Lantern-making workshop

Learn to make beautiful lanterns from cane, bamboo and tissue paper with Neil Bateman from Belgrave Community Arts Partnership.

You will be able to use your lanterns in the LightUp Belgrave festival planned for this winter.

When: Saturday 10th March, 10am-2pm
Where: Belgrave Library, Reynolds Lane, Belgrave
Ph: 9754 7266
Cost: Adults $10.00, children $5.00, all materials supplied.

BYO lunch, tea and coffee provided.

Cheers, Maryanne

New Books Day

New books to borrow.

When: Friday 9th March from 10am
Where: Rowville Library, Stud Park Shopping Centre, Stud Road, Rowville
Ph: 9294 1300

Cheers, Maryanne

10th Yarra Junction Library Bird Walk

Join Ken Simpson for a Circuit Walk along the Yarra River at Warburton.

When: Saturday 3rd March 2007 at 7:30am (yikes!)
Where: Yarra Junction Library, Hoddle Street, Yarra Junction
Bookings appreciated on 5967 1588

Meet at the Senior Citizens building on Dammons Rd (north side of the river) at Mel 290 A4

Beginners welcome. Bring a hat, sunscreen and binoculars if you have them. Morning tea provided.

Cancelled on a total fire ban day.

Cheers, Maryanne

An Afternoon with Di Holuigue

A Cook's Kitchen event

Di Holuigue has been food editor of several national food magazines and is an Internationally acclaimed author of cooking books.

Initially trained at Le Cordon Bleu Paris, and L'Ecole Le Notre, Paris, Diane conducts cooking classes in Australia and around the world in the kitchens of famous chefs.

Hmmm...... I think I might need to spend more than an afternoon with Di to become a better cook :-).

When: Thursday 1st March 2pm
Where: Healesville Library, 231 Maroondah Highway, Healesville
Bookings phone 5962 4423

Gold coin donation

Cheers, Maryanne

Next week @ ERL

Tuesday 27th February 2:30pm
Lilydale Genie Exchange - Lilydale Library

Tuesday 27th February 4pm
Dragons Club Launch - Croydon Library

Thursday 1st March 10am
Booksale - Knox Library

Thursday 1st March 1pm
Homeschoolers Meeting - Belgrave Library

Thursday 1st March 1:30pm
Gully Gardeners - Coonara House

Thursday 1st March 2pm
Cooks' Kitchen - An Afternoon with Di Holuigue - Healesville Library

Thursday 1st March 6:30pm
Celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the new Belgrave Library - Belgrave Library

Friday 2nd March 10:30am
Chinese Friendship Group - Rowville Library

Friday 2nd March 11am
AUSLAN STORYTIME - Croydon Library

Friday 2nd March 1:30pm
Home School Meeting - Yarra Junction library


Saturday 3rd March 7:30am
10th Yarra Junction Library Bird Walk - Yarra Junction


Book in for these great activities at your local Eastern Regional Libraries branch.

Cheers, Maryanne

Update - New Library Computer System

Well it's not long to go before we start using the new library system. I want to advise you of some of the changes that will be happening.

March 10-15
From March 10-15 there will be no access to the web catalogue i.e. no renewals, no reservations via the web. Members will need to phone or visit the branch to renew and reserve.

March 16
The LIVE DATE will be 16th March.

All members will automatically receive a PIN number to replace the current password. Members will need to contact the library after 16th March to obtain their new PIN. We will be setting up a form on the library website where you may request your PIN to be sent to you via email.

Changes to charges
Changes will be occurring in the following areas:

• Overdue charges will be 15c per item - up to $5 for junior items and up to $10 for adult items.
• Reservations charges will be paid at time of pick up not when the reservation is placed.

A message from Joseph Cullen, Chief Executive of Eastern Regional Libraries Corporation:

"Being part of the Swift Consortium offers our library customers wider access to library materials. The Unicorn system has improved customer service features which will benefit members of the public. This is an exciting time for Eastern Regional Libraries and we look forward to implementing further improvements in the next twelve months."

We will advise you of the progress and any further changes as we get closer to the live date. I'm currently preparing a new set of catalogue tutorials that I will make available once the new catalogue is live.

Cheers, Maryanne

The Eastern Regional Library Show

Library staff member Lesley Conway runs a radio show each Wednesday 12:05pm-12:45pm on Eastern FM 99.1 called The Eastern Regional Library Show. Tune in next week for a great show.

On this week's show

Kathy Smalley, Family History Librarian, was a guest this week. Are your family history records and charts in disorder? Kathy recommends checking Choice magazine for Feb/Jan 2007 to see the brief results of a survey of Family Tree Software. Choice ran a substantial article with detailed information on various software packages in Nov/Dec 2006, and the brief recommendations give options of free software, best commercial options and Macintosh applications.

Kathy also suggests that a good free option for a beginner family historian wanting to work on the family tree is available through Microsoft at web address http://microsoft.com where you can do a search on the Home Page for 'family tree' and bring up several options.

Kathy will be on the program again in 4 weeks, by which time the new ERL computer system will have been installed. Because of the new computer system and staff training, there have not been the usual Family History training programs running, but they will begin again from late March.

Don't forget that there are informal groups called Genie Exchange which operate from Ringwood, Knox, Belgrave and Lilydale libraries which welcome people who drop in and would like some assistance with their family history. The place to look for times and places, and to keep up-to-date with the latest on offer in ERL is the Family History page, accessible from Eastern Regional Libraries website.

Cheers, Maryanne

New dvds

There are some great new dvds on their way to our branches:

An inconvenient truth: a global warning
Chartbusting 80's
He changed our world: Steve Irwin memorial tribute
Jeff Lang....live at the basement
John Lee Hooker - Come see about me the definitive dvd
Kundun
Laurel & Hardy Collection
Loving You (Elvis Presley)
McCabe and Mrs Miller

Search for them in our web catalogue. Type in your search in the box next to Search library for. If you have a password on your card you can reserve books, cds & dvds to be sent to your closest branch. It costs $2.20 per item for adults, $1.10 for govt. concession card holders, free reservations for children.

Find out about reserving and more with the catalogue tutorials.

Cheers, Maryanne

New non-fiction @ our branches

We've also added the following non-fiction titles:

Anne Latreille ~ Garden of a lifetime : Dame Elisabeth Murdoch at Cruden Farm
Daniel Mendelsohn ~ The lost : a search for six of six million
Donald Macneil ~ Journey to hell : inside the world’s most violent prison system
Jasvinder Sanghera ~ Shame
Kimberly Witherspoon/Andrew Friedman (ed) ~ Don’t try this at home : culinary catastrophes from the world’s greatest chefs
Kimina Lyall ~ Out of the blue : facing the tsunami
Linda Lear ~ Beatrix Potter : a life in nature
Mark Phillips ~ Radio City : the first 30 years of 3RRR
Noel Whittaker ~ Superannuation made easy
Reg Thompson ~ Dear Charlie : letters to a lost daughter
Ross Gittins ~ Gittinomics : living the good life without money stress, overwork and joyless consumption
Tom Bower ~ Conrad and Lady Black : dancing on the edge

Search for them in our web catalogue. Type in your search in the box next to Search library for. If you have a password on your card you can reserve books, cds & dvds to be sent to your closest branch. It costs $2.20 per item for adults, $1.10 for govt. concession card holders, free reservations for children.

Find out about reserving and more with the catalogue tutorials.

Cheers, Maryanne

New fiction @ our libraries

Have a look at the following fiction titles we've recently added:

Anna Jacobs ~ Heart of the town
Elizabeth Chadwick ~ The scarlet lion
Elizabeth Elgin ~ Turn left at the daffodils
Garry Disher ~ Chain of evidence (Bk 4 Challis & Destry)
Gerald Hammond ~ A dead question
James Grippando ~ When darkness falls
Nora Roberts ~ Destinies
Sheelagh Kelly ~ Secrets of our hearts
Sophie Kinsella ~ Shopaholic and baby

Search for them in our web catalogue. Type in your search in the box next to Search library for. If you have a password on your card you can reserve books, cds & dvds to be sent to your closest branch. It costs $2.20 per item for adults, $1.10 for govt. concession card holders, free reservations for children.

Find out about reserving and more with the catalogue tutorials.

Cheers, Maryanne

Next week @ERL

Monday 19th February 12:30pm
Culinary Conversations - Allan Campion - Mount Evelyn Library

Tuesday 20th February 10am
Knox Genie Exchange - Knox Library

Thursday 22nd February 10am
New Books Day - Knox Library

Thursday 22nd February 12:30pm
Literary Lunch - Robyn Annear - Belgrave Library

Thursday 22nd February 7pm
Solar power in Rowville! Is it worth making changes? - Rowville Library

Thursday 22nd February 7pm
Beer Appreciation and Tasting - Healesville Library

Friday 23rd February 10am
Belgrave Genie Exchange - Belgrave Library

Friday 23rd February 10:30am
Waterwise Gardening - Rowville Library

Friday 23rd February 12noon
Friday@Your Library - Gardens for Wildlife - Knox Library

Friday 23rd February 2pm
Library Growers and Weeders Plant Chat and Swap - Mooroolbark Library

Saturday 24th February 10am
Local to Local - Make a Tussie Mussie - Mooroolbark Library

Book in for these great activities at your local Eastern Regional Libraries branch.

Cheers, Maryanne

Local to Local - Tussie Mussies

Join Helen to learn the art of making a Tussie Mussie, an Elizabethan scented herb posy made from herbs and flowers from your garden. All welcome.

I did some research because I hadn't heard of this craft before. Master Gardeners have an article on the history of tussie-mussies, while About Flowers has some wonderful pictures.

When: Saturday 24th February 10am
Where: Mooroolbark Library, 7 Station Street, Mooroolbark
Ph: 9726 8200

Cheers, Maryanne

Waterwise Gardening

A discussion on waterwise gardening with the staff of Wombat Gully Plant Farm and Knox Environment Society, who will be happy to answer your questions.

When: Friday 23rd February 10:30am
Where: Rowville Library, Stud Park Shopping Centre, Stud Road
Ph: 9294 1300

Cheers, Maryanne

Update - Sustainable Living talk cancelled

I just got some news that the Mt Evelyn library's Sustainable Living talk with Andrew Cooper has been cancelled for personal reasons. I'll advise you if the talk gets rescheduled at a later time.

Maryanne

New dvds @ our libraries

Just some of the new dvds I've spotted:

Fifth Dimension : secrets of the supernatural
Hamish MacBeth Series 2
Lano & Woodley: the island
Marathon man
Mullholland Falls
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz
Waking the Dead - series 1 & pilot

Search for them in our web catalogue. Type in your search in the box next to Search library for. If you have a password on your card you can reserve books, cds & dvds to be sent to your closest branch. It costs $2.20 per item for adults, $1.10 for govt. concession card holders, free reservations for children.

Find out about reserving and more with the catalogue tutorials.

Cheers, Maryanne

Two weeks of the Eastern Regional Library Show

As you probably noticed the blog was a little quiet last week because I was sick. As a result, I've got two weeks of the Eastern Regional Library Show to blog. For those that don't know library staff member Lesley Conway runs a radio show each Wednesday 12:05pm-12:45pm on Eastern FM 99.1 called The Eastern Regional Library Show. Tune in next week for a great show.

Last week's show

The books reviewed by Lyn Baines on the show included

• The verdict of us all : new stories from the Detection Club - ed Peter Lovesey
• The best British mysteries IV - ed Maxim Jakubowski
• Getting rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon
• Sand in my shoes by Joan Rice

Music was from:

• Boy from New York City by Manhattan Transfer (from the CD - The very best of Manhattan Transfer)
• Love is the seventh wave by Sting

Lyn also mentioned the following activities.

Saving Water in Rowville!
Thursday 15th February 7pm
Rowville Library
Is it worth making changes? Grey water vs. Rainwater! Putting in a rainwater tank. Changes you can make in your household. Rebates

Join us for a realistic discussion on water saving with Gary Workman from GreenPlumbers and Sam Sampanthar from Knox City Council.

Bookings 9294-1300

Sustainable Living
Friday 16th February 1:30pm
Mount Evelyn Library

Join Andrew Cooper author of 'The Little Things Sustainable Living Diary' for hints on how to live in harmony with the environment and save money too!
Bookings essential 9736-3851

Lunch@Your Library – Robyn Annear
Thursday 22nd February 12:30pm
Belgrave Library
Cost $7.50 includes lunch
Bookings essential 9754 7266


Today's show

As the long hot summer goes on, we often look for something light and humourous to help us while away an hour or two before we can sleep. For some enjoyable reading which you can pick up and put down easily, some very funny and interesting writing about food and life can be found in the following titles:

The pedant in the kitchen by Julian Barnes

The man who ate everything by Jeffrey Steingarten

Tender at the bone by Ruth Reichl

Or, you might want to catch up with some of the great TV series which we have on DVD and video, such as Steptoe and Son, As time goes by, Monarch of the Glen, The good life, M*A*S*H* and many others. If you're searching for tv box sets on our catalogue, try television dvd as your search terms. A few titles that I found included Thank God you're here Season 1, Northern Exposure Seasons 1-4 and, one of my mum's favourite shows, Waking the Dead Season 1.

Don't forget that if you want to order copies in from other branches, we have budget reservation cards which brings the price down by a third, of if you would like to visit Croydon Library for the last few Sundays of summer, free reservations are available.

Cheers, Maryanne

Waterwise Gardening

A discussion on waterwise gardening with the staff of Wombat Gully Plant Farm and Knox Environment Society who will happy to answer your questions.

When: Friday 23rd February 10:30am
Where: Rowville Library, Stud Park Shopping Centre, Stud Rd, Rowville
Ph: 9294 1300

Cheers, Maryanne

Friday @ your Library - Gardens For Wildlife

Learn how to entice local wildlife into your garden e.g. frogs, butterflies and birds. The talk is presented by Nadine from Knox City Council.

When: Friday 23rd February 12noon
Where: Knox Library, 425 Burwood Highway, Wantirna South
Bookings essential - phone 9801 1422

Tea/coffee provided.

Cheers, Maryanne

Library Growers & Weeders

Chat about gardening, swap plants or borrow the latest gardening books at Mooroolbark Library with the Library Growers and Weeders group.

When: Friday 23rd February 2pm
Where: Mooroolbark Library, 7 Station Street, Mooroolbark
Ph: 9726 8200

Plant giveaway sponsored by Rosemount nursery.

Cheers, Maryanne

Lunch @ your library update - Lunch is now with Robyn Annear

There has been a change of speaker at Belgrave's Literary lunch. The new speaker is Robyn Annear.

Robyn Annear was recently appointed to the Board of the State Library of Victoria, which is recognition of her status as one of the most entertaining and knowledgeable writers of social history.

Winner of the A A Phillips Prize in the Victorian Premier’s Awards in 1995 for her book Bearbrass: Imagining Early Melbourne, she has continued to produce a number of equally entertaining books. Her latest book A City Lost and Found: Whelan the Wrecker’s Melbourne was published in 2005.

When: Thursday 22nd February 12:30pm
Where: Belgrave Library, Reynolds Lane, Belgrave
Cost: $7.50 includes lunch
Bookings 9754-7266

Cheers, Maryanne

Beer Appreciation and Tasting

Come along, relax and enjoy a presentation by Eric Walters of Grand Ridge Brewery, Australia's most awarded boutique brewery. This has been an extremely popular event at our branches.

When: Thursday, 22nd February, 7 pm
Where: Healesville Library, 231 Maroondah Highway, Healesville
Cost: $5 Includes tasting

Beer nuts and nibbles provided.
Booking essential Ph 59624423

Cheers, Maryanne

Culinary Conversations – Allan Campion

Allan Campion has worked both in Australia and overseas as a chef. He is a food writer for the Age Feature Epicure as well as for many other food magazines. The author of a number of cookery books his Foodies Guide to Melbourne, co-authored with his partner Michele Curtis, covers all the best places to eat, shop and learn about food.

A great way to spend an afternoon!

When: Monday 19th February 12:30pm
Where: Mount Evelyn Library, 50 Wray Crescent, Mount Evelyn
Cost: $7.50
Lunch is included.
Bookings essential 97363851

Cheers, Maryanne

Sustainable Living

Join Andrew Cooper, author of The Little Things Sustainable Living Diary, for hints on how to live in harmony with the environment and save money too!

When: Friday 16th February 1:30pm
Where: Mt Evelyn Library, 50 Wray Crescent, Mt Evelyn

Free event
Bookings essential 97363851

Cheers, Maryanne

Saving water in Rowville & Solar power

With escalating water restrictions the following discussions are timely.

Saving water in Rowville
When: Thursday, February 15th 7pm–8pm
Where: Rowville Library, Stud Park Shopping Centre, Stud Road, Rowville

Saving water in Rowville! Is it worth making changes? Grey water vs. Rainwater! Putting in a rainwater tank. Changes in you can make in your household. Rebates. Join us for a realistic discussion on water saving with Gary Workman from GreenPlumbers and Sam Sampanthar from Knox City Council.

Solar power
When: Thursday, February 22nd 7pm–8pm
Where: Rowville Library, Stud Park Shopping Centre, Stud Road, Rowville

Solar power in Rowville! Is it worth making changes? Join us for a realistic discussion on sustainable power options for households in Rowville with William Biefheucel from Origin Energy and Sam Sampanthar, Conservation Officer, Knox City Council

Cheers, Maryanne

Genie Exchanges

The following dates for February's genie exchanges are:

Ringwood Genie Exchange
Thursday 15th February, 10am-12noon.

Knox Genie Exchange
Tuesday 20th February 10am-12 noon

Belgrave Genie Exchange
Friday 23rd February 10am-12 noon

Lilydale Genie Exchange
Tuesday 27th February 2.30-4.30 pm

Cheers, Maryanne

Around Words

Meet Vera and Natasha (the child that was left with her grandparents in Russia) Stakhanova for a discussion of their biography Separated at Stavropol - a Russian family's memoir of wartime flight and the trauma of leaving behind their five year old daughter and losing contact for 40 years.

When: Wednesday 7th February 11am
Where: Yarra Junction Library, Hoddle Street, Yarra Junction
Bookings essential. Ph: 59 671 588

Cheers, Maryanne

Reading Café – Meet Ally Blake

Award winning romance fiction author Ally Blake will be visiting Lilydale library to chat about romance fiction.

Since graduating from University with a degree in English, Ally has had a variety of jobs and interests, cheerleader, actress, function organiser and journalist.

In 2003 she published her first romance title The Wedding Wish for Mills and Boon. Since then she has won several awards for her romance fiction. She has a number of titles to be published in 2007.

When: Monday 12 February 12.30pm
Where: Lilydale Library, Anderson Street, Lilydale
Cost: $7.50 includes lunch
Bookings 9294-3120

Cheers, Maryanne

New Books Day

Check out the new books added to the library.

When: Friday 9th February from 10am
Where: Rowville Library, Stud Park Shopping Centre, Stud Road , Rowville
Ph: 9294 1300

Cheers, Maryanne

Wildlife Portraits – One Artist’s Journey

Stephen Powell has won many awards for his wildlife paintings. Learn about his development as a wildlife artist and the people whose works inspired him on the journey.

Stephen’s wildlife art will be on exhibition at the Exhibition Space at Morrison on the Park Cafe for the month of February, and Stephen will be an artist in residence on 6th and 7th February. You can also check out his Work in Progress at his website.

When: Wednesday 7th February 7pm
Where: Mount Evelyn Library, 50 Wray Crescent, Mount Evelyn
Bookings 9736-3851

Cheers, Maryanne