Pegasus Post: July 22, 2021

PEGASUS POST Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Thursday July 22 2021 5
MILESTONE: Ann Barsby is reflecting on her 20 years as a library assistant
in time for Spreydon Library’s 50th anniversary. PHOTO: GEOFF SLOAN
Book lover didn’t
plan on staying at
library for so long
• By Bea Gooding
FOLLOWING THE birth of her daughter,
Avonside resident Ann Barsby didn’t plan
on sticking around for very long at her
part-time job at Spreydon Library.
A decade later, the library assistant is
taking a trip down memory lane as the
facility celebrates 50 years since it opened
in 1971.
At the time it marked a new era of public
library service in Christchurch. Spreydon
Library was the first purpose-built centre
in the city to be staffed by the city council
with trained librarians – most libraries
were run by volunteers.
Since she became a librarian 20 years
ago, Barsby has witnessed the library scene
reinvent itself in order to keep up with the
community’s ever-changing demands.
But even as society goes further into
the digital realm, Barsby has no concerns
that people will turn their backs on a good
story, especially now with advances like
e-books and Kindles.
“Technology is the biggest change, a lot
more people have their own devices,” she
said.
“The earthquakes changed the
demographic of this area quite a lot. There
used to be mainly older adults or young
families, but people moved from town out
to the suburbs.”
These days it is more than just a library
– it is a place of refuge.
Over time it has developed a strong
bond with the community through daily
activities and events, such as technology
help groups, musical performances, book
clubs and JP services.
But as it is central to many services and
amenities, including Hillmorton Hospital
and Salvation Army Addiction Services,
some days are a unique challenge for
Barsby.
Sometimes she deals with intoxicated
people; other days she is a reassuring
sounding board for visitors going through
mental health and addiction issues.
As a warm and dry place to go, the
library also attracts the odd homeless
person who spends the whole day there
just to have someone to talk to.
“Mental health and addiction can be
challenging,” Barsby said.
Originally from England, Barsby moved
to Christchurch more than 30 years ago
after “meeting a Kiwi in London.”
Now, they have one daughter together
who also shares her love of the written
word.
Prior to her Spreydon post, Barsby
floated across a number of libraries,
including the central city, New Brighton
and Sumner.
She is a passionate book lover, especially
in the fantasy genre, so she found it hard
to walk away from being surrounded by
thousands of titles.
“I was only going to stay for two or three
years, but I’m still here.”
Spreydon Library first opened in 1929
in the remodelled Borough Council
Chambers at the current Barrington St site
as a volunteer-led community library.
It operated that way until the city
council started a new network of suburban
public libraries following a boom in book
stocks, starting with Spreydon from 1971.
Under city council control, Christchurch
City Libraries is now a network of 21
modern libraries across the city.
All of this would not have been possible
without the passion and efforts of librarian
Ernest Bell, who campaigned to make
libraries public and to improve reading in
the community more than 70 years ago.
“If every library was its own little
community run by themselves, they
wouldn’t have the resources or funding.
Now we have a huge collection that floats
between all libraries,” Barsby said.
No one day is ever the same at McMaster
& Heap Vets. Last Wednesday night we
got an urgent call that a GSP, aptly named
“Maximus Carnage” had ingested 250g
of 50% Chocolate with 250ml cream.
Max cleverly lifted the pot of cream
and chocolate off the stove and licked
ravenously at its contents while his
humans had left the kitchen. Chocolate is
very poisonous to dogs, especially the dark
variety, so we urged Max’s owners to rush
him into us before close.
On arrival Max looked excited to be in our
waiting room, saying hello to the other
waiting patients. Kirsty was the first to
see Maximus and tried to make him sick
up the chocolate with a double dose of
medication popped into the conjunctival
sac, that is supposed to induce vomiting.
Nope! Max wasn’t giving up his chocolate
feast easily. Chocolate is slowly absorbed
from the stomach so you have about 4-6
hours to make them sick.
All that ingested chocolate could have
had dire consequences for Max, so Kirsty
quickly anaesthetised Max, stomach
tubed him to remove the chocolate and
copiously lavaged his stomach to remove
every trace. She retrieved 1/2 a bucket
of chocolate. Then she poured activated
Charcoal down his tube to help soak up
any remains of chocolate. Max was placed
on intravenous fluids to help excretion
of the methyxanthine and provide
cardiovascular support. Caffeine can be
reabsorbed across the bladder wall and
this can prolong the duration of clinical
signs so fluids and frequent urinations are
highly recommended. Max was closely
monitored until he was awake and then
sent to the After Hours clinic for overnight
care.
Chocolate is directly toxic to dogs as it
contains methylxanthines - in particular
Theobromine and Caffeine. Initially dogs
may vomit, drink lots, start tremoring and
become restless and agitated. As toxicosis
progresses their hearts rate quickens,
blood pressure elevates,
they become hot, rigid
and may start to seizure.
Sometimes they can just
die from toxic levels. Other
toxic products with the
methylxanthines are cocoa
and coffee beans, diet
pills, cold medications,
Guarana, stimulant pills,
tea leaves, energy drinks
and coffee.
McMaster & Heap
Veterinary practice
Max’s CHOCOLATE Party
Max waking
up from
anaesthesia
with nurse
Olivia by
his side
Maximus under
anaesthesia
getting the
chocolate out
Open 7 days
Cnr Hoon Hay & Coppell place
phone 338 2534, Fax 339 8624
e. mcmasterandheap@yahoo.co.nz
www.mcmasterheap.co.nz
Dark unsweetened chocolate, cocoa
powder and cacao beans are the
worse in milligrams of methylxanthines
contained. White chocolate has virtually
no methylxanthines but is just high in fat
and could lead to pancreatitis. There is a
chocolate calculator online to work out
whether your dog has ingested a lethal
dose and needs to seek vet attention.
Max was lucky that his owners realised
what he had done and sought our help
immediately. Having 3 vets on that
Wednesday night, meant Steve and I could
cover Kirsty’s consults so she could spent
1.5 hours working on Max. The After-hours
clinic wasn’t open at this stage and he
needed gastric emptying immediately.
Max and
his family
Very pleased to say Maximus Carnage
has made a full recovery but this won’t
Max, the
Chocolate
eating dog
stop him attempting to
steal more chocolate
in the future. Prognosis
depends on type and
quantity of chocolate
ingested, body weight
of the dog and the time
lapse between eating and
being made to vomit. Max
had a lucky escape.
Dr Michele McMaster
McMaster & Heap