National Library Division: 01st – 31st March

Te Runanga Puka – National Library Staff attends the “Conference for Directors of National Libraries in Asia and Oceania” (CDNL-AO) Meeting in Wellington, 8 to 11 March 2016

The National Library of New Zealand “Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa”, through its National Librarian and Chairman, Mr Bill MacNaught, invited a staff from the National Library to attend the 24th CDNL-AO meeting in Wellington from Tuesday 8th March to Friday 11th March 2016.
CDNL-AO holds an annual meeting where Directors of National Libraries from Asia and Oceania come together to discuss the development of National Libraries and what issues have been faced. Listening to expert librarians share about the value of having a National Library to “collect, preserve and make accessible” information about their country’s heritage and identity is very important. Libraries are the place of knowledge and information and with the world of technology moving fast, e-books are taking over. So the question of “Are people still going to visit the library to read in the next 15 years? In a survey done in New Zealand, over 47% of New Zealanders between the ages of 18 – 65 years are illiterate. The idea of building a world of knowledge, experience and literacy will help our people.
Development between National Libraries especially those in the Pacific Island Libraries are having similar issues and problems in terms of budget, resources and skills. The reports presented by the representatives confirmed that national libraries in some countries are not considered top priority with budget allocations compared to that of health and education. Staff development through building strong library associations, staff attachments and advocacy are some of the many ideas put through that would help to build a sustainable library development for Pacific Libraries.

Mr Bill Macnaught receiving gifts from Odile Urirau on behalf of the National Library, Ministry of Cultural Development
We did a tour of the Alexander Turnbull Library and the National Library of New Zealand to view what these two libraries are doing to preserve their national or heritage collections. This was an amazing experience for me to see that materials both in electronic and hard copy forms are handled and treated with very high value and professional care. Old equipment and machines have been kept and maintained well to retrieve information from audiovisual materials that could not be accessed using the latest equipment. Rare books, broken glass negatives and torn pages of historical information dating back to the 1800s were just some of the materials that the staff at the two libraries have managed to preserve and making available to the public for access.

I really admire the work done by these international libraries and hope that in the future, our National Library will be able to reach this standard.

A recipe book from the 1900s with staff using Broken Glass negative photographs put the rubber eraser machine to retrieve writings together and digitised on the damaged recipe book I was given the opportunity to do a presentation on the “National Library of the Cook Islands – Te Runanga Puka” highlighting its background information and strategies as well as issues being faced. Adding value and driving innovation through international collaboration among libraries is definitely one way that our National Library and its national collection can be developed.

I was given the opportunity to do a presentation on the “National Library of the Cook Islands – Te Runanga Puka” highlighting its background information and strategies as well as issues being faced. Adding value and driving innovation through international collaboration among libraries is definitely one way that our National Library and its national collection can be developed.
I would like to acknowledge and thank the National Library of New Zealand through its National Librarian and Chairman of the CDNL-AO 2016 meeting, Mr Bill Macnaught. A huge MEITAKI MAATA from myself on behalf of the Ministry of Cultural Development for inviting and providing full funding for me to attend this very important meeting held in your National Library.
It is a wonderful opportunity to be able to experience, learn and receive relevant information from experts in the library field who shared their knowledge willingly. KIA ORANA E KIA MANUIA Odile Urirau
National Events held at the Tauranga Vananga and promoted onto the Ministry website and Facebook pages
1. National Archives Photographic Exhibition 3rd – 4thth March 2016
2. Avarua Primary School Prefects Day
3. Te Mire Atu – National Composer’s Competition 10th March 2016
Research Topics for the month of March 2016:
1. Ui Ariki or High Chiefs of the Cook Islands
– Traditional costumes worn and their given maori names
2. Avarua School and its History
3. Disaster Planning and Emergency
4. Rarotonga Mountains with their given names and stories
5. Cook Islands Newspaper, 1991
6. Health Reform
7. Cook Islands Maori Dictionary
8. Land Rights of an adopted child in the Cook Islands