Category: Library News

Each year around Anzac Day we display our special Anzac quilt. This quilt was made from hours of work from Council staff and the Palmerston North community in 2015.

The poppies came about from a request from the Waiouru Army Museum to create a display commemorating the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War 1. Due to the amazing response they got there was a surplus so all of poppies made by Palmerston North residents were retained by the Central Library in order to make the amazing quilt.

Amongst the red poppies there is also a white poppy to commemorate the fallen Asian soldiers and a purple one for the animals who died during the war. The Turkish flag is also included as they are kindly watching over the graves of our fallen soldiers.

Palmerston North’s Central Library, Community Libraries in Ashhurst, Awapuni, Roslyn and Te Pātikitiki, Youth Space and Blueprint: The City Library Makerspace will be closed on Monday 25 April for ANZAC Day.

For the Fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal 
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: 
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again; 
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England’s foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound, 
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust, 
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness, 
To the end, to the end, they remain.

– Laurence Binyon

This April, the Library has a great range of activities for all. Here’s a summary of what we have coming up:

April School Holiday Grab and Go activity packs

In a hurry and need something to entertain the kids? Our Grab and Go activity packs are perfect, and a new pack is available each week! Find out more.

21 April – Taking the Ridge

Part of our Writers and Readers programme, Taking the Ridge welcomes author Jeffrey McNeill to talk about his book Taking the Ridge: Anzacs & Germans at the Battle of Messines 1917.

The talk is on 21 April at 6pm on the Ground Floor of Central Library, and RSVPs are requested. Find out more.

27 April – Global War, Global Catastrophe – Neutrals, Belligerents and the Transformation of the First World War

The First World War had a massive impact on Aotearoa New Zealand, but we were far from alone. In this lecture, Professor Maartje Abbenhuis explains how fundamental the First World War was for communities around the world, whether they actually fought in the war or not. 

This talk is hosted at the Globe Theatre at 5.45pm. RSVPs are necessary. Find out more.

Autumn Reading

It’s like Summer Reading, but cosier and open to all!

Read, earn badges and go into the draw to win prizes for feeding your inner bookworm. Find out more.

COMING UP IN MAY

5 May – The Career That Chose Me: Vicki Lee Find out more.

12 May – Life as a Beefeater in the Tower of London Find out more.

More activities and programmes are in store at the Library, so stay tuned!

Planning to visit the Library this Easter weekend? We’re closed Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, but open on Saturday 16 April. Check out the hours for Central Library below:

And for our Community Libraries here:

Last week about 60 members of the Brazilian community in PN and members of the wider community enthralled us all with a parade around Te Marae o Hine /The Square with their puppets, music and dancing.

Carnaval is the most popular event in Brazil and everyone is welcome to celebrate it. It is used in our community as a chance to help keep the Brazilian culture and language alive, and especially as a chance for the children to keep a connection to their culture.

Check out the article from the Manawatū Standard: Carnaval brings colour and culture to Palmerston North city centre | Stuff.co.nz

This week we are looking at kai resilience building initiatives as a focus on Neighbours Day Aotearoa 2022.

In our local neighbourhoods we have a lot of organisations that have been doing this for years and have been doing a great service to our communities.

At Te Pātikitiki and Ashhurst Libraries they each have a community garden kindly run by volunteer groups Let’s Grow Highbury and RECAP: The Society for the Resilience and Engagement of the Community of Ashhurst and Pohangina Inc. respectively. Everyone is encouraged to take what they need from the garden, and these groups also run education programmes to help share their knowledge of how to grow your own produce.

Another great service these groups provide through our libraries is the seed libraries. They are run slightly different but their purpose is essentially the same, where the focus is sharing seeds around the community for free.

All the Community Libraries have sharing tables where people frequently drop off excess fruit and vegetables – a much better option than having it munched up by the lawn mower! These are found in all the libraries with the exception of Ashhurst Library that has a sharing shelf outside.

Next week the Digital Help Sessions at all City Library locations will resume.

These are individual sessions where we can help you answer your questions, such as how to access eBooks, how to use your phone, help with a job application, or simply learning how to turn your device on!

We are happy to try and find solutions for you though bookings are required for these sessions so please contact us if you wish to make one.

Neighbours Day is about encouraging people to get to know their neighbours better. The theme for this year is Kai Connections.

There are two activities our libraries are getting behind to celebrate Neighbours Day this year. The first is about highlighting the community-led programmes that help with kai resilience building initiatives. This will be done through a series of photographs and stories that will be put together in a book to be available at the Community Libraries.

The second activity with be a display at all the Palmerston North Libraries for Neighbours Day Aotearoa 2022 – Kai Connections. The displays will invite people to share their favourite recipes and ways of how to share kai within the community.

For more information on Neighbours Day please visit Neighbours Day Aotearoa.

Holi is a Hindu festival also known as the Festival of Love and the Festival of Colours which ties in to the gorgeous display of colourful saris we have in the Central Library at the moment. It also marks the start of Spring.

If you are lucky enough to visit India during Holi you will find the streets full of colour. Each colour represents something, with the brightest colours being the most popular. You will, however find an absence of white and black.

During the Holi Festival streets will be full of people dancing, throwing colours at each other (coloured powders and water), lots of music and celebration.

Come in and see the beautiful display we have in the Central Library on the First Floor kindly put together by Anita from the Central Indian Association.