Never before have we been so bombarded with information. New technology introduced over the past decade — mobile phones, text messaging, email and the internet — has made communication and access to information much more convenient.

But the choice can be confusing. And it can be difficult to know how accurate information is. The library is a good place to start when you have a question.

The Council’s Christchurch City Libraries has a huge range of resources, from books and CD-Roms to tapes and access to an extensive range of databases.

Four new databases have recently been added to the Library’s offerings and are available to library members who have a personal identification number (PIN).

The new resources are WorldBook on Line, with thousands of articles from the World Book Year Book dating back to 1922; NewzText, an archive of the full text of many of New Zealand’s key news and business publications; the Oxford Reference Online (ORO), which combines 100 language and subject dictionaries and reference works into a single cross-searchable resource; and XreferPlus, a digital reference library with over 100 searchable and browsable reference books.

• Once you are a member and have been given a PIN you can use these and many more databases through the Library’s website, at library.christchurch.org.nz
• If you are unsure about how to start or would like help in answering questions, call the Library on 941 7923 any time from 8am to 9pm during the week and from 9am to 4pm at the weekend. If you don’t have a PIN, they’ll also tell you how you can get one.