Christchurch City Libraries appoints manager of lifelong learning

Jane Spears has been appointed to a new post as Lifelong Learning Manager at Christchurch City Libraries. She is responsible for coordinating learning services across the city’s library network and ensuring they are useful for people of all ages.

For the past 15 years Jane has worked in the Wellington region, in a variety of community and adult education organisations, most recently as student services manager at Porirua’s Whitireia Community Polytechnic.

Encouraging learning and literacy throughout the Christchurch community and at all stages of life is one of Christchurch City Libraries’ key strategic goals. Libraries aims to be a world leader in developing free high-quality learning services.

The organisation believes that to take part fully and productively in life today, people need to be independent learners with strong “information literacy” skills -- able to use all the new forms of exchanging information available today, such as computer terminals and the internet.

“We’ve got some excellent local projects running in different libraries around the city where staff have identified a need and have developed ways of meeting it,” says Ms Spears. “One example is assisting older members to explore and use the internet. My role will be to develop the best of those ideas and move them out across the network. We want to ensure we’re enabling everyone to keep learning throughout their lives.”

Sue Sutherland, the Libraries and Information Manager, will speak about Ms Spears’ new role and the lifelong learning strategy as part of an Adult Learners’ Week event, on Wednesday (8 September) at 12.45 in Christ Church Cathedral. Wednesday is International Literacy Day.

● Note: The organisation is called Christchurch City Libraries. The city branch is the Central Library. General information about Libraries’ events is available on its website, at http://library.christchurch.org.nz

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