LIANZA

Posted by: thewhaanga | Posted on: 06 Sep 11

A “Discover Your Library” Day was an idea hatched at a staff meeting as we pondered different ways of making our own community aware of what services and resources we had to offer them.  

Pulling out all stops, we could concentrate on showcasing our range of products from fiction to DVDs, playaways to online databases in a single day.

We would set up presentations, demonstrations, have special prices, prizes and giveaways and create a festive atmosphere with body-painting, henna tattooing and buskers.  

We could get a storyteller in - not just any storyteller, but Mary Kippenberger, enchantress extraordinaire! 

Our hard-working Friends of the Library team could hold a special book-sale in the library and all the staff would wear special t-shirts declaring “Discover your Library”.

The library would come alive with activity, noise and chatter and we’d do it on a Sunday (we haven’t opened on a Sunday since the 1920s!) when most families could make a day of it. 

We’d arrange for the library cafe to be open to nourish the crowds and organise a dance and singing group to come in and break into a full-blown Natalie Cole number when the patrons least suspected it! 

The Mobile Library Bus could park up outside and families could climb aboard and find out what’s inside. And we could use a prize we’d won (for Best Community Business) of a one-page, full colour advert in the local paper to let everyone know about “Discover Your Library”!

Caught up in the enthusiasm, 22 staff happily volunteered their services for the day and with just weeks to go, busied themselves with preparations.

When Sunday July 31st rolled around, it was certainly a day to remember - a day that many Rotorua people “discovered their library”.

Families, oldies and youngies came to see what was happening.  The body-painting session was a hit, as were the henna tattoos and face-painting. 

Mary Kippenberger entranced the crowds of children and adults alike and the book-sale in the backroom made a tidy sum. 

Library staff were on a high, showing off our many and varied resources, giving away random prizes and oo-ing at the henna tattoos many youngsters were sporting. 

It was definitely a win-win for all concerned and something we’d like to do again another year, when we get our breath back!

Sue Heke
Marketing and Promotions
Rotorua District Library
http://rotorualibrary.govt.nz

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