Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō Levin Library: uncover your family history at local library

Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō Levin Library's heritage room.

Kiri Pepene is the library information research and local history team lead.

OPINION

For many of us, embarking on the journey to uncover our family history can feel like a daunting task.

Where do you even begin? What resources are available? How do you know if the information you find is accurate? It can feel like assembling a giant jigsaw puzzle, but with the pieces all jumbled — and some missing altogether.

As a heritage librarian, I have the privilege of helping people search for those missing pieces. When it goes well, we might find long-lost family members, answer questions that have lingered for generations and, sometimes, bring a sense of understanding and peace to those searching. However, the answers aren’t always easy to find. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, those elusive ancestors remain hidden for various reasons.

I often tell people that if their ancestor was particularly prominent — a pillar of the community — they’re usually easier to find. And, interestingly, the same is true for those who got into mischief. But for many who led ordinary, quiet lives, it can sometimes be more challenging to trace their steps.

So, if you are new to this, where do you start? One place is the Heritage Room at Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po, where the wonderful volunteers will be able to help you start your journey or knock down some of your brick walls. Every Friday, I am in the Heritage Room at Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom in Foxton and am more than happy to help with your research.

If you’re just starting out, you may want to join our Discovering Family History workshops. These provide an introduction to the basics of family research, where you’ll learn useful tips and tricks to help you find those elusive family members.

The first session is All About Ancestry, where we’ll focus on understanding DNA results and what they really mean. Kevin Miles, from the Horowhenua Family History Group, will be leading this session, and he’s fantastic.

After that, I’ll be running the next three sessions, where we’ll dive into the basics of researching Births, Deaths, and Marriages, explore Papers Past, and look at other valuable resources available to help with your family history journey. For more details, visit our website.

Top 10 books

What’s new in True Crime

A boy named Red — by Richard Rashke

Crisis: True stories of my life as a hostage negotiator — by Nicky Perfect

The natural history of crime: case studies in death and the clues nature leaves behind — by Patricia Wiltshire

A Murder in Hollywood: The untold story of Tinseltown’s most shocking crime — by Casey Sherman

Finding baby Holly: Lost to a cult, surviving my parents’ murders, and saved by prayer — by Holly Marie

Anatomy of a Secret: One man’s search for justice — by Gerard McCann

Family, friends, and neighbours: stories of murder and betrayal — by Richard Estep

Dual mission: A secret service agent’s battle with the New York mafia! — by Nino Perrotta

The Lady vanishes — by Alison Sandy

Little, crazy children —by James Renner

Exhibitions

Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō Gallery Presents: Levin Pottery Club – November 1 to November 29 2024.

The Horowhenua Potters invite you to explore a vibrant display of creativity, featuring work by both new and experienced local artists.

This diverse collection includes hand-built and wheel-thrown pottery, along with sculptural pieces. Based in the picturesque Thompson House grounds, our welcoming club encourages everyone to try their hand at pottery — no experience necessary.

What’s On

Heritage room:

Volunteers staff the Heritage rooms at Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō Tuesday to Friday at the following times:

Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 10.00am -12.30pm

Thursday, 10am – 3.00pm

Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom Heritage Room has the Research librarian available all day every Friday.

Friday:

Friday Live Concert, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 12pm – 1pm

Jim Redmond Crib Club, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 1pm – 3pm

SeniorNet, Get help with your tablets, phones and laptops

Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, 10am – 12pm

Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 2pm – 3pm

Code Club, Shannon Library, 3.30pm – 4.30pm

Saturday:

Shannon Library, OPEN, 10am – 12pm

Monday:

Storytime, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 10am – 10.30am

Meet Street, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 10am – 11am Volunteer Central, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 10am – 12pm

H.U.G Horowhenua Ukulele Group, Main Space, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 11am – 12pm

Simply Meditation, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 12pm – 1pm, koha

Digital Learning: Smartphone Basics, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 1pm – 3pm

Tuesday:

Digital Drop-in Session, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 10am – 11am

Storytime, Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, 10.30am – 11am

Justice of the Peace, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 11.30am – 1.30pm

500 Card Group, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 1pm – 3pm, $2

Discovering Family History, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 1pm – 3pm

Lego Hour, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 3.30pm – 4.30pm

Wednesday:

Volunteer Central, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 10am – 12pm

Crochet & Coffee Club, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 10.30am

FOHL Morning Tea, Speaker: Karen Corkill on Myers Briggs Personality Types, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 10.30am

Better Digital Futures: Foundation Skills, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 1pm – 3pm

Code Club, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 4pm – 5pm

Teen Book Club, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 4pm – 5pm

Pop Up Eats Horowhenua, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō Carpark, 5pm – 8pm

Page Turners Kōrero Group, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 7pm – 9pm

Quiz Night, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 7pm – 9pm, $5

Thursday:

Digital Drop-in Session, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 10am – 11am

Sewing Workshop, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 10am – 12pm

Tea & Tales, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 10.30am – 11.30am

500 Card Group, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, 1pm – 3pm, $2