ICT Help Desk operating from the Library Information Desk

Students can now access IT Help Desk staff at the Library Information Desk between 10am-3pm (Monday – Friday) for the same services previously offered at the Help Desk in the Atrium – troubleshooting network issues, problems with accessing the WiFi network, forgotten passwords etc.

 Staff requests for IT assistance should be directed to the IT section in the refurbished T Block.

 Librarians at the Information Desk can assist with software support, connecting to the wireless network, printing issues, forgotten passwords (providing you have not changed from the original password) as well as assisting you to locate resources using the Library catalogue and a wide range of databases. 

The Library has also reinstated a service point on the Stone table next to the Checkout Desk as a base for a Roving Information Librarian who can offer all the same services as the main Information Desk.   

Peer Support assistance is available in The Pod between 12-1pm Monday to Friday but at other times please seek assistance from the Information Desk.

CPIT Library supports research

Research Week is drawing to a close for another year.  So it seems like a good time to highlight ways in which the CPIT Library supports research.

All staff who work at the Library’s Information Desk are able to provide general research support including assisting with database searches and taking interloan requests.

For more specialist research assitance we have four Liaiason Librarians. They all have post graduate qualifications and  extensive experience in supporting research. 

Liaison Librarians assist academic staff with the development of effective search strategies, whether using the library catalogue or online journal databases . They will also help with subject searches, literature reviews and the use of Endnote. 

We also have a number of fantastic resources within the library to assist in the research process.  These include:

Handbook of interview research : context & method edited by Jaber Gubrium, James Holstein.

Handbook of action research  edited by Peter Reason and Hilary Bradbury.

Doing qualitative research : a practical handbook  by David Silverman

Starting fieldwork : an introduction to qualitative research in New Zealand  by Martin Tolich and Carl Davidson.

The Library and Research Week – Output 2010

Research Week  – Output 2010 has now started and will run from 23-27 August. In addition to oral presentations by academic staff, there will be visual exhibitions in the Rakaia Centre Atrium. The library will participate, promoting the resources and services available to all staff such as books, databases, DVDs and resources available from other institutions.The library is supporting Research Week with the liaison librarians and other library staff attending presentations and activities.  There will also be  a library poster promoting the services and resources available  to all staff at CPIT. These include database research, current awareness, EndNote, consultation and obtaining those hard to find resources. In addition to the liaison librarians, all other library staff encourage and support every CPIT stakeholder in their efforts. We look forward to meeting and working with you in the future.

It’s love your library day!

Today is “Love your library day”  which has been organised as part of  New Zealand Library Week, the annual celebration of libraries and librarianship.

This is what some of the staff at CPIT think of libraries:
“Our library is like a beating, pumping heart, feeding the hungry, seeking minds of many. This will never stop as long as there are writers to fill the empty shelves again.”   Flip Leiijten, Welding and Fabrication Tutor, Trades Innovation Institute, CPIT.
 
“Moving from the United States to New Zealand a few years ago really renewed my appreciation for public libraries. In the US, books are (relatively) cheap and libraries are few in number, so I don’t think I set foot inside one, except for academic study purposes, in about 10 years. But here in NZ, and Christchurch especially, the public library system is amazing. It allows you to nourish a love of reading, and with a library in almost every neighborhood, you’re certain to find what you’re looking for. I’ve used the libraries to find great fiction, cookbooks, dictionaries and manuals to help with my freelance work, and of course, story books for my children. For them, the library is an experience, and we have our favorites throughout town. To say, “Shall we go to the library today?” is, for them, akin to saying, “Shall we go to the park today?” And beyond the visit, we can continually refresh our supply of children’s books, discovering new stories, new authors, and new illustrators. The fact that Christchurch dedicates funding and attention to their library system shows that these places are still an integral part of the community and provide a consistent means for improving the overall quality of living here.”  Cindy Staudt – Lecturer, Graduate Diploma of Information Design, CPIT.

“Libraries provide a physical presence for both past & present scholars & readers that inspires & informs”  David Hawke – Principal Lecturer Environmental and Analytical Chemistry, School of Applied Sciences and Allied Health, CPIT

“I love libraries because: they provide infinite sources of pleasure .  I am fortunate enough to have my office sited in the library of an academic institution so I have easy access to the latest journals and magazines both the serious worky ones and the luscious glossy fashion and food ones. I have access to interloan  without leaving my office – I get to read up to date international journal articles from the databases and can send on the links to colleagues. I can recommend purchases and voila – they appear on the shelf. Then of a Friday I can swan around the leisure reading section and select my weekend reading. Again from the luxury of my office ( in my lunch break of course,)  I can log on to  the public library and select and order books of my choice and await  a welcome email telling me they are  there ready to be collected. When Santa brings me an ipod I’m looking forward to downloading some talking books to listen to on my walk to and from work.  And when I grow up and become a grandmother I’m looking forward to taking my mokopuna to the library as I took their parents to select our favourite stories.”  Robin Graham – Education Designer, Center for Education Development, CPIT.

“Went to the library to order a paper
Could have done it online but needed a caper.

Why stay in your office a long while
when interloaning is rewarded with a smile?

The team down there treat you like a guest
even though clients like me might seem like a pest!

With much appreciation for a great CPIT library team”  Ruth Garside – Principle Academic Staff Member, School of Business, CPIT.

 
“Can you imagine not having our library? That’s just crazy, eh! No place to think, to focus your searching, to delve into ideas, to free up your mind. And no cool people there to help you migrate your way through to find the solutions you seek. I know why I like our library where I am studying ….”  Gerard Duignan – Education Designer, Center for Education Development, CPIT.

 
Tell us about how much you love libraries…

It’s Library Week!

It’s library week!

Library week is an annual week long celebration of libraries and librarianship in New Zealand.

This years theme is  Ask Me – “You might be surprised”.    This reflects that  librarians don’t just issue and shelve books but are trained information professionals who have a world of knowledge and experience at their fingertips.

All you need do is – ask!

Check out the library week website for competitons and events taking place during Library Week.

Last chance to see Shane Cotton and Ralph Hotere in Library

The library’s display of Artworks by Maori Artists from the CPIT Artworks Collection will be coming down on Friday (13th August).   Amongst them are an oil painting by Shane Cotton called Taiamai (1997). Taiamai is the ancient name of the central Taitokerau (Northland) region that is Shane Cotton’s turangawaewae (ancestral home) and features in many of Cotton’s more recent works. 

There is also Blue” (1997) and “Round Midnight” (2000) lithographs by Ralph Hotere one of New Zealand’s best known and respected contemporary artists. 

In addition to Cotton and Hotere there is a photograph by the multi-award winning Fiona Pardington, Ketes made from screen printed paper and lined with fabric by Venessa Edwards, and a work that combines ceramics and weaving by Catherine Brown.  There are also works by Kiri Te Wake and Rhys Tairi, both graduates of CPIT’s Bachelor of Design programme.

So come down to the library to have a look before these works are disbursed back to thier various homes around campus. 

Works by Maori Artists from CPIT Artworks Collection

Works by Maori Artists are currently on display in the entrance to the CPIT Library.  Across multiple mediums they are all from the CPIT Artworks Collection and will be in place for the next 3 weeks.

The display includes “Blue” (1997) and “Round Midnight” (2000), lithographs by Ralph Hotere, one of New Zealand’s most  highly regarded living artists.  Although more recent they are reminiscent of his “Black Paintings” of the late 1960’s.

There is an oil painting,   “Taiamai” (1997) by Shane Cotton.  “Te Huia Tu Rae/The Huia that sits on my brow” (2002) is a photograph by the multi-award winning Fiona Pardington.  There are some Ketes made from screen printed paper and lined with fabric entitled “Kete Korero I; Kete Korero II; Kete Korero III” (2002) by Venessa Edwards, and a work “Te Karano III” by Catherine Brown which was created by combining ceramics and weaving.

We are also proud to have two works by CPIT graduates on display.  Kiri Te Wake graduated with a Bachelor of Design in 2007, her work “Moko I/II” (2009) is a mezzotint on paper.  “Karapiro” 2005 is a collograph using silks on paper is by Rhys Tairi, who completed a Bachelor of Design at CPIT in 2005.