Professor Glyn Harper delivered an ANZAC Day lecture at the Library on Monday, about the “Centenary History of New Zealand and the First World War” project.

Professor Harper spoke to university and Library staff on the joint project to produce a comprehensive picture of New Zealand’s involvement in the First World War, involving Massey University, the New Zealand Defence Force and the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association.

He gave the audience fascinating glimpses of little-known stories of the First World War, that the project hopes to bring to the general public.

Professor Harper has begun writing the first volume on the New Zealand Soldier at War 1914-1918, which is expected to be published in 2015, with another ten or so volumes to follow.

New Zealand & Pacific Librarian Noelene White and Kaihautū Māori Sheeanda Field organised the lecture and display (and ANZAC biscuits) to celebrate ANZAC Day.

Haere mai to Sheeanda Field (Ngāriki Kaipūtahi, Ngāti Porou and Tūhoe), the Library's new Kaihautū Māori / Māori Library Services Manager.

Sheeanda is a familiar face at the Library and around Turitea site, as she has spent several years as Kaiwhakarato Pārongo Māori / Māori Information Services Librarian.

"I'm looking forward to the new role and the rewards and challenges that it will no doubt bring," she says.

Sheeanda starts as Kaihautū Māori on Monday 12 December, based at Turitea Library.

Many of you told us in the Student Experience Survey that it’s not always easy to find the information required for your assignments, study and research, and some of you are not sure where to start. Finding information to get started or to go further and give your assignment the X factor can take quite a while, and is not always straightforward!

Here’s some ways you can track that information down:

1. Check out our How to Find page, which explains how to find books, journal and newspaper articles. It also includes some demonstrations - short tutorials that will get you up to speed quickly if you haven’t used a resource before or if you need a refresher.

2. Check out Discover – the new megasearch option on our library home page. This searches across the Library Catalogue and many of our databases in one hit – some students refer to it as our version of Google. Try it out and see if it works for your topic – it can be a great way to grab some books and articles when you are not sure where to start.

3. If Discover doesn’t deliver for your search this time – or if you need to dig deeper - head over to our subject guides. These will help you target the best resources for your subject area – such as background information resources and recommended article databases. We have been reworking these to make them even more useful – some of the new ones include Aviation, Education and Finance and Economics.

4. Have a look at what Library resources have been provided in Stream for your specific paper. You may find we have been asked to provide resources right at the point where you need them for an assignment. If we aren’t there where you need us, let your Paper Co-ordinator know!

5. Sometimes if you are just stuck you’ll just feel like getting in touch with someone for help. Please do! Remember you can contact us via email, phone or visit the help desk at one of our campus libraries.

Thanks for letting us know what you think of us in the Student Experience Survey earlier this year. We’re pretty happy with how we did, but we’re working on the areas that need improving.

We’re thrilled that around 90% of taught students and 94% of research students rate the library’s services and resources as good or very good. Things that make a difference to you are: access to our large range of resources, particularly electronic journals; our friendly, helpful and expert staff; the prompt and responsive postal service for Distance students; and having a place to study.

But what can we do better? You want more books (particularly textbooks), journals, online resources, computers, quiet study areas, group work areas, power outlets (Manawatu), colour printers (Wellington), a more attractive and comfortable study environment (except Albany), and easier searching.

We’ve made a start… since the survey we’ve introduced Discover (the new megasearch on the library home page), made good progress on updating the Subject Guides (to make key resources easier to find), and tried to improve the study environment around the Libraries (new chairs, power points, freed up study space, etc). More is on the way.

Keep an eye on this space for details of these and other planned improvements. Over September we'll have a series of posts letting you know what we've been doing to make your Library experience even better.

Today’s distance students can find library resources online within a few minutes, but in the sixties they waited up to ten days for the postie to deliver books. This week Massey University Library celebrated fifty years of supporting distance students by launching a new book that traces the history of the Distance Library Service.

Your books are in the mail: Fifty years of Distance Library Service at Massey University, written by science librarian Bruce White, was launched at Turitea Library on Wednesday 15th June. Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) Ingrid Day spoke at the launch, which was attended by Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey, past and present librarians, and university staff.

Professor Day said that the Library is pivotal to the university’s distance education programme. “Students consistently rate Distance Library Service as one of the highest valued services in the university,” she said.

Your books are in the mail describes the service’s beginnings at Caccia Birch House in 1960, with just one librarian, begged and borrowed equipment, and the Principal of the Palmerston North University College stocking the shelves at night. Almost 1700 books were delivered to students in that first year, establishing a service that is still recognisable in its essentials today.

Distance students now have access to all the same online resources, such as ejournals and ebooks, as internal students. Print books are still vitally important – in 2007 almost 130,000 were delivered to students’ letterboxes, often just a day or two after online requesting.

Government reports noted in 1925, and again in 1959, that a well-equipped library service is an essential element of university education. Mr White says that “the service that has been created for Massey’s distance students over fifty years deserves recognition for having more than met the challenge.”

Your books are in the mail may be purchased for $20 using the form on the Library website.

Your books are in the mail is also available as an ebook here (through Massey Research Online).