the same as
the effect of file-sharing
https://torrentfreak.com/you-cant-defend-public-
libraries-and-oppose-file-sharing-150510/
“Becoming a librarian saved me from my Tourette’s,
from hopelessness, and from ignorance”
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/
industry-news/tip-sheet/article/56971-howbecoming-a-librarian-saved-me.html
How to design a smaller library that has the same
level of resources of a much larger one
http://www.startribune.com/victoria-s-new-librarygrabs-ideas-from-farmhouses-and-the-applestore/303805581/
How do we build libraries for an ever-changing
environment?
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2015/05/buildings/lbd/
design-for-people-library-by-design-spring-2015/
Rethinking the library workspace
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2015/05/buildings/lbd/
rethink-the-staff-workplace-library-by-designspring-2015/
Vote libraries – and get some free campaign designs
http://everylibrary.org/new-votelibraries-art-designlibrary-campagins/
53
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Library Life 435 June 2015

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