News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

The Library is running a Waitangi Day quiz! Answer the questions and you could win an MP3 player. Enter it here, but be quick as it closes on Saturday.

With the current state of the economy and the challenges linked to global warming, an increasing number of books are being written about how to be a self-sufficient, eco-friendly householder. This month, we present you with a broad selection that includes books that will enable you to reduce your carbon footprint and decorate your home with handmade fixtures and eco-friendly materials. These items will also teach you how to maintain a healthy garden (thanks to homemade compost) that will yield vegetables ready to be cooked into hearty meals. And if you’re interested in container-gardening, or bathroom and kitchen design, check out this month’s Home and Garden Recent Picks.

Our Collection Development Team has done it again this month with a selection of new and on order books that will grab your attention.

President Barack Obama shares the media spotlight with his wife Michelle, and First Lady Michelle Obama’s life is the subject of our first biography recent pick this month. David Colbert is the author of a new biography which looks at Michelle Obama’s life not just chronologically, but “within the context of the larger movements in African American history: slavery, freedom, the Reconstruction era, the Civil Rights movement, and finally, her own era”. The First Lady is noted for her sense of fashion, and if you share this same interest you’ll enjoy an exhaustive history of fabulous frocks we’ve included amongst our selection. Also this month, a book about the Wikipedia phenomena will quench your first for knowledge, as will our items about ancient Greek philosophy and science and the art world. And if you want a blueprint for living beautifully while saving money, or to learn about boxing without getting hurt, or to read Jonathan Clement’s take on Japanese comics – check out this month’s Buyer’s Choice.

Lots of accidents and catastrophes could be avoided if planes, cars, mobile devices and infrastructures were equipped with secure software. You can check out how David Rice proposes that we change this situation in Geekonomics. Other books in our computing selection this month deal with troubleshooting your first laptop experience, how to manage an online forum effectively, and an A to Z guide for conducting usability testing. If you’re interested in agile project development, Joomla!, CSS or Drupal, we have items that will help you master these tools. And if you want to find out how to make the most of YouTube, check out this month’s Computing Recent Picks.

The Cuba Street Memories Project will have a stand at the Cuba St Carnival market. Don’t miss us if you’re planning on going to the Carnival on Saturday the 21st! We’ll be giving out postcards and there will be a display of photographs of Cuba St from different eras. Learn about the history of Cuba St – and if you can’t wait until then, check out the project’s website.

With the recession hitting and times getting harder, you may well be wondering how to economize and cook cheap and tasty meals for the family. Look no further than iconic cook Delia Smith! Her Frugal food cookbook will help you reconcile your purse with your kitchen. Do you think condiments are the spice of life? Are you interested in the history of food? The taste of conquest : the rise and fall of the three great cities of spice is a book that will enlighten you about the roles of three European cities in the story of how unusual flavours made their way to our plates. And if recipes from contemporary restaurants, traditional fare from the Deep South, New Zealand wine and eating gluten-free are topics that peak your interest, be sure to check out this month’s Cooking Recent Picks.

Are you a fan of biographies? If you enjoy reading about the ups and downs of the famous, you’d do well to have a look at our selection of new biographies at the library this month. First on our list this month is the life of scientist, scholar, and sinophile Joseph Needham, whose love for a Chinese woman changed his life. Next up, we follow Julie Walters from childhood to the roles that made her famous on stage and on the screen. The playwright Arthur Miller’s life is also in the spotlight, as well as the adventures and misadventures of supermodel Kate Moss. Military and sports figures are not forgotten with biographies of WWII commander Sir Arthur Harris and the multi-record holding swimmer Michael Phelps. And if you’re a fan of the original Tarzan movies – or even entertain an interest in film history – you’ll want to read about Cheeta the chimpanzee’s life in this month’s Biography Recent Picks.

In this month’s selection, you can learn a lot about modern and post-modern art, starting with a biography of the artist Marc Chagall. In Chagall: love and exile, you will get acquainted with one of the most successful artists of the twentieth century who mastered a wide array of mediums such as painting, illustrations and stained glass. Another featured artist is Alan Aldridge, an illustrator who moved from book to album covers and famously worked for the Beatles. 20 innovative artists who’ve rocked the boat in the art world are presented such as Micalleff, the collective FAILE and the anonymous artist JR. And if you’re interested in drawing the human figure, or learning more about post-modern art and world architecture, make sure you check out January’s Art Recent Picks.

Are you tired of bland cartes de visites and other invitation cards ? Do you want your event to stand out? Then check out 1000 greetings : creative correspondence designed for all occasions. 2008. This book will give you creative ideas that will really grab people’s attention. Our selection of graphic books this month also includes an array of items for designers of packagings, logos, music posters and cd inserts. Also, you can learn to design and produce your own book with Indie publishing. And if you want to be a successful designer and entrepreneur, you don’t want to miss January’s Graphic Books Recent Picks.