From a hikoi to a sprint, passing the baton
Chris Szekely, Chief Librarian, Alexander Turnbull Library
22 February 2022
November 2021 marked the end of the Turnbull Library’s three-year centennial celebration. On 28th June 2018 we began with a hikoi to the Turnbull family headstone in Bolton Street cemetery to pay tribute to Alex Turnbull on the anniversary of his bequest. Sprint forward to 11th November 2021 where we concluded celebratory activities with the release of our book Te Kupenga, 101 stories of Aotearoa from the Turnbull, published by Massey University Press and funded by the Turnbull Endowment Trust through a Lotteries grant. The book crossed the finish line with cheers from an appreciative stand of reviewers.
A centenary is a great reason to publish a celebratory book. Indeed, they’re almost obligatory. But at least two things distinguish our book: the way it was written and the timing of its release. I invited everyone in the wider National Library to choose an item in the collections that meant something to them personally or professionally and to write about it. Dozens of colleagues nominated hundreds of items and a wish list whittled down to 101 mini essays. The final selection has the serendipity of browsing our shelves with most formats represented.
Equally serendipitous is the timing of the book’s release. It coincides almost exactly with the release of the history curriculum as a compulsory topic in New Zealand schools. So, while the ATL100 centenary marathon is now officially over, we’ve handed the baton to a close cousin in the National Library whānau; namely, Services to Schools. S2S, as we call them inhouse, has supported literacy and learning in New Zealand schools for 80 years. The Turnbull has placed Te Kupenga in their hands to adapt for young people to learn about the histories of Aotearoa.
I have a lot of affection for Services to Schools. I started my library career there over thirty years ago; dutifully selecting great books for classroom use. S2S still do that today, and a lot more besides. They are the bit of the National Library that has most to do with the Ministry of Education and they’re on track to support schools around the country as the compulsory Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum comes into play.
Online services are a big part of how the National Library reaches into New Zealand schools today, curating, packaging and crafting resources for teachers and learners. Right now, the team is building up supports and resources to help teachers engage young learners with stories and information about New Zealand’s past.
And Te Kupenga is playing a role.
Many of the 101 stories in Te Kupenga have been selected to be online resources for schools. This is a great way to connect students with items in the Turnbull collections and show how each has a tale to tell that can inspire and inform learning about the past. The first batch of these stories is set to go live any minute now.
The online project is not S2S’s first encounter with Te Kupenga. There was S2S representation on the book’s editorial board, and ten members of the S2S team were among the 39 writers who responded to the call to contribute essays to the book.
There’s another nice touch. Thanks to the Turnbull Endowment Trust’s generosity, a hardcopy of Te Kupenga is going to every New Zealand secondary school, just as the first online stories go live. The very fit team at Services to Schools is doing the mailout. Thank-you S2S. It is brilliant to see this relay in action.