In the Good Books

Our city’s libraries are places where people in the community can come to connect, engage, learn and relax. An important part of libraries, that people might not think about, are the staff who work hard to serve their community. Meet three Tauranga City Libraries staff members who are making Tauranga a brighter place.

Amie Rolleston

Mātanga Taonga Tuku Iho Māori

“Tēnā koutou katoa. Ko Amie Rolleston tōku ingoa. I am the Mātanga Taonga tuku iho Māori and, as a part of the Heritage and Research team, I aim to gather, preserve, educate and promote the stories and taonga that weave together the rich history of Tauranga Moana.”

Amie works with community members and researchers so they can find what they are looking for in the library’s extensive archive collection.

He Puna Wānanga (Heritage and Research) at He Puna Manawa (Tauranga library) is open to the public six days a week. It offers a range of resources including microfiche, microfilm, Māori land court minute books, local history reference books and digital resources such as the website Pae Korokī.

The staff often have revelations of their own when looking through the collection. “It’s especially rewarding when I come across discoveries that help interlace the narratives of Tauranga’s Moana’s heritage within a broader context.” Amie says.

Tauranga’s archive collection is an investment for the future, because understanding the context of the past can provide us with valuable insights into the present. “Every place has a unique kōrero, including Tauranga Moana, so we greatly appreciate when manuhiri, visitors, share their time, their knowledge or their taonga with us — and we are passionate about doing the same for them.”

Amie says the connection between her team and the community is very important: “This engagement helps to build the rich collection of archival material we preserve. We’re able to continue to connect with the significant history here in Tauranga Moana and the events that have shaped its landscape and people.”

Penny Guy Children & Teens Programme Specialist

“We’ve been visiting the same schools for several years in a row, so I have kids come up to me and say, ‘I remember when you were here last time, I was the hen!’” laughs Penny Guy.

Penny has been delivering Stories at Your Place — an outreach programme where library staff go to different schools around Tauranga and host interactive story times — for more than 10 years.

↑ Top to bottom: Penny Guy (also on opener) delivers interactive story times at schools all over Tauranga; Hanna Peters brings books to the community via the Mobile Library. Opposite page: Amie Rolleston works to preserve and to promote our area’s stories and taonga.

She’s one of the team members that visits Tauranga schools at least once a week. Penny packs her easel and felt board, as well as a wheelie suitcase filled with costumes, pictures and books. “We pick the students who get to participate in the play,” she says, saying it’s one of her favourite parts. “I get to help children who, at the start, might feel too shy or too nervous to say their part out loud. They grow their confidence until, at the end of the session, they are delivering their lines easily!” Penny has been on stage since she was eight, so is the perfect person to help students overcome their stage fright!

Almost every single primary school in Tauranga has had a Stories at Your Place visit to their junior classes. Not all schools are able to have class visits to the library, and this absence of junior classes was noticed by the library staff who were inspired to start this outreach service.

Penny says Stories at Your Place gives every school the opportunity to connect with the library, which is what makes the programme so key.

Hanna Peters Assistant Community Library Leader

Everyone knows Hanna Peters. Well, it certainly feels that way, as every customer entering the Mobile Library greets her by name.

To her credit, Hanna seems to know all her customers by name as well. She knows what books they like to read, whether their holds are ready to be picked up, and even remembers to follow up on life moments that her patrons share with her.

The Mobile Library is exactly what it sounds like, a miniature library on wheels. “I really enjoy being out on the road. You haven’t lived until you have driven a big rig!” Hanna says laughingly. The library has all the different collections you would expect from one of the community libraries, but on a smaller scale. The collection is well curated, so you’re bound to find heaps of items that take your fancy, but Hanna says not to worry if you can’t find what you want — she’ll put a hold on it for you and you can pick it up from the Mobile Library when it’s at your stop.

Hanna has worked on the mobile bus for more than seven years, so she’s been looking after some of her customers since they were babies — she’s seen them grow, begin talking, then start school. “I also enjoy the wonderful friendships I have made with some of my more senior customers,” she says.

It’s obvious that Hanna is loved by her customers. “The Mobile Library is important to the community — we’ve created a really welcoming, fun vibe, where people can pop in just for a chat or to hang out.” library.tauranga.govt.nz