Time Capsules – Time Travel Through Objects!

Recently, a time capsule was removed for safekeeping at the Te Matapihi Central Library site! The capsule was buried in 1994 – 29 years ago – and contains letters from local school students, newspapers, coins, photos of the children and other souvenirs from 1994.

But what exactly are time capsules? And why do we have them?


Wellington City Libraries time capsule being lifted out of a hole in the ground by two construction workers

LT McGuinness workers remove the time at the Central Library Te Matapihi construction site. Image: WCC supplied (September 2023)


What are time capsules?

According to the dictionary on one of our eLibrary databases, Britannica Library – Kids, time capsules are “a container holding historical records or objects representative of current culture that is placed (as in a cornerstone) for preservation until discovery by some future age.” So essentially, time capsules are like hidden treasure, stored by people of the past to communicate with the people of the future, and to tell them what life was like back then.

Time capsules are usually intended to be found and opened at a specific date and place – like an important anniversary of a school, or the anniversary of the council in the case of the capsule above – but it is possible that they can be forgotten about after all those years! You may have heard about the missing time capsule buried at Muritai school in Eastbourne (which is yet to be seen).

The Westinghouse Time Capsule of 1939

There have been many significant time capsules in recent history. Perhaps one of the earliest examples is the Westinghouse time capsule, which was made by the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company and buried on August 22, 1939. The time capsule was a dedication to the current technology and society of 1930s America, containing roughly 100 objects and 22,000 pages of text and images associated with American companies of the 1930s. For example, safety razors were included from Gilette Safety Razor Co., a makeup kit from Elizabeth Arden and even Birds Eye frozen foods was represented – you may have seen their fish fingers at the supermarket recently!



Because the 1939 Westinghouse capsule was intended to be opened in 5000 years later, (that’s the year 6939!) the capsule had to be extra secure to withstand its long storage underground (which also meant that they couldn’t put fish fingers in the capsule ☹). To ensure this, engineers constructed a bullet shaped capsule made of copper, chromium and silver and the contents were sealed in an airtight glass shell.

The capsule was buried deep beneath New York’s Flushing Meadows Corona Park, and to make sure people were able to find it in the future, the Book of Record for the Time Capsule of Cupaloy was distributed to libraries, museums and monasteries around the world. An important issue that the company also had to consider was how were the people of 6939 going to understand what the time capsule was all about? Archaeologists at the time knew that the people of the future probably wouldn’t be able to speak English, so they included diagrams to help them read and interpret the book.

Overall, the Westinghouse efforts and time capsules more generally show the desire for people to connect with each other across time and space. Time capsules serve as important artefacts from the past, mapping out how we have changed as people and as a society.

And while you may not be able to travel ahead 5000 years to meet the people of the future, the library has plenty of books to help you discover peoples of the past, as well as time capsules in general!

Time Capsule Stories

Cartboy and the time capsule / Campbell, L. A.
“Sixth-grader Hal gets a year-long journal-keeping assignment in his least favorite class, history, much to the delight of his history buff father.” (Catalogue)

Beat the clock / Parish, Herman
“In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Amelia Bedelia’s school, the whole town throws a party and a secret time capsule that was buried an entire century before will finally be dug up and opened.” (Catalogue)

The time capsule and other stories / Shipton, Paul
“This Biff, Chip and Kipper collection contains four funny stories, plus activities focusing on reading skills. This Read with Oxford Stage 4 collection is ideal for children who are gaining more reading confidence. Read with Oxford offers an exciting range of carefully levelled reading books to build your child’s reading confidence.” (Catalogue)

Zelda and Ivy, the runaways / Laura McGee Kvasnosky / Kvasnosky, Laura McGee
“In three short stories, two fox sisters run away from home, bury a time capsule, and take advantage of some creative juice.” (Catalogue)

Digging up the past

What was it like, Mr. Emperor? : life in China’s forbidden city / Zhao, Guangchao
“Have you ever wondered what it was like to be the Emperor of China? In this book, readers will get the chance to ask the emperor all the questions they might have about life in the Forbidden City. How was the emperor chosen? What was school like? How did he celebrate his birthday? Who were his friends? What were his favorite foods? How hard did he have to work? Could he be punished? Through fun and engaging stories reader will journey through the average life of an emperor and learn about the people who lived in the palace.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Digging up the past : archaeology for the young and curious / Veart, David
“Introduces young and curious readers to the story of New Zealand, from Pacific voyagers to contemporary crime scenes, that archaeologists have discovered. Along the way, readers will learn about what archaeologists actually do, from digging up shell middens to testing ancient DNA. And readers will uncover amazing facts about our past: How Māori used kuri, the native dog, as a four-legged fridge, how warplanes were hidden deep within Devonport’s North Head (or were they?), how DNA has revealed the number of people who first settled Aotearoa, and much much more.” (Catalogue)

Meet the Vikings / Woolf, Alex
“What was life really like for the Vikings? How did they interact socially? What medicines did they use? What did they think about the world they lived in, religion and other peoples? Using recreation photography and images of real historical artefacts this book will help readers ‘meet’ all kinds of Vikings, from the thrall (or slave) to the various craftspeople, farmers and even some viking children playing games.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The 20th century / Deary, Terry
“Discover the foul facts that make the history of the twentieth century so horrible – all the gore and more!” (Catalogue)

Te ao o te Māori = The world of the Māori / Naumann, Ruth
“Resource containing information and activities on Māori migration to and settlement in New Zealand. Focuses on particular aspects of Māori life and culture. Can be linked to the New Zealand Social Sciences curriculum. Suggested level: primary, intermediate, junior secondary.” (Catalogue)

Ancient Africa : archaeology unlocks the secrets of Africa’s past / Sherrow, Victoria
“Archaeology reveals the rich histories of complex cultures in the cradle of humankind. Study the Dogon people of Mali. Explore the ancient city of Jenne-jeno. Learn how computer technology has recreated the Kushite temples at Jebel Barkal and how artifacts bring new insights, helping scientists to piece together the puzzle of ancient Africa.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The Central Library is closed

Hi kids and families,

We’re sorry to tell you that the Central Library has closed. This is because engineers have told us that, while the building is not damaged, the library might not be very safe if there is a large earthquake.

The librarians are busy coming up with ideas and plans for how we can make the books and events available to you, so stay tuned.

This means that our usual programmes like Storytimes and Baby Rock & Rhyme are cancelled for now.

In the meantime, you can return books and items to any other Wellington City Library, and you can use your library card at any of our libraries to borrow books and other items too. Don’t forget you can download ebooks, and audiobooks, from our website.

Stay up to date with news and announcements by checking the library website, or take a look at our Facebook or Twitter feeds (ask an adult to help if you don’t know how).

April School Holiday Fun!

Did you know that dragonflies have been around for 300 million years or that our native snail, the Powelliphanta, can live for up to 20 years? What do you know about bugs and other creepy crawlies? Love them or hate them bugs are fascinating! In fact at Wellington Libraries we think Bugs are so awesome we put beehives on the roof of Central Library.

These school holidays we are going to be worming our way into the World of bugs, through games, fun facts, microscopes and crafts. So fly down to your local library and join in with some of the fun, free activities we have on offer, during the April school holidays.

These free events are for children aged 6+

Mervyn Kemp  Library – Tawa: Wednesday 19 April at 11am

Karori Library: Wednesday 19 April at 2pm

Ruth Gotlieb Library – Kilbirnie: Thursday 20 April at 10.30am

Cummings Park Library – Ngaio: Friday 21 April at 11am

Miramar Library: Wednesday 26 April at 10.30am

Wellington Central Library: Thursday 27th April at 11am

Johnsonville Library: Thursday 27th April at 11am

Khandallah Library: Thursday 27 April at 6pm

Newtown Library: Friday 28 April at 6pm

Come along to a fancy book launch this week

cabbage tree in spider web cover imageHave you ever been to a book launch before? No? Here’s your chance.

 

Author Jonathan Harrison and Illustrator Jared Carson will be launching their latest book ‘A Cabbage in a Spider Web’ at Wellington Central Library (Children’s Area) on Friday 16th December at 1.30pm.

 

 

A Cabbage in a Spider Web is a children’s book aimed at 3 to 6 year olds about a little girl named Annabella and her outings and activities with her friends, her family, her pre-school, and her cat.

Each topic is covered in poem form with fun and colourful illustrations. With about 6 verses to each poem in words easily understood by children, this book is designed to be read to children by Mummy, Daddy or a pre-school teacher. There’s a little bit of naughtiness in some of the poems that will make children laugh…  and also the adults.

Written by Otaki locals Jonathan Harrison and illustrated by Jared Carson, A Cabbage in a Spider Web is loosely set in Waikanae with a little research done at Castle Kids Pioneers pre-school for 4 year olds.

Bring yourselves along to the launch of this lovely local book that is sure to delight and entertain. Jonathan and Jared will entertain youby reading aloud and illustrating for 20-30 minutes, followed by discussion and QnA with interested adults.  Book signing and cash book sales will be available following the launch.

This is a free event, bookings are not required – just turn up!

Mandarin Storytimes for Chinese Language Week

Ni Hao! Celebrate Chinese Language week and learn a new word or two (or three!)

logoColoredRectangle_StoriesRhymes onWhiteFree mandarin Storytimes, for 3-5 year olds and their caregivers, will be held during Chinese Language Week, filled with stories, rhymes and action songs.

Johnsonville Library: Tuesday 13th September, 10.30am

Wellington Central Library: Wednesday 14th September, 11am

Karori Library: Thursday 15th September, 11.30am

Brooklyn Library: Friday 16th September, 11am

 

These storytimes will be presented by Ni Hao Children’s Community Charitable Trust. No bookings required – just turn up!