TraLIS blog

Korerotia ka wareware
Whakatungia ka mahara
Whakamahia ka mohio

Tell me and I will forget.
Write it down for me and I will remember.
Involve me and I will understand.

Frontispiece to "The Human House" text and photographs by Tony WAtkins. Auckland: Karaka Press, 2009.


'The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of its innate violence. To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to violence. More than that, it is cooperation in violence.'

Thomas Merton quoted in Tui Motu Interislands March 2010 p.15

'I will pledge myself as a human being to assume my share of man's stewardship of our natural resources. I will use my share without greed or waste. I will respect the rights of others. I will support the sound management of the resources we use, the restoration of resources we have despoiled and the sage keeping of resources for posterity. I will never forget that life, beauty and progress depend on how wisely man uses these gifts, the soil, the water, the air, the minerals, the plant life and the wild life.'

from Stanley Bason's diary published in the Dominion post 23 January 2010. Stanley and his wife Blanche donated his garden and farm to the city of Whanganui in 1966. The garden is now part of the Bason Botanic Gardens in the care of the Whanganui District Council. http://www.basonbotanicgardens.org.nz/

'If you are given two pennies, spend one on bread and the other on hyacinths for the soul. (Old Persian proverb)

'All the creatures of Earth are looking to us for their destiny. Among these are our children and our grandchildren, who depend on our decisions for the sustenance and flourishing of the life-systems of the planet. This remains one of our primary challenges in the twenty-first century.' Thomas Berry Evening Thoughts. Sierra Club Books, 2006. Quoted in The Geologian by Sean McDonagh p.7 Far East August 2009 - a tribute to Thomas Berry.

'There is no doubt social media will play a key role in the export-driven growth of the New Zealand economy.'

from article by Sangeeta Anand in Exporter issue 12, 2009 p.33 entitled Facebooking, tweeting as a way of life

'Always give yourself 30 days to install a new habit.'

from p.138 The Greatness Guide by Robin Sharma. Harper Element, 2006

'The best user experiences are enchanting. They help the user enter an alternate reality, whether it's the world of making music, writing, sharing photos, coding, or managing a project. Even a spreadsheet has the potential to be as engaging as a game.'
http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/03/user_enchantmen.html Retrieved 21 July 2009


'The value of a library and information service at the heart of an organisation... lies in the fact that it creates an information infrastructure that can properly manage the information assets owned by the organisation...'
Porter, K. (2003) Setting up a new library & information service. Oxford: Chandos. p.2


'...the pessimistic outlook does nothing to change the future...' Thomas Merton. Quoted in Gregory O'Brien's Janet Frame Memorial Lecture 2008. www.nzbooksabroad.com/framelecture.php