Library News

This is possibly the very best time of year in the library.  You may wonder why – it is because the new financial year has begun and I get the book budget.  As you know from previous missives I am always enthusiastic about buying new books for the library.  In fact over the last year I bought over 150 books in response to customer requests as well as quite a few DVDs.

 
There is always the odd book I can’t get hold of because of age or expense but we can interloan from other NZ libraries if someone is really desperate.   We have found some wonderful new authors through customer request though, for instance C J Box and William Kreuger. 

We also have the entire Man Booker International prize short list books which have been donated to us by Glenys H (thanks).  Also thanks to everyone who has donated books over the year, it really helps us to keep up to date and to keep our book stock looking good. 

We now have over 40 members in the Friends of Martinborough Library and thanks to Kate and Tom who are setting up the Trust.  So far there are some really good ideas coming through for fundraising events – we have now reached the first $1,000 in our fundraising efforts.  These are primarily through donations, sales of lavender bags, book bags and golf balls. 

Now for something completely different – school holidays are almost upon us.  We have a couple of great activities to go alongside the Paws to Read holiday Reading programme.  On 11th July at 10.30 Roz is making robots, 14th July at 10.30 Genevieve is doing stage makeup and on the 18th July Jo Cutforth is doing decoupage.  The decoupage is in two sessions 10.30 and 2.  The highlight is the Travelling Tuatara who is performing for us at St Andrew’s Church Hall at 1pm and a big thank you to St Andrew’s for letting us use the hall. 

We won’t know ourselves when we have a lovely new big building to hold all our activities in.  The last day for the reading programme check-in is the 4th of August which will swiftly be followed by the finale party (date to be advised). 

Our Boomerang Bags are going really well, flying out the door of the library and then flying back in again!  It is such a great initiative and congratulations to Amanda and Carolyn for their perseverance.   For all those who were unaware that our lovely Janet abandoned us for the greener grass of Masterton Library, you will be pleased to know that our new staff member started on Monday 3rd July.  Welcome to Aaron who is quite unaware of just how mad we are in the library and hopefully he won’t be scared off too quickly.  Aaron has a great background in books and will be a real asset to the library and Martinborough.
 
Thanks to Roz who has covered for the last six weeks but she is not gone forever, she will be back to cover sickness or leave – what would we do without her.  That’s all for now, with the Cup and the Lions all behind us now everyone can go back to reading a book!  Have a great week.

Shirley