Showing posts with label DVDs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DVDs. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 07, 2015

Searching for DVDs? It's easy

If you're looking for a DVD title try adding the format to the Title Search. This works with all non-book titles and helps particularly if the title is a common word. Thanks to SirsiDynix for adding this popular feature back into the catalogue for us.

Looking for The Godfather on DVD

  1. Select Title from the 2nd drop-down menu.
  2. Type godfather dvd in the search box and click Search.

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

DVD fans will love the new Boronia DVD club

Do you like watching DVDs? Boronia Library are starting a club - borrow the latest library DVDs, have a cuppa and a chat about any DVDs you have watched or would like to recommend. Free reservations.

Dates for 2011: 27th July, 31st August, 28th September, 26th October and 28th November (Christmas breakup)

When: Last Wednesday of the month 6:30-7:30pm
Where: Boronia Library, Park Crescent, Boronia
Enquiries phone 9762 4099

Cheers, Maryanne

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Wow! Almost 300 holds on our 60 copies of The King's Speech DVD

Our 60 copies of the DVD The King's Speech are in hot demand. There are currently 297 people in the waiting queue. We haven't seen that kind of demand since Harry Potter.

To facilitate a quick turnover between members, could those with holds pick up the DVDs as early as they can and return promptly once they have finished.

Thanks so much for your assistance.

Cheers, Maryanne

Thursday, December 09, 2010

The Eastern Regional Library Show 8th December 2010 [Eastern FM 98.1]

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 Wednesday's show

Another way to cope with the heat is to pull the curtains and put on an entertaining dvd. There are some wonderful TV series which have made it onto dvd, going back as far as The Honeymooners with Jackie Gleason, The rag trade with Sheila Hancock and Reg Varney or Wycliffe, to the latest series of CSI Miami or Inspector Rex. Some of my favourites are the more quirky series which don't always run to more than a couple, such as Pushing Daisies or Black Books. Pushing Daisies takes the premise that a young boy can bring the dead back to life, but with a couple of tricky conditions, who as an adult assists a private detective to solve difficult murder cases. It is very funny, with many eccentric and endearing characters. Black Books is equally eccentric, but a lot more cynical about human nature and relationships. Bernard is the Irish book shop owner who spends his day drinking wine, smoking and reading books, and is matched against his niave and optimistic assistant Mannie, and his friend Fran from the shop next door who is both dippy and crafty.
There are great documentaries such as Who do you think you are? UK series. I have just finished watching series 2  which included wonderful programmes on  Jeremy Paxman, Sheila Hancock and Stephen Fry. In the process of delving into people's family tree, a lot of social history is revealed too, in a very effective way.

I probably don't need to remind you of the great British costume dramas, covering works of Dickens, Austen, Hardy and more.  However you may not have come across Middlemarch by George Eliot, which highlights the frustrations of an intelligent young woman circumscribed in what she is allowed to do. It also features the excellent actor Rufus Sewell as the love interest. Another good reason for watching.

Music today was from Cafe Musette, featuring Enrique Ugarte on accordion and Peche a la mouche, from Rue de la Trompette (the last is a personal cd)

Cheers, Maryanne

Thursday, June 24, 2010

From Friday 25th June all DVDs and videos will be 14 day loan


With RFID and self check approaching we have been standardising loan periods  and as a result from Friday 25th June all DVDs and videos will be a 14 day loan.

Cheers, Maryanne

Thursday, February 04, 2010

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

Thursday, November 19, 2009

The Eastern Regional Library Show

 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 4th November's show

GREAT HINT #1.......you have time to read an entire book while waiting for your Christmas cake to bake. Lyn Baines tested the premise last weekend, and successfully completed Hazel Holt's Any man's death in the time required. If you are a fan of 'cosy crime' this is a good read. To quote the publisher's promotion .....
"the village of Mere Barton would be a different place without local busybody Annie Roberts, the tireless retired nurse organizes and oversees all local activity with military precision. When Sheila Malory gets roped into Annie’s latest project, a compilation of the village’s history, she has a feeling it will lead to trouble. But the project is cut short when Annie is found dead from a nasty case of mushroom poisoning—and Mrs. Malory seems to be the only one who finds the death suspicious".
You can't get any cosier than Rumpole of the Bailey. John Mortimer may no longer be with us in the flesh, but a collection of Rumpole short stories published in various journals over the years have been collected to give us Rumpole at Christmas. If you have yearned for a return of the wonderful TV series Rumpole of the Bailey, then you should know that ERL has series 1 - 3 in the collection, and series 4 - 6 on order.

If 'police procedural' is more your thing, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles  Fell purpose, the latest of the Bill Slider series is a must. I get hooked on this sort of series, where the twists and turns of the detective's personal life are as interesting as the whodunit. Another of this genre with a grimmer theme, Necessary as blood by Deborah Crombie is a
"dazzling addition to Deborah Crombie's acclaimed mystery series, a disappearance, a murder, and a child in danger lead Scotland Yard detectives Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid into London's legendary East End—a neighborhood where the rich and the poor, the ambitious and the dangerous, collide—to solve one of the most challenging and disturbing cases they've ever faced".
And another detective who has been around for a long time, Sharon McCone, is up to number 26 in a series set on the US West Coast, Locked in by Marcia Muller.
"McCone returns to her office to retrieve a forgotten cell phone and stumbles upon an intruder with a gun. Before she can get out of his way, he shoots her. She lives, but the bullet is lodged in her brain leaving her in what looks like a comatose state. She can't move except for her eyelids but she is fully aware of what is going on around her. The diagnosis is locked in syndrome and the doctors can't predict whether she will ever recover.The McCone Agency goes to work full time to find out who the shooter is. With just blinks to advise them, Sharon is still their touchstone. Separate cases turn out to be related but even when they are solved, Sharon's killer is still unknown".
On 11th November's show

Hot days, cool lounge, cooler DVD's. You're spoiled for choice at Eastern Regional Libraries, with lots on shelf, and many thousands available to order in. My hot tip for watching this summer is the films of director/producer Robert Altman. Many of us first experienced his distinctive style with MASH, released in 1970, however he had had a career in television before this, often in conflict with studios about his anti-war sentiments and push for naturalistic dialogue. Apparently on the set of MASH his stars wanted him sacked for his unconventional directing, yet the film became an immediate classic on release and won the Grand Prix for Best Film at Cannes that year, and several Academy Awards.

The films which followed in the 70's were also successful, McCabe and Mrs Miller, The long goodbye, Thieves like us, Nashville and more. If you would like more information, check out the wikipedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Altman.

My all time favourites are more recent films, Pret-a-porter of 1994, Gosford Park made in 2001 and A Prairie Home Companion in 2006.
Pret-a-porter (Ready to wear) is classic Altman, with several seemingly seperate stories happening around the Parisian new season fashion parades, which eventually combine (or collide, depending on how you look at it). The cast is enormous and top class, Sophia Loren, Lauren Bacall, Marcello Mastraioni, Tim Robins and Julia Roberts being but a glimpse of the talent. Gosford Park was made from a screenplay by Julian Fellowes who nailed the uneasy relationship between upstairs and downstairs in an English country house of the 1930's. Altman always manages to work with exceptional actors, and the cast for this movie includes Maggie Smith, Kristen Scott Thomas, and Jeremy Northam who personifies an urbane and charming Ivor Novello. A Prairie Home Companion will be familiar to those who heard the radio show of the same name, produced by Garison Keillor in the 1980's. The radio show of gentle comedy, wonderful music and a lot of nostalgia for the small town life of the American prairies had a cult following. This film shows what happens on the (fictitous) last night of the show. With a cast including Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson and the inimitable Garison Keillor himself, it's a joy from start to finish.


On 18th November's show

For all family history buffs....Kathy is still pursuing access to the UK 1911 Census via the Find my past database, but in the meantime, the best way to go is via the Genealogical Society of Victoria (GSV) or the  Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies (AIGS). Through these organisations you can purchase vouchers which give you entry to the databases without having to take out a full subscription, the GVS being the easiest to navigate. Websites for these organisations are GSV www.gsv.org.au and AIGS www.aigs.org.au

Both of these organisations have sub-groups with special skills in researching family history in different parts of the world, so if you are searching beyond the UK, USA and Australia, this could be the way to go. Not forgetting that we do have some useful resources at Ringwood Library which can get you started, such as the Vital records index Western Europe CD-ROM or Ancestors in German archives : a guide to family history sources.

There is some good news though, with Ancestry database adding London Parish records and Australian Electoral records (for all states except SA). If you thought you had run out of records to search, think again. Both Ancestry and Find my past are accessible from all ERL library PC's, and can be booked for up to 2 hours per session, so take advantage of the cool library this summer and track down some more ancestors.

A completely free resource newly available is a record of wills lodged in Wales, available through the site of the National Library of Wales, at www.llgc.org.uk, so another lead to follow up if you have Welsh relatives.

----Lesley

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Pageturners

Come along to Ringwood Library's new group, Pageturners, and talk about your favourite books and dvds. Refreshments provided.

When: 1st Monday of every month 2pm
Where: Ringwood Library, 4 Ringwood Street Mall, Ringwood
Cost: Free event
Bookings essential phone 97363851

Cheers, Maryanne

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The Eastern Regional Library Show 17th December 2008

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 today's show

The world gets busier over the weeks leading up to Christmas, and a good antidote to the stress is a big laugh. A few weeks ago I mentioned some great comedy on CD, this week its DVDs. You can't beat a a good TV series; Get Smart, Steptoe and Son, Black Books, The Office, Kath and Kim, the list is enormous, all available from your local library.

Having mentioned Black Books I have to let you know that the very funny Bill Bailey (who played Manny in the show) has two live performances on DVD Bewilderness and Bill Bailey Live. If you are after the more challenging and in-your-face humour, there are half a dozen Billy Connolly DVD's, and if like me you enjoy a consumate story teller, then the self-titled Dave Allen is for you. Humourous movies are also in good supply, from Cat Balou, Tom Jones and the Doctor series with Dirk Bogarde, to more recent releases such as
Muriel's Wedding, The Castle, Robots and Robot Chicken, Star Wars.

Something which has become a theme over the last few weeks is songs from few decades ago which have been used successfully on film soundtracks, and which have stimulated renewed interest in the singer and the music of the period. One which immediately comes to mind is Louis Armstrong's version of What a Wonderful World which was used in the movie Good Morning Vietnam. Another is Jimmy Durante's Make someone happy in Sleepless in Seattle which has reminded me what a clever showman he was. If anyone reading this blog would like to suggest other great songs and singers who have been rediscovered by a younger generation through film, let me know through our contact form (address to Lesley Conway) and we will try to play them over the summer holidays.

---- Lesley

Thursday, November 13, 2008

The Eastern Regional Library Show 12th November 2008

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 Wednesday's show

What makes you laugh? It's such a personal thing, and I don't know about you, but it's impossible to explain too. I laugh as much at the slapstick of Eric Sykes in The plank as I do at the verbal nonsense of Victor Borge and the funny stories of Bill Cosby.

Our libraries have a huge, and growing collection of CD's and DVD's of some brilliant comedy. You can find DVD's of some very early TV comedy such as The Honeymooners, The rag trade or Steptoe and Son, to M*A*S*H*, Kath and Kim and Summer Heights High.

If you have fond memories as I do of listening to some great radio programs, you should enjoy the range of humour on CD. Today we heard a skit from George Burns and Gracie Field and song from Ethel Merman and Jimmy Durante on the CD Vintage Comedy Collection : vol 3. There are three volumes in our libraries, all with a treasure house of timeless comedy. If you hunger to hear Victor Borge doing his Phonetic Punctuation skit again, you will find it on The hilarious Victor Borge, or his wonderful version of Chopsticks, then Comedy : Victor Borge and Tony Hancock is the one. If you're looking for current comedians, Billy Connelly, Dawn French, Lano and Woodley, French and Saunders and Lenny Henry are all in the collection, and many more.

---- Lesley


As far as comedians go for me it's Bob Newhart. Unfortunately we don't have one of his CDs at Eastern Regional (I must rectify that), but if you get the chance to listen to one, particularly listen to the following skits The Driving Instructor and King Kong.
"Did he cover starting the car? And the "other way of stopping". What's "the other way of stopping"? Throwing it in reverse. That … would do it."
The Driving Instructor - Bob Newhart

"Yes, sir, I looked in the handbook index under 'unauthorized personnel' and 'people without passes' and 'apes,' and 'ape's toes,' but it's not in there"
King Kong - Bob Newhart
What makes you laugh?

Cheers, Maryanne

Monday, February 19, 2007

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

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

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

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

New DVDs @ our libraries

I've just been sorting through the boxes to compile a list of DVDs that will be available for borrowing:

2 Fast 2 Furious
A river runs through it
Anna and the King of Siam
Barefoot in the Park
Birthday Girl
Dr. Who. The complete second series
Fleetwood Mac in Concert
Goal! The movie
It happened one night
John Denver: the wildife concert
Kinky Boots
Ladyhawke
Legends of the Fall
Napoleon Dynamite
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Practical Magic
Spartacus
The Complete Fawlty Towers
The Floating Brothel
The Last Emperor
The Last of the Mohicans
The Squid and the Whale
The Vicar of Dibley: The Specials
Touching the Void
Wise up to IT

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

Thursday, November 23, 2006

New dvds @ our libraries

This list is particularly for Rob (who asked very nicely). I'm still working on the technical problems with the script that generates this list. I know there are a lot of members that love looking for the new dvds, so I created it manually. Anyhoo, here goes:

Martin Chuzzlewit
Lord of the Flies
Chicago (Richard Gere version)
Language nursery
Midsomer murders (various)
The Jewel in the Crown
The Magical world of Winnie the Pooh (various)
American hot rod. Season 1
Hi-5 : Dance hits. 3
Bananas in pyjamas : Singing time + fun time
War of the worlds (Tom Cruise version)
D.H. Lawrence's Sons and lovers
Sommersby
The House of Eliott. Series 2
The Wiggles : Here comes the big red car
Northern exposure. Season 3
Macbeth
Open all hours. Series 3
Beaches
Smile for Auntie : and three other stories
FMX.01 ; New noise
Grind
Crusty demons : the eighth dimension
We can be heroes : finding the Australian of the Year
Da Kath and Kim code ; Kath and Kim live in London uncut
Judith Durham - The Seekers : twenty-five year celebration including Future Road
Hamish MacBeth. Series 1
Inspector Montalbano. Volume 1 & 2
The lion, the witch and the wardrobe (2005 version)
Guess who's coming to dinner
Rebel without a cause
Black Narcissus
Lock, stock and two smoking barrels
Colour of war
See Spot run
Prince : Sign 'o' the times
Rose Tattoo : live in 1993 from Boggo Road Jail
Places in the heart
The wild duck
Witness
Ride with the Devil
Bull Durham

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

Friday, October 27, 2006

Latest CDs & DVDs

Well.... you're probably wondering what's happened to the lists of new CDs and DVDs that I usually add to the blog. I've been having a bit of a technical problem with the script that creates the list and have been unable to post these articles.

I'll have these lists on the blog very soon - I promise, er hope :-D.

Cheers everyone and have a great weekend. If you want to check the weather forecast for the Cox Plate tomorrow, check it out at the Bureau of Meteorology.

Cheers, Maryanne