A quick refresher on APA referencing

The end of the year is nigh (…yes, regardless of the wintery weather!…), and those scary submission deadlines for final assignments are also creeping dangerously close.

With so much research to complete and writing to do, APA referencing seems like a minor thing to be worried about. But don’t be fooled by the APA’s apparent insignificance; in some cases, the correct referencing can “make or break” your final mark, contributing to either “fail” or “pass”.

The Ara APA Referencing guide….an invaluable resource

So, let us recap one of the main rules of efficient referencing: as you are doing your research, don’t forget to make notes about the sources of your information. It does not matter whether or not those facts, figures or ideas are going to make it to the “final cut” of your assignment; but it is absolutely crucial that you have instant access to all your sources the moment you need to provide a reference. These notes may save you hours of precious time and oodles of unnecessary stress.

Remember to keep notes on your sources of information…

You don’t even need that much information for your in-text referencing: just keep in mind the golden rule of (Who, When, Where) – Author, Year and (in some cases) Page/Paragraph number, and you are sorted!

If in doubt, you can check out the APA resources or drop by one of the many workshops and Q&A clinics offered by Learning Services. Copies of the Ara APA Referencing Guide for students are available at the Library Service Desk.

Good luck with your assignments! 😊

Nataliya Oryshchuk, Learning Services Advisor

Labour Day Holiday: Monday 28th October 2019

Monday the 28th October 2019 is Labour Day. All Ara library branches will be closed on Monday. We will reopen at 8am on Tuesday the 29th October.

Labour Day has been a public holiday in New Zealand since 1900 and commemorates the struggle for the 8-hour working day and worker’s rights.

 

Slogan of the early Labour movement..8 hours labour, 8 hours recreation, 8 hours rest….

While many people will still be working the day can also be used for a multitude of alternate things. If the weather is pleasant, it can become a day of family outings and impromptu sporting events. You could stroll around the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, go to a cafe for a meal, have a picnic or spend time in the outdoors.

The Christchurch Botanic Gardens…lovely at this time of the year

 

From all of us here at Ara Library we hope you have a calm & restful holiday.

 

Fijian Language Week

This blog is brought to you by Kevin Brennan, Manager of Learning Services

Na noqu vosa – ai takele ni noqui tovo

My language anchors my culture.

If you’ve ever been to Fiji, you’ll be very familiar with the greeting ‘Bula’, accompanied by a friendly, welcoming smile. With over 14,000 residents of Fijian heritage in New Zealand, you may have the opportunity to offer the greeting ‘Ni sa bula Vinaka’ to visitors yourselves. This is Fijian Language week (6-12 October), celebrating the culture and language of our Pacific neighbours (Ministry of Pacific Peoples, 2019).

Figure 1: Fijians meet to celebrate Fiji Day (Cook Island News, 2018).

Fijian Language Week is nearly over but not quite yet. There is still time to learn some of the Fijian language and partake in cultural activities in Christchurch. On Friday 11^th there is a Cultural Night planned and on Saturday 12^th the Fiji Language Week Family Fun Day is an all-day event. Check out the Ministry of Pacific Peoples’ webpage (https://www.mpp.govt.nz/) for more information. Another great source of information about Fiji, its people, language and culture, is the Christchurch City Libraries webpage.

Did you know next week (13-20 October is Nuie Language Week?

Vinaka moce mada

Cook Island News. (2018, October 15). Fijians meet to celebrate Fiji Day [Photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.cookislandsnews.com

Ministry for Pacific Peoples. (2019). Celebration of Fijian language and Culture [Factsheet]. Retrieved from https://www.mpp.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Fijian-Factsheet4.pdf

Southern Voice: The Clouds Project at the Aigantighe Art Gallery, Timaru

Some work by past and present Ara staff based at the Timaru Campus has been highlighted by Helen Purdon, our Timaru Campus library assistant:

The Clouds Project has involved multi-media responses to Aristophanes satirical comedy The Clouds (423 BCE) by artists Michael Armstrong, Dr Gail Tatham, Dr Andrew Paul Wood, Tracey Bingham and Rachael Winter. The exhibition is currently showing at The Aigantighe Art Gallery, Wai-iti Rd, Timaru.

For this project, Mike Armstrong has produced a series of props; three large sculptures featuring aluminium fabrication, 9 masks or Dramatis Personae (aluminium and acrylic paint) and various ink drawings. The masks are wall hung but will be worn by actors during scheduled performance readings. Mike has been teaching art at Aoraki/Ara Institute of Canterbury for 25 years. Now semi-retired Michael is working at Ara as a Postgraduate supervisor.

 

Location of Aigantighe Art Gallery, Timaru

 

Rachael Winter who is completing her Master Degree in Media Arts through Ara Institute of Canterbury, has digitally animated a selection of Mike Armstrong’s ink drawings which are used as a projected backdrop for the readings.

 

 

Dr Gail Tatham’s collaboration in The Clouds Project is directing actor readings of a contemporary version of the play, accompanied by music composed from Tracey Bingham. Gail retired from Ara in 2018 after teaching Visual Culture and English at Aoraki/ Ara Institute of Canterbury for 20 years. Retirement has meant spending more time doing what she loves most, directing and acting in local theatre.

Dr Andrew Paul Wood, studied Classics under Gail Tatham at Otago University in the 1990’s. Andrew is now living in Christchurch teaching at Canterbury University but is also an independent researcher, writer and poet. As part of The Clouds Project, he has written a series of poems based on passages from the original play translated to reflect contemporary times. He looks at “fakery, hypocrisy, greed, charlatanism” in modern society.

For more information see the Aigantighe Art Gallery page on Facebook.

Helen Purdon, Timaru Campus