Library left in peace

Press, 6 November 1984, Page 7

Library left in peace

The problem of young people disturbing the peace at the Redwood Library had decreased with the onset of summertime hours, members of the Waimairi District Council heard yesterday. The district librarian, Mrs Dorothea Brown, told the council’s community affairs committee that the problem had been particularly bad during winter Monday evenings when no other facilities in the area were open, and from about four to six other evenings. The young people, aged 12 to 13, used the library as a place to socialise, she said. The District Clerk, Mr Peter Chapple, said the problem was not new. There had been similar problems with older teen-agers about six years ago. The recent disturbances were being discussed by the librarians, the community constable council staff, and school authorities to try to remedy matters, he said.

The council’s information officer, Mrs Gael Brooks, has been awarded the Bergman Trophy for the professionalism of the council’s information journal. The trophy is competed for annually by community public relations officers from throughout New Zealand. Waimairi’s publication, “Outlook,” is compiled by Mrs Brooks with the assistance of the journalism students from the University of Canterbury postgraduate course. The latest issue was delivered to all residents of the Waimairi District in August.. This year is the first time in the trophy’s 15-year history, that it has been awarded for the best publication and the first time it has been awarded to a woman. In the past, the trophy was a novelty award, presented to the public relations officer who had won a game or competition at the

annual conference of the Public Relations Institute, said Mrs Brooks. Community week Waimairi District may drop future annual “community weeks” because of the lack of interest from Waimairi residents. The “Community week" concept was introduced three years ago as a means of promoting and attracting the services of the district’s libraries, increasing awareness of the stock, extending the staff and increasing community involvement in all libraries. Despite the variety and amount of work involved in setting up the activities and displays in the district’s libraries for the latest community week — from October 1 to 6 — the public response was “apathetic.”

Activities ranged from hand-made paper-making

demonstrations to musical performances. The librarians at the district libraries — Fendalton, Bishopdale and Redwood — all reported that most people came in to use the library and not specifically to see the demonstrations. The district librarian, Mrs Brown, said, “We get fairly sophisticated use ’of the library. People come for the books and information.” If the libraries tried to entertain they were competing for people who knew what they wanted. "We need to be more flexible,” she said. Rather than holding the “community week” as an annual event, each branch should decide what promotion activities it would do each year. “We ought to offer display space to community groups already in existence and let them come and demonstrate what they have to offer,” said Mrs Brown.