The British Newspaper Archive at ERL

We have just added 'The British Newspaper Archive' to our growing suite of online resources available from our webpage. The genealogists amongst us will love this resource because it gives you access to hundreds of regional British newspapers published between 1710 and 1960 - perfect for tracking down long-lost relatives and their doings in Dorset in the 1860s.

Licensing restrictions mean that you are unable to search the BNA from home but will need to come into a branch in order to be able to use it. The good new is that after registering to use BNA you are able to save articles to your own BNA account (called 'My Research') which you can access from home. A trifle confusing but in a nutshell what it means it that you need to come into the library to search the resource and then you can go home and read through the fruits of your labours.

Gail White will be running a training session on how to use the BNA at the Lilydale branch in March - if you would like to know how it all works you can make a booking via this link:

Accessing British Newspaper Archive Online


Cheers, Paul.

ERL Facebook is here!

Woohoo!! Yes, it has finally arrived - and we must say, there is much rejoicing and maybe a little happy dance going on behind the scenes as we launch our new Facebook Page.

What does our Facebook offer?
Well, we wanted to go with a fun approach - afterall, Facebook is for fun and socialising. Our posts are going to be the kinds of things you can enjoy and share with your friends. Covering everything from library and book humour to quirky trivia, family history, competitions, library events and library news, we certainly encourage people to "Like" us and pop us in their "Interests" list so as not to miss out on any updates!

Our Approach?
Need help with a project? Sure thing - jump on and tell us what you're looking for.
Not sure how to download an e-book? No probs - post us a message.
Having trouble with the catalogue? Good to know, we'll see if we can steer you towards what you're after.
Looking for something new to read and don't know who or where to ask? Hey, no worries - ask us.
Did you love an event you went to the other week? Hey, there are probably photos or spare handouts to share.

So, you are cordially invited to...
Talk to us! We heartily encourage people to approach us with all their library and information enquiries. This is a place where we want people to feel welcome and comfortable to ask questions and chat to us. This is a very exciting venture and we can't wait to hear from everyone.

So go ahead - "Like" our Eastern Regional Libraries Facebook Page... we know you want to...

Yarra Ranges Mobile off the road this morning

The Ranges  Outreach vehicle will be off the road this morning - so it will not be stopping at Kirkbrae Retirement Village. It will resume services  for Walmsley Village though!

Sorry for any inconvenience, don't hesitate to call us with any queries on 1300 737 277.

Cheers,

The Virtual Team

WiFi down at Yarra Junction until further notice

Hello all,

The WiFi is currently down at Yarra Junction library until further notice. We apologise for any inconvenience!

If you need to access the Internet, please feel free to book a PC at Yarra Junction or visit own of our neighbouring branches.

Branch Locations

Thanks,
The Virtual Team

Get Me About website goes live

Need help getting around your local community? Well the recently launched Get Me About website should be the first place to go to. Put together by a number of community organisations the site can be used to find the best transport options for getting around the Eastern Metro region, based on your specific needs or requirements. The site can help you to plan your trip whether it is for a health appointment or to catch up with some friends at a local cafe. You can also check to see what community events are happening in your local area. So just remember, to get around check out Get Me About.

Happy trails, Paul.

Today: Ranges Outreach Vehicle Off the Road Due to Total Fire Ban

Hello all,

Due to Total Fire Ban Restrictions, the Yarra Ranges Outreach vehicle will be off the roads today.

Sorry for any inconvenience - stay safe out there!

The Virtual Team

ERL Open on Australia Day Saturday 26 Jan - Closed Monday 28 Jan

Australians all let us rejoice... for ERL is open on Australia Day!

Yes, our branches will be open on Saturday 26th January for Australia with regualr business hours.

However, we will be closed on Monday 28th January for the official Australia Day public holiday.

So be sure to come in, grab some books and DVDs to keep you and the kids entertained over the weekend.

Sounds like a plan. So, who else is looking forward to a long weekend?
  Cheers, Anoewyn

The heat is on...

Hi all,

as that great philosopher Glenn Frey once mused 'The Heat is On', and now that I have that aural worm implanted in your heads I will get to the gist of this post which is to remind you that you can enjoy all of the benefits of the eLibrary from the air-conditioned comfort of your own homes. There are over 15,000 eBooks and eAudiobooks available for you to download to your PC, tablet, eReader or smart phone via the Overdrive page of our eLibrary. The latest notable authors to appear in the eLibrary are Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher stories, and Kate Morton, the Australian author of the latest bestseller 'The Secret Keeper'.

You are also able to download and keep copies of over 200 popular Australian, American and British eMagazines via the Zinio page of the eLibrary. The biggest hits with our members so far are 'Better Homes and Gardens', 'Australian Home Beautiful' and 'New Scientist'. It is a bit fiddly to set up the service and I thoroughly recommend that you read the User Guide that will help you through the process of registering an account but the benefits far outweigh the temporary inconvenience..... the quality of the graphics from 'National Geographic' is brilliant on the new iPads.

Happy eReading, Paul.

PS: Don't forget that there are a whole host of other Online Resources that you can access from home to entertain and educate yourselves and any young persons living in your household. My particular favourite is 'Busythings' - who can resist a pink doughnut eating monkey?

Sneak peek of our new library catalogue

I've been spending the last few months configuring the new catalogue and want to give our members a sneak peek. It's fully operational so you may login with your user ID and PIN on the site, as well as place holds etc.

Go to Enterprise catalogue

A few things you'll notice:

• the barcode of items borrowed will appear in My Account - a much sought after feature for our magazine borrowers.
• if you click on the first drop down menu you'll find a field labelled DVD. Select this to just search for DVDs.

Explore the site and please leave me some feedback or ask questions through the website feedback form. I'm still testing and adding tutorials to the catalogue guide. Once I've finished I'll be making the full transfer to the new catalogue on our website.

Just a note that favourites will always need to be maintained via the old catalogue site so a link to that will always be available.

Cheers, webgurl