Knox Festival

Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th February

Ferntree Gully Library is the place to be at the Knox Festival with the following great activities. Also on both days from 11am-1pm I will be at the library demonstrating the online resources and website to anyone interested.

Both days

• Make a sand mandala, or create a sculpture with the Tashi Lhumpo monks
• Have your face painted
• Learn your Chinese Destiny with Letina Wong-Russell
• Create a cartoon with artist Bradfield Dumpleton
• Decorate some Artrageous art
• View the My Place houses
• See the I.D Secondary Schools T-shirt Project
• Wifi and Internet Café

Saturday

1pm - Launch of Memories Volume 2
memoirs of local identities

1:30-2pm - Memories of Upper Ferntree Gully
Locals share their stories

2-3:45pm - The Living Library
Make an appointment to borrow a ‘living book’.  Share in the experiences of people who now call Australia home. Bookings 9294 8140

Sunday

1pm - Boyz Rule Girlz Rock – Meet Phil Kettle
Phil Kettle is the author of some of Australia's most popular children's series, Toocool, Boyz Rule and Girlz Rock. His books appear regularly on booklists such as the Premier's Reading Challenge. Phil is the host of the new children's DVD series Kidz Book Club. Come and meet Phil at the Knox Festival.

2-3:45pm The Living Library
Make an appointment to borrow a ‘living book’.  Share in the experiences of people who now call Australia home   Bookings 9294 8140


Ferntree Gully Library
Address: 1010 Burwood Hwy, Ferntree Gully, 3156.
Melways Ref: 74 B5
Parking is at St Joseph's Regional College in Brenock Park Drive, Ferntree Gully


Cheers, Maryanne
aka webgurl

No mobile service to Seville on Thursday

Due to a community event and expected traffic difficulties, the Valley Mobile will not be at Seville on Thursday 11th February 2010 3-5pm (Warburton Hwy. Seville next to the main community hall Mel ref 119 J11). Services will return as timetabled the following week.

Cheers, Maryanne

The Eastern Regional Library Show 4th February 2010

Library staff members Lesley Conway and Pia Butcher run a radio show each Wednesday 12:05pm-12:45pm on Eastern FM 98.1 called The Eastern Regional Library Show. Tune in tomorrow for a great show

On last Wednesday's show

Lyn Baines reviewed three informative and readable new histories today. The great silence by Juliet Nicolson deals with the years immediately after World War I in Britain, when the impact of the loss of millions of young men, of the huge economic costs of war, and the changing roles of women led to major social upheavel. It is in many ways a grim period, little reflected on, as the swift development of the dazzling Roaring Twenties have overshadowed it in people's recollections. It is a fascinating time though, seeing social changes which still resonate today. The author has also taken the stories of individuals whom she wrote about in The perfect summer : dancing into shadow, England in 1911 and revisited them in this period.
 
Conquest : the English kingdom of France 1417-1450 by Juliet Barker is about another historic period which is comparatively unknown. Lyn decided this was a gap she neede to fill, and found the personalities and intrigues of the French and English courts to be fascinating. This is the period which saw Joan of Arc rally the irresolute French monarchy to try and oust the English from France for good, only for all her efforts to be wasted and lost. Essentially it was the lack of ambition of the English monarch which eventually  saw the end of England in France. A history which tells the story from the perspective of all levels of society, and makes engrossing reading.

Finally, Elizabeth's women by Tracy Borman brings us the life of Elizabeth I through the women who were important to her in her life, from her half-sister Mary and various step-mothers, to the cousins who plotted (or were pawns in plots) to oust her, and her many loyal maids-in-waiting. Not the political story as such, but a much more intimate and human view of the woman.

---- Lesley

Eastern Regional Library Show 20th Jan & 27th Jan 2010

Library staff members Lesley Conway and Pia Butcher run a radio show each Wednesday 12:05pm-12:45pm on Eastern FM 98.1 called The Eastern Regional Library Show. Tune in next Wednesday for a great show.

On 20th January's show 

Exciting discoveries in Family History can come when you least expect them. Just for interest sake I did a Google search for one of my great great grandgathers "Richard James Quinnell". Not only did I find records produced on www.familysearch.org/Eng/, but also record of his registration as a doctor in Victoria in 1892, and deregistration at  his death in 1902. The important thing in doing a search like this is to enclose the name you are searching for in quotation marks, "Richard James Quinnell" so that you get exactly the person you are looking for. I also found this ancestor's will available via a link from ERL's Family History page,which took me to the Public Records Office of Victoria. Wills lodged up to 1925 have been scanned and are freely available. After this date, you will need to order the documents you are interested in.

Book Chat groups will be underway again from February, so check out if there is one at a convenient time and library for you. These groups meet monthly, are informal, and a great way to share thoughts on what you are reading, and be given new ideas for your next book. Lilydale Library's Chataboutabook club meets on the third Wednesday of the month, and as a part of our world trip through literature, have been reading about India and Asia over the last month. Some books I can recommend are, A passage through India by Saili and Gill which is a beautifully produced travel and photography book of the sub-continent; Stranger to history : a son's journey through Islamic lands by Aatish Taseer, a highly readable and enlightening book of a young man's journey through the Middle East in an attempt to understand Islamic culture and values; and Great voyages of the world
which includes stories of travel down the Ganges, Rhine and Yellow rivers, around the coast of Britain, through the fjords of Norway, by lake and canal from St Petersberg to Moscow, and much more. Enough to give anyone itchy feet.

Music today was from Noel Coward.


On Wednesday 27th January's show

Some great fantasy teenage novels which have recently arrived were reviewed by Pia today. Crowded Shadows by Celine Kiernan is the gripping sequel to Poison Throne. Alone for the first time in her life, Wynter travels unprotected in bandit-infested mountains searching for missing Prince Alberon. But every tyrant and bully who ever threatened the kindgom is gathering to Alberon's table, and the forest is alive with spies and wolves. In Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George  there is a reimagining of the fairy tale of the Twelve dancing princesses. Rose is the eldest of 12 sisters condemned to dance each night for the wicked King Under Stone deep in his palace. It is a curse that has haunted the girls since their birth - and only death will set them free. The Rose meets Galen, a young soldier turned gardener with an eye for adventure and a resolve that matches her own. Suddenly freedom begins to seems a little less impossible.

A new addition to the teenage graphic novel collection is Calamity Jack by Shannon and Dean Hale and is a sequel to Rapunzel's revenge. Jack thinks of himself as a criminal mastermind, with an unfortunate amount of bad luck...then one day  Jack chooses a target a little more gigantic than the usual, and as a small bean turns into a great big building-destroying beanstalk his troubles really begin.

For our junior readers, a couple of new novels are A birthday in the life of Ozzie Kingsford by Val Bird, and Snake and Lizard by Joy Cowley. In the first, Ozzie Kingsford is celebrating his 11th birthday with his mate Fletch and his family. They are heading off to Cracker Beach for the day, will things go according to plan? And in the second, Snake and Lizard share a house and a friendship that is sometimes as rocky as the desert they live in. With a little patience, wisdom and much tolerance their friendship survives their essential differences.

A new junior graphic novel is Captain Congo and the Maharaja's monkey by Ruth Starke.  When the Maharaja of Bekar dies suddenly and mysteriously, Captain Congo and his loyal offsider Pug set off for India to investigate. They arrive in Rajputana to find the royal palace teeming with intrigue. Even as preparations begin for young Prince Beki to be annointed as the Maharaja, it is clear that powerful enemies are scheming against him. Whille Pug goes deep under cover, Captain Congo races agaisnt time to unravel a dastardly plot.
Finally, the wonderful Alison Lester has produced another lovely picture book, Running with the horses.  A tale of the dancing White Stallions of Vienna and their escape during World War II. A young girl's faith in an extraordinary old horse makes this an unforgettable story of courage, adventure and friendship. Nina and her father run from Vienna with some of the precious stallions to elude the advancing German army.

----Lesley

RFID is coming to Eastern Regional Libraries

Eastern Regional Libraries is introducing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to help manage our library resources. RFID technology uses radio signals and tags to track and monitor items intsead of scanning barcodes. It will be a new and faster way of borrowing your items.

We are currently tagging all of our stock. We have started with Rowville and Boronia branches and it is going quite swiftly.

How will it affect me?
Library members will use a Self Check Station to check out their own items. Multiple items can be checked out a the one time. 

Will I still be able to ask a staff member to check out my items?
Library staff will be there to assist you and will be on hand to guide you through the steps as you learn the new system. There will also be a written guide at every station. I'm looking to create a video tutorial to upload to the website that will take you through the steps.

How do I know that I've checked out my items correctly?
The self check screen will alert you if any items have not been checked out successfully and a tranbsaction slip will be printed listing all items you have borrowed.

Do all items go through this machine?

Yes, all items available for loanb are issued using the Self Check Station.

What if I don't have my library card?

All library customers will need a valid library card to be able to borrow.

What will staff do if they're not checking out items?

Library staff will have more time to devote to helping customers

I'll be keeping you apprised as we work through the introduction of RFID this year. If you have any questions about RFID, please ask via our contact form on the library website.

Cheers, Maryanne

New computer desk at Belgrave

Next week we're getting a big new computer desk installed at Belgrave. Therefore the public Internet PCs will not be available from 3PM on Wednesday 10th February as we pack up the PCs out of the way until the job is completed.

Apologies for any inconvenience.

Cheers, Maryanne

Green Foot Flicks Youth Film Festival

Are you or someone you know aged between 10 & 25 years and are interested in making films? Then enter your short film into the Green Foot Flicks Youth Film Festival. Films need to be under 10mins in length and be of G or PG rating but can be in any genre! Closing date for entries is Wednesday 3rd March 2010. Green Foot Flicks application form. For more information, contact Kate Arnott (Knox Youth Services, Knox City Council) on 9298 8868 or 0400 097 506

Prizes: 1st prized valued at $250, 2nd at $150, 3rd at $100

Films will be screened at the Green Flicks Youth Film Festival on Thursday 15th April during National Youth Week.

Cheers, Maryanne

Staff recommend....

You've probably noticed the book cover in the sidebar on the right announcing staff recommendations. Our staff have been busy reading during the summer holidays and I've found this neat social network, a bit like Library Thing, called Listal. You can create your own catalogue of books, DVDs, CDs, then create interesting lists to share with the world & create widgets for your blog or website. I've gone with the standard book, DVD & CD recommendations (see webgurl's listal profile), however others have gotten creative and made lists of the 2010 Oscar nominations or banned/censored books. To advance to see the next book just click on the + sign, however the slideshow will advance on its own as well.

The book covers link to the Listal list, however I've moved the catalogue search box to be just under the cover so you can easily search for the titles.

I'm just deciding where to put the DVD & CD recommendation lists so you should see those appearing soon.

What do you think? Useful?

Cheers, Maryanne