The theme this year is "Ask Me - You Might Be Surprised! He Taonga Te Patai."
The theme reflects librarians not just as people who issue books, shelve novels and tell you to "hush" when you have been too noisy but as trained information professionals who have a world of knowledge and experience at their fingertips. All you need do is - ask!
The Te Reo translation means "to ask is precious" which signifies the importance of teaching, listening and learning.
The sample posted here shows a librarian shelving books, as you might expect, but through the "rock music" imagery we can see that that is not all there is to a librarian. Indeed, under the surface you don't know what wealth of information lays within, just ask - you might be surprised!
Our featured librarians:
Jane
I have worked in libraries for many years and have loved nearly all the jobs I've had in all the very different libraries. The common thread is the enjoyment I get from helping people find a book that will give them pleasure to read, or information that will answer the question they may not even know they are asking. Now I work in a school library. I love working around the mad energy of teenagers, watching them get excited about story and learning how to question. School library teams can turn teenagers into lifelong lovers of libraries, books and information. In fact, librarians really can change the world. I like feeling that what I do is important in the world. I can't think of any other job from which I would get more personal and professional satisfaction.
Michael
Hi there, I'm Michael. I work at the Otago Wellington Medical Library. I have chosen to be a librarian as I have a passion for books and reading, as well as an interest in research. My goals are to help people perform literature searches and find relevant, useful information on any topic. My long term goal is to work as the library manager of a specialist library; either focusing on medicine or law. I am currently studying towards a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Information and Library Studies to help achieve these goals. I enjoy working in libraries as they provide comfortable, friendly settings to access information and engross yourself in a book.
Mark
Reading books was always a passion, and the library is a place that I can nurture this passion. Today libraries have such a wealth of matauranga (knowledge) that is made available to everyone in the community. Libraries have changed dramatically over the years and now everyone in the community has access to the vast knowledge and information that is now available. With the introduction of web access, libraries can now bring the world to your fingertips.
With my current studies at Victoria University Wellington the library provides me with access to the many books, journals and articles for my chosen field of study. The most important asset of the library for me are the people who work there. They are able to provide me with their expertise and knowledge of the library system and are able to guide me in getting the best results from the vast sea of knowledge contained within the Whare Matauranga.
