Helensville Library partners with Craigweil House
Staff from Helensville Library visit Craigweil House residents weekly. One week, there will be a trip down memory lane – with songs from residents’ childhoods sung with gusto and twinkles in the eyes. The next week, stories and poems are read, some from long ago, others new discoveries.
What started as a question from a customer, and staff member at Craigweil House, has become a highlight of the library team’s week. Sing-a-longs have become common in the library workroom, as Sally Hardwick, Community Library Manager, hunts down the perfect version of a golden oldie. Library staff stretch their readers’ advisory muscles in the search for the best poems and short stories. (English comic poet, Pam Ayres, is very popular with the rest home residents.)
The joy in the residents’ faces as something triggers a deep-seated memory is shared by the staff of both organisations.
Helensville Library staff thanks Craigweil for the invitation. We wouldn’t miss our visits for quids (and we fight over who gets to go each week).
These visits are an extension of an existing housebound service. Staff at the library select books for some Craigweil residents, which are delivered by a volunteer.
Library staff also provide a Housebound service to other local residents. If you, or a friend or family member, would like to know about the service, please contact the library. We can select books and deliver them, or just deliver books you have selected yourself. The service can be ongoing, or just for a short term – ie if you’re recovering from surgery, for example. The service is not restricted to the elderly. Maybe you have a new baby, and toddlers, and are struggling to leave the house.
It does make for a busy Thursday, as we also have our regular Kids’ Time session that morning. Kids’ Time happens on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings 10.30am-11am. The sessions provide songs, rhymes, stories, and fun for under-6s and their adults.
Helensville Library can be contacted on: 09 420 8163 (and ask to be put through to Helensville Library); or email: helenlib@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.
Helensville Library Events for July:
Regular Events:
Tuesday 10.30am-11am: Kids’ Time
Wednesday 10.30am-11am: Kids’ Time
Thursday 10.30am-11am: Kids’ Time
Monster Storytime and Sleepover:
Friday 7 July 2017, 4pm-5pm
Bring along a soft toy* to join in the fun of our Monster storytime. Leave your toy overnight, so they can have a library sleepover. Then, pick your toy up from the library on Saturday 8 July (between 9.30am and 4pm).
*not a special toy that has to be home at bedtime