It’s that time of year again! The annual Out On The Shelves campaign runs this year for the entire month of June. Around the country, libraries, bookstores, schools and other organisations are putting on displays and events to celebrate LGBTQIA+ stories, and to help connect rainbow young people to those stories and to each other. Apart from coming to the library, checking out the cool displays, and reading some of the rad books we’ll be highlighting, there are heaps of ways you can take part. You could: Enter the Rainbow Storytelling Competition – this year ..read more

We’re exploring the world of botanical art through different forms: painting, paper flower art, embroidery, gallery installations and garden designs. Below you’ll find Leonardo da Vinci’s drawing and preparatory sketches, the immersive installation in Times Square by artist Rebecca Louis Law, garden design from the RHS flower show, and embroidered art with a contemporary look. Whether dry, fresh, pressed, re-created, or painted; This art is sure to inspire you. Botanical sketchbooks / Bynum, Helen “Filled with remarkable images from the fifteenth to the twentieth centuries, Botanical Sketchboo ..read more

Reminiscing on what has transpired in or before our lives, this month’s picks of the new art, architecture and design books look at the legacy of some of the spaces, places and faces we have behind us. Some deal with temporary works of urban art in the capital; others, the creation of new history in the light of the old. Have a browse and enjoy. Melancholy Wedgwood / Moon, Iris “Melancholy Wedgwood is an experimental biography that traces multiple strands in the ceramic entrepreneur’s life to propose an alternative look at eighteenth-century England’s tenuous relationship to our own lives and ..read more

It’s been 25 years since the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Besides making some of us feel very old, the anniversary is as good a reason as any to take a look at what we have in the catalogue on the history of the saga, the individuals involved in making it (most prominently, creator George Lucas) and its enduring impact on popular culture. 25-5-77 (BeamaFilm) 2022 | 2 h 11 mins | Movie “Alienated film-maker hopeful Pat Johnson’s epic story of growing up in rural Illinois, falling in love and becoming the first fan of the movie that changed everything.” (Description from ..read more

Andrew Laking is the creative force behind the Lōemis festival. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the Lōemis festival, it is the annual arts festival that takes place in numerous iconic locations around Wellington around the time of the winter solstice. Lōemis  focuses on staging new works that are fantastical, mystical, transformative, multimedia and often fun. This year’s Lōemis festival runs from June 9th to June 21st. The festival nestles into the darkest nights of the year with an incredibly diverse and vibrant array of  shows, food events, art and music installations and mid-w ..read more

Thinking of starting a business? Sign up for a free business workshop, Creating something from nothing, with Tony Henderson-Newport,  founder of Rebel Business School, on Saturday 22 June at Johnsonville Library. Places are limited, so register now and save your spot! Free business workshop: Creating something from nothing Tony Henderson-Newport, found of Rebel Business School Saturday 22 June, 10:30am – 12:30pm View on Event Calendar The workshop is aimed at people interested in starting their own business or investigating whether a side gig can be turned into a business: This session ..read more

Our Artists in Antarctica event is almost here, so we thought we’d introduce you to the talented artists who will be joining us to share their creative experiences, out on the ice! Join us this Friday at Newtown Community Centre Theatre, 6 – 7:30pm for a dynamic night of discussion as we dive deep into the challenges, risks and rewards of creating art in the harsh extremes of Antarctica. Anne Noble ONZM, an Antarctic Arts Fellow in 2001/02, visited the continent twice more — as an independent visitor with a grant from Creative New Zealand and with the United States’ National Science Foundati ..read more

via GIPHY Statler: Well, it was good. Waldorf: Ah, it was very bad. Statler: Well, it was average. Waldorf: Ah, it was in the middle there. Statler: Ah, it wasn’t that great. Waldorf: I kind of liked it.” -‘The Muppet Show’. I’m Mark, the Music & Film Specialist at Wellington City Libraries. I buy music for the CD & Vinyl collections, and also run the Libraries’ Wellington Music Facebook page). My Music Specialist colleague Sam, and Fiction Specialist (and avid music fan) Neil, join me every month to cast an eye over the new material we have been buying for the music collection at our ..read more

Whether you’re deep diving into a specific condition or just curious about keeping yourself well in general, we’ve got you covered with this month’s new titles in health. Get well, stay well : the six healing health habits you need to know / Newman, Gemma “Six essential health prescriptions distilled into simple and free, daily habits. She has seen radical transformations in her patients, family, and her own health from her open-minded approach to medicine – from chronic headaches to debilitating anxiety. Give yourself the best chance of a healthy, happy life – whatever life throws at you. Thi ..read more

If you want to be frightened, have a laugh or learn something new, we have an array of new graphic novels for your perusal. Click below to place a reserve or if you are lucky, the book might be available right now! Mary Tyler Moorehawk / Baker, Dave “Who is Mary Tyler Moorehawk? How did she save the world from a dimension-hopping megalomaniac? Why was her TV show cancelled after only nine episodes? These are just a few of the questions that young journalist Dave Baker begins to ask himself as he unravels the many mysteries surrounding the obscure comic book Mary Tyler MooreHawk. However, his c ..read more