"I was only sixteen" - Generous Donation to Mooroolbark Library

The widow of author Roland Griffiths-Marsh has kindly donated two copies of his memoir, I was only sixteen, to Mooroolbark Library.

Roland was sixteen years old when he volunteered to fight in the Second World War. This is his honest, devastating account of his service in North Africa & the Mediterranean.  

I was only sixteen won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction in 1990 & Best Australian Book of the Year from the Foundation of Australian Literary Studies.

The book is available on our catalogue, so check it out - I was only Sixteen by Roland Griffiths-Marsh.

Our warmest thanks to Mrs Griffiths-Marsh for contributing this important book to our collection.

Catalogue update - issues with the server maintenance

There were issues with the server update last night. Consequently while the catalogue is up and members may search, the availability display, place holds and login to My Account are not currently available.

All of our branches are working offline - both Self Check machines and staff at the desk.

SirsiDynix have been working all night and we hope to have a resolution soon. Apologies for the inconvenience. We'll keep you posted.

9:07am Update: System is not expected to be back until after 4pm.

3pm Update: System has been restored. Members may now login to their accounts, place holds and view item availability.

Thanks for your patience!

webgurl

New additions and some welcome returns to eMagazines

We have recently added a whole new swag of eMagazines to our account with Zinio. In the list below you can find such gems as Australian Home Beautiful, New Scientist and Country Life. All eMagazines can be downloaded and kept indefinitely on your iPad, tablet or PC for your viewing and reading pleasure. There are now over 250 titles in the collection all of which you can access for free from home.

You will need to register with Zinio to download the eMagazines - the following help pages explain how to do this. Zinio User Guide.

(inside) interior design review
Architecture Australia
Artichoke
Australian Home Beautiful
Australian Ironman Magazine
Australian Mountain Bike
Australian Natural Health Magazine
Australian Shape
Australian Sky & Telescope
Australian Yoga Journal
Better Homes and Gardens Australia
Blitz Martial Arts Magazine
Bride to Be Australia
Cosmopolitan
Country Homes & Interiors
Country Life
Cyclist Australia
Desktop - The Culture of Design
Fight Magazine - Australia
Girlfriend Australia
Good Housekeeping
Grand Designs Australia
Harper's Bazaar
HELLO! magazine UK
Houses
Inside Out Christmas
Inside Out Renovating & Decorating Guide
Macworld Australia
Marie Claire - UK
Marie Claire Australia
Men's Health Australia
Mollie Makes
Mollie Makes Handmade Wedding
Mollie Makes Home
New Scientist
Official PlayStation Magazine - UK Edition
OUT
Oxygen Magazine Australian Edition
PC & Tech Authority
Practical Parenting Australia
SBS Feast
Simply Knitting
Smith Journal
The Simple Things
The Week
Woman & Home
Woman's Weekly
Women's Health and Fitness Magazine
World Soccer
Your Family Tree
Your Family Tree Presents Discover your ancestor's occupation
Your Family Tree Presents: Get Started in Family History
Your Family Tree presents: Get started in Military family history
Your Garden

Happy eReading, Paul.

Help us build a better website!

Eastern Regional Libraries is embarking on a redesign of the website http://www.erl.vic.gov.au.

The redesign will:

• improve navigation for mobile device users
• integrate social media into the site and
• improve the efficiency of the library site with changes in navigation and weeding of content.

We'd like to hear about your experience navigating the current website. Please fill out this short (13 question) survey and help us build a better website.

Your assistance is appreciated. Begin survey!

Cheers, webgurl

Game on!! ERL's New Gaming Collection

Woohoo! Flex those fingers, crack those knuckles and refill your lounge room beanbags because Eastern Regional Libraries is launching a new Gaming Collection.

This is a collection that we have been aspiring to create for quite some time. Gaming is a well integrated segment of our culture, so naturally we are excited to include it as part of our service.

The Gaming Collection will be launched on Saturday 3 May at Belgrave, Croydon and Rowville libraries.


Here's how the new Gaming Collection will work:

• We will start the collection in three Branches - Belgrave, Croydon and Rowville.
•  We have bought games across three platforms - XBox 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii U.
•  Members will be able to borrow two Games on a card for two weeks.
• The Gaming Collection is made up of both Juvenile and Adult titles - something for everyone!
• There are age restrictions on particular games (just like the DVDs) - so our Junior members can only borrow G and PG titles, etc.
• ERL members will be able to place holds on the games.

What are some of the titles included so far, we hear you ask?

The Assassins Creed Series, Fall Out 3, Call of Duty, Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto Series, Harry Potter, Bioshock, Little Big Planet, Sonic the Hedgehog, LEGO, Batman Arkham Series and much much more. Awesome!!

To search our Gaming Collection on the catalogue, simply type the name of the game or the platform that you are looking for (for example, type in "XBox" for XBox games) to see what is available.

Feel free to contact us on our Facebook Page with any queries. In the meantime... GAME ON!

NOTICE: Ferntree Gully & Montrose Library Closed 30 April

Due to power interruptions and maintenance work by SPAusnet, Ferntree Gully Library and Montrose Library will be closed:

Wednesday April 30 from 8:30am to 5:30pm

After hours book chutes will be available for returns.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us on 1300 737 277 or via our Facebook page. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Mt Evelyn Library re-opens May 1st 2014

Yarra Ranges Council has just posted a press release on their website announcing the following:

Eastern Regional Libraries has been asked by Yarra Ranges Council to manage library services from the Mt Evelyn Library Station House from Thursday 1 May 2014.

The Library will be open to the public and staffed by Eastern Regional Libraries. PCs and WiFi will be available and the after-hours chute will return.

Opening hours
Monday: 10.00am-1.00pm
Tuesday: 10.00am-1.00pm
Wednesday: 2.30pm-5.30pm
Thursday: 2.30pm-5.30pm
Friday: 2.30pm-5.30pm

The Reading Room will be closed from Monday 14th April - Thursday 1st May to prepare the library. 

Outstanding loans
Members with outstanding loans from Mt Evelyn may either return the items to another ERL branch (Lilydale and Montrose are the closest) or return the items to Mt Evelyn after 1st May and no overdue charges will be applied.

We apologise for the short notice and will update members as any further news comes to hand. If you have any queries you can contact the Yarra Ranges Council on their Facebook Page or via phone on 1300 368 333.

The Virtual Team

What's Your Story Photography Competition

Do you love photography? Do you have a story that can only be told with the most perfect picture? What's your story??

In celebration of Youth Week 2014, Eastern Regional Libraries will be launching the "What's your Story" Photography Competition. Tell a story with your images... Show us who or what rocks your world; what do you get up to or where you chill out. Tell us - what's your story!


Prizes
Junior Category 12-16 years: $100 cash prize + your entry printed on canvas
Senior Category 17-25 years: $200 cash prize +your entry printed on canvas
People's Choice: $100 cash prize + your entry printed on canvas
Highly Commended: $50 Croydon Camera House voucher

How to Enter
Entrants may submit two photos taken by a camera or mobile device and must write a short paragraph describing how each image tells "your story".

• Competition eligible for those aged 12 - 25 years old.
• Entrants must reside in Knox, Maroondah or Yarra Ranges Council areas and be a member of  Eastern Regional Libraries.
• Competition entry is Free.

What's Your Story Photography Competition Entry Form
Terms & Conditions

The What's Your Story Photography Competition will open midday Friday 4 April 2014. Competition closes 5:00pm Friday 2 May, 2014.

Competition will be judged by Croydon Camera House. Winners will be announced Friday, 9th May 2014.