Librarians from all over Otago and Southland will converge on Oamaru this weekend for the annual Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (Lianza) weekend school.
The school, to be held at the Oamaru Opera House, runs for two days and offers a full programme of presentations and events.
About 60 registrations have been received and Waitaki District Libraries manager Philip van Zijl said the weekend would be an ‘‘exciting'' opportunity to showcase Oamaru and the Waitaki district.
‘‘I grabbed the opportunity when they were looking for a venue,'' Mr van Zijl said.‘‘It's excellent to bring the next president of our library organisation [Lianza executive director Joanna Matthew] and an internationally renowned keynote speaker to our little town.''
Mr van Zijl said it was important for library staff around the region to be exposed to new ideas and inspiration and the weekend school was a platform to support that.
‘‘One of the things we work quite hard to break down is the mould that we are just stamping books in the library,'' Mr van Zijl said.‘‘It's not just about that; it's about being in the community, for the community and, in our case, of the community.''
Waitaki District Libraries social media and digital support librarian Julia de Ruiter, one of the organisers, was looking forward to the professional development and networking opportunities.
‘‘Because the Otago/Southland region is so spread out it's really nice for us to get together,'' Miss de Ruiter said.
Miss de Ruiter is also presenting - first on the Battle of the Books, a successful school holiday programme run in the district, and then on engaging today's readers by bringing together social media and staff expertise.
‘‘I'm really looking forward to the networking opportunities, and to be presenting,'' Miss de Ruiter said.
Social media-active librarians and presenters will be using the hashtag #heartoflibs for people to follow online.
Miss de Ruiter was ‘‘thrilled'' to have Baltimore Museum of Art deputy director for digital experience and communications Nancy Proctor as the keynote speaker.
‘‘We are absolutely stoked to have her,'' she said.
Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher will open the weekend school, after a blessing by Anne Te Maiharoa-Dodds.
