One of my priorities for being Regional Councillor, is to get out of Wellington "central" and out to other parts of the region to talk to our members, and see what we can do to make LIANZA more relevant for them.
So it was great to be able to organise a visit to Masterton on September 10, which nicely coincided with the quarterly meeting of Wairarapa librarians. Alli Smith, the LIANZA Executive Director, kindly agreed to accompany me, so we made a delegation of two over to the sunny side of the Rimutakas.
We were hosted by the Sandy Green at the Masterton Public Library. The visit gave us a chance to talk about LIANZA's current activities, in particular professional registration, continuing professional development, and the update of the LIANZA website. Being around 1.5 hours from central Wellington, we had a good discussion about the possibility of initiating events in the Wairarapa, how the Te Upoko o te Ika a Maui Council could provide support, and using existing expertise in the region to create professional development opportunities. Barbara's recent President's column in Library Life discussing her experience in running journal revalidation workshops, got some good feedback and enthusiasm for using the idea locally.
After indulging in the great spread that had been put on, Alli and I were taken across the road to visit the Wairarapa Archive. The Archive has a staggering 90% approval rating in the region, and is well used and supported by everyone from school children on up. We had a fascinating visit with Gareth Winter the Archivist, and instead of the anticipated 2 minutes to 'pop our noses in', we spend a great 45 minutes listening to fascinating stories of both the region, and the great local support for the archive.
My thanks to Sandy, Gareth and all the Librarians that we met in the Wairarapa for your hospitality!
** Would you like me to come and visit your region or library? Please email me. **
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