Happy New Year and welcome to our first Library newsletter of 2024!

Unattended Child Policy

QLDC warmly welcomes children to utilise library resources and join programs. While our staff are eager to assist with reading and information needs, they cannot provide childcare. In accordance with New Zealand law, children aged 0-10 must have a caregiver present in the library, and no one under the age of 14 can act as a caregiver. 

Thank you for your cooperation in complying with this policy and helping us to ensure that all children have a safe and enjoyable experience at QLDC Libraries. 

To read more about this policy please follow this link to our policies hub.

Recycling Changes

From 1 February 2024 the Ministry for the Environment is making it easier for people to recycle right, no matter where you are in Aotearoa New Zealand by standardising kerbside recycling. 

There are just two small changes coming for our district. From 1 February you can start putting more plastics marked '1' in your yellow mixed recycling bin. You will be able to recycle meat trays, punnets, and coloured bottles (like L&P). Pizza boxes, if they are free from grease will also be able to go in the yellow bins.

Click here for the latest updates and information about recycling with care.

Library App Status

The Library App is currently down and we have been told by the developer that it may not be available for the foreseeable future. This is an issue affecting libraries across the world.

A solution is being developed by the provider however it may be several months before it is resolved. The current app may have some features that appear to work; however the information is outdated. We recommend deleting the app and using the mobile optimised catalogue in your phone web browser by clicking this link.

Library Notices

From 17 January, reminder emails from the library will be sent from a "noreply" email address. These emails might be flagged as spam by your email servers; please keep an eye on your spam folder from 17 January and mark these emails as safe to ensure you continue to receive your library reminder emails.

If you need to email us to renew items or ask a question, please email your local branch. The email address for your home branch will be in the body of the reminder email or can be found here.

New Zealand Book Awards

Public and school librarians, teachers, booksellers, award-winning authors and illustrators, as well as passionate advocates of te reo Māori and te ao Māori, make up the two panels appointed to judge entries in the 2024 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

We are delighted and proud to share that Wānaka secondary school and public librarian (at Wānaka library) Maia Bennett (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), who was a judge of the 2023 awards, will convene the English and bilingual panel in 2024.

Maia says she was delighted to be asked to return as convenor this year. “It is such a privilege to be part of this important mahi celebrating our local literature for children and young adults. This year’s panel of judges bring a wide range of expertise and experiences in a variety of fields, while sharing a passion for books and reading,” she says. “We look forward to the collaboration and spirited discussion that will no doubt ensue as we deliberate to collectively determine the very best children’s books from a highly competitive and innovative field of entries.”

The 2024 judges will read and appraise an expected 160 or more entries in six categories: Picture Book, Junior Fiction (the Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award), Young Adult Fiction, Non-Fiction (the Elsie Locke Award), Illustration (the Russell Clark Award) and te reo Māori (the Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award). They will select up to five finalists in each category, as well as up to five finalists for the NZSA Best First Book Award, and then a winner in each category. The overall winner, the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year, will be decided by both panels from the six main category winners.

Click here to read the full article on the New Zealand Book Awards, including information on submission criteria.

New Fiction

New Non-fiction

Staff picks

Welcome to this month's Staff Picks, where our librarians share some of the great books they've read recently. Discover hidden gems, popular titles, and diverse recommendations that will captivate your imagination and enrich your reading experience. Click here for the entire list.

Digital Spotlight

Are you looking for something to keep your kids entertained these holidays? Then look no further than our Kids resources on the Library website!

All of these resources can be accessed for free, on phones, tablets and computers, via the Library Online. All you need handy is your library card and pin/password.

Kinderling Kids brings music, stories, programs, and sleep to kids through research driven programming tailored around the energies and moods of children aged 0-9 years old. Kinderling is audio-based, offering an alternative to screens, to spark the imaginations of children.

National Geographic - Kids let's children explore amazing adventures in science, nature, culture, archaeology, and space. It includes online versions of all of the magazines and books your children may be familiar with.

Busy Things is a fun, quirky and creative online educational world for kids aged 3-11. It has over 900 games, activities and downloadable resources to make learning fun!

Britannica Library - Kids  is built and designed with younger users in mind, full of engaging and eye-catching colours and images, as well as regularly updated content that makes the homepage the perfect place to find unique material and discussion points.

TumbleBook Library brings you a selection of animated, talking picture books in English, French and Spanish for preschool through to Year 6.

LOTE4Kids allows kids to learn language and connect with books through the magic of storytelling. The platform provides thousands of audio-picture books in over 50+ World Languages, together with English translations.

Mussila offers digital solutions for children aged 6 to 10 years old, to learn with Mussila Music and Mussila Wordplay through a unique Learn, Play, and Create methodology.

Creativebug lets you experience the joy of making and creating with thousands of online art and craft video classes taught by top designers and artists.

Children & Young Adult
Staff Picks

Each month our passionate children's librarians handpick the most delightful, heartwarming, and engaging books for young readers. Below is just a taster but head to our blog for the entire list. Happy reading, little bookworms!

What's on at the library

Special Events

Join this goal-setting workshop on Thursday 11 January with transformational coach Tanya Bottomley, ditching ineffective resolutions for intentional, achievable steps toward success. Discover how your brain functions in goal attainment and embrace a different approach to making your aspirations a reality. The session will engage in an enlightening discussion around the power of hypnotherapy.

Get ready to roll the dice on a literary adventure! Join our Bookopoly Summer Reading Challenge, pass GO, collect stickers and stories, and go in the draw to win prizes. 

The challenge started 1 November and runs until 1 March. Click here for all the details. There's still plenty of time to get involved!

Join Stephanie Fieldsend for a writing workshop aimed at teens and young adults.  

If you want to sharpen your writing skills before heading back to school or university then these workshops are just for you. Click here for details.

Bring the whole family to the library for an engaging and interactive experience presented by the Otago University Brain Health Research Centre. 

Learn about the importance of brain health, the effects of brain disease and how you can keep your brain healthy. Fun activities for all ages and a Giant Inflatable Brain which is a walk-through experience. Click here for details.

Adult Programmes

Frankton

• Frankton Library Knitting Club is on Thursday 11 January.
• Meditation at the Library is on Saturday 13 January.
• Mums 4 Mums is on Tuesday 16 and 30 January.
• Whakatipu Walkie Talkies is on Thursday 25 January.

Queenstown

• Virtual Reality is on every Friday from 12 January.
• Queenstown Creative Writing Group is meeting on Thursday 18 January.
• Queenstown Library Book Club is meeting on Thursday 25 January.

Wānaka

• A Brain Health Community Day is on Wednesday 24 January.
• A Youth Writing Workshops are on Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 January.
• A Brain Health Research Centre - Public Information Session is on Thursday 25 January.
• Wānaka Library Book Club is meeting on Friday 26 January.

Children & Youth Programmes

Our regular children's programmes will return in February during term time. Join us for Reading to Dogs, Wriggle & Rhyme, LEGO® Club, Storytime, STEAM Club and more! Check out the What's On page of the website or as your local librarians for details.

Digital Classes

Digital Help Drop-ins are always available by appointment in Queenstown.

To keep up to date with all of our events, check our What's On page, follow us on social media, download a copy of our calendars, and keep an eye out for event posters and flyers when you're next in the library.

Community Events

We’re having a Teddy Bears Picnic and your family is invited!

There’s plenty of entertainment for kids of all ages, with everything from musicians and interactive games to face-painting and bouncy castles.

The Queenstown Teddy Bears Picnic is at the Queenstown Events Centre on Saturday 27 January from 11am - 2pm and everyone is welcome. Click here for the event details.

We’re having a Teddy Bears Picnic and your family is invited!

There’s plenty of entertainment for kids of all ages, with everything from musicians and interactive games to face-painting and bouncy castles.

The Wānaka Teddy Bears Picnic is at the Dinosaur Park on Sunday 28 January from 11am - 2pm and everyone is welcome. Click here for the event details.

Whakataukī o te Marama /
Proverb of the Month

NZ Sign Language Dictionary

New Year
 
Tau Hou
noun; phrase

Thanks for joining us for the first newsletter of 2024! We hope 2024 is good to you all and we can't wait to share this new year with you.

Kā mihi,
- Your Libraries Team.

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