The latest from the City Library
Central Library hours are getting a small tweak, based on the times when more people want to use it. So, from July 7, 2024, Sunday hours will be extended and Central will be open from 12 noon till 4pm. That’s an extra weekend hour to enjoy the Library, hang out in the wonderful spaces, and grab some lovely books!
To balance this out, Wednesday hours will move to 10am – 6pm. This begins on July 3. The rest of the weekdays keep the opening time of 9am.
On Friday June 28, the public holiday for Matariki | Puanga is observed. While we celebrate Matariki | Puanga on one day, it is actually a period of days in the lunar month of Pipiri. Matariki | Puanga signifies ‘Te Mātahi o te Tau’ or the ‘Māori New Year’. Nationally, the holiday is generally referred to as Matariki, but Rangitāne o Manawatū traditionally give prominence to Puanga, an important star near the Matariki cluster that can be easier to see in this part of the motu. Matariki | Puanga is a time to remember those who have passed, celebrate the present and plan for the future. Check out our Kaupapa Māori webpage for a great list of resources, information and activities!
UPDATE Thursday May 16, 4pm: The computer system migration appears to have gone well. Thank you for your patience.
At this point:
The Library computer system is moving to a new server. To do this, the system will be down from 8pm on Wednesday 15 May, through all day Thursday 16 May. All going well, the system will be back up on Friday 17 May.
This means:
Most of Central Library will be closed on May 16, as there’s no good way to handle the volume of issues at that location. Ground Floor and Mezzanine Floor will be open for computer use, and for activities which were already planned for that day,
Community Libraries will be open on May 16, but will only be able to issue items using a backup system. Please be patient with staff as they do their best with limited means!
It also means that during the downtime:
– You can expect all digital resources including Libby, Kanopy, Press Reader, etc. to be unavailable
– The Library catalogue and your library account will be unavailable
– The Library app will be unavailable
Returns bins are open as normal – yay!
Check back here for updates.
Very pleased to announce that the Mobile Library has been fixed and is back in action.
You can look forward to the usual great selection of books – more than could be provided in the temporary van.
Thank you for your patience while the maintenance was carried out.
See the Mobile Library timetable here.
Update: both the online catalogue and the Library app appear to be working again now. Apologies for the inconvenience.
We’re very pleased to announce that from April 6, 2024, the Justice of the Peace service will be available on Fridays and Saturdays. Sessions run from 11am – 1pm, in the Wharite Room on the Mezzanine Floor of Central Library. The long-running Friday sessions are always well-attended, so having them available on Saturdays as well should be very helpful for anyone who needs something official signed.
If you need JP assistance outside those hours, you can find a list of people to contact on the Royal Federation of NZ Justices’ Associations website.
We’re delighted to announce that the Library App is back in action! Renew items, place holds, and see the latest library news, all on your phone or tablet. You can even link accounts, so you can keep an eye on the whole family’s cards in one place. We know many of you have really missed having the app, so we’re overjoyed to be able to tell you it’s available again. Please contact the City Library if you have any questions about installing or using the Library app, and please spread the word!
Once again, in 2024, the City Library’s Versions writing project is go. The fifth in the series, Versions Tuarima will collect community creativity, giving anyone an opportunity to see their work in print. Use the prompt to get started with writing a story, poem or play, or write a piece of music or create some visual art. The idea is to explore creativity.
This year’s prompt is “whenua/earth”. Make of that what you will. You can use it extensively, or as a jumping off point, or go your own way completely.
How to format your submission:
See here: for a good formal overview: https://www.shunn.net/format/classic/
When submitting, please include a brief biography of around 50 words.
Feel free to contact us with any questions about that, at content@pncc.govt.nz.
Submissions open on 1st of March and the deadline is 31st July. We’ll publish a physical book as well as an ebook in October. We’re planning on running a couple of workshops to help you along the way – keep an eye on our What’s On page. Submissions and questions can be sent to content@pncc.govt.nz.
Let your creative muse soar!
Like most of us, library books just want to be held. Holds are free at Palmerston North City Library, and it’s a great way to make sure you don’t miss a popular title. You can also place a hold on a book to bring it from another location. For example, if you’re at Ashhurst you can put a hold on a book that’s at Central, and it will be brought out to you.
Here are some ways to place a hold:
Whichever method you use, you’ll receive an email when the book is ready to be collected. Then you have 10 days to pick up the item.
Show a library book some love today!
Versions is back! Each year we throw open the invitation to local writers to be part of an anthology. We provide the prompt (which you’re welcome to ignore if you don’t need it) and you can submit anything from a poem to a short story to a play. Actually, anything creative – music, visual art, sculpture, dance, anything – we’ll figure out how to include it.
Library staff do the editing and formatting, and then the anthology is published later in the year. All writers get a hard copy of the book, and are invited to bring their friends and family to the launch.
All submissions are accepted (unless they are offensive or plagiaristic). So if you’ve ever wanted to write something and have it published, here’s your chance!
This year’s prompt is as brief as it is broad: earth. This ties in with this year’s Heritage Month theme, so if you’re short on ideas, you could attend some of the Heritage talks and see if they spark something.
You might want to write a poem about Planet Earth. Or a short story where the protagonist builds a rammed-earth house. Go wild with it, and write whatever comes to mind.
As this is the fifth instalment of Versions, it will be called Versions Tuarima. (Rima = five.)
Keep an eye on the City Library website as we get closer to March, and we’ll release details of the submission dates and process.
Until then, start conjuring up ideas!
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