Living Library – A Second Reading


Following the success of our first Living Library, we are running another one. If you missed out the first time, or loved taking part in it, here’s another chance to find out more about the people in your community.

Next Living Library:
Friday 14 November 1pm–3pm. more details...

Friday 14 November is the last day Sutherland Library will be open, before we close for 12 days for renovations, re-opening on Thursday 27th November. So why not combine borrowing a Living Book with picking up your regular reading, viewing, and listening material!

Living Books cannot be taken home, they are Reference material, and therefore they must be read in the Library. Allow yourself an extra 30 minutes to challenge yourself to something different.

Here’s a glimpse of the Living Books on offer…

Immigration from Germany
As with any book this one has many chapters. It starts with the social conditions in Germany before the rise of Hitler, leads you through the build up to war, and gives an account of the losses that all war brings to any caught up its grip.

Learning to live in the partitioned Germany with family on either side of the wall leads to thoughts of immigration and Australia becomes the focus for a freer life which holds greater promise.

Immigration camps, finding work, housing the family, building a business and becoming involved in the community whilst providing for the family’s future are central themes.

Another facet of this Book deals with the sadness, frustration and sense of loss that dementia brings to a family.

From incarceration to liberation: my journey with Parkinson's
This Book will deal with something that none of us like to contemplate… The transition from an active, independent lifestyle to one in which you are forced to rely on loved ones for help with many daily tasks.

Find out about the impact of a diagnosis of this nature at only age 52, and the ripples the shock caused throughout family and friends. This Book did not let the diagnosis daunt her spirit, it was time to learn about the disease which would change her life, so forearmed she would be prepared for the changes ahead and be able to choose treatment options that best fit her circumstances.

After catching up with the available knowledge about Parkinson’s, we hear how this Book then decides to help, support and educate others who have been newly diagnosed, whilst still keeping an eye on the advancements in care and treatment.
Posted by Martin on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 0 Reactions
Filed Under: , , ,

Fred Hollows exhibiton coming to Sutherland Library

Sutherland Library will host a touring exhibition that celebrates the life and work of the late Professor Fred Hollows from 30th September to 14th October 2008. The exhibition uses pictures and stories to outline the life and achievements of Fred Hollows and the continuing work of the Fred Hollows Foundation.

15 years after the passing of Professor Hollows, his widow Gabi Hollows hopes that the exhibition will offer locals a chance to learn more about Fred's dream of treating avoidable blindness and improving indigenous health.

'The exhibition gives local people the chance to learn more about Fred's life and the work of The Foundation, which I think is extremely important given that he remains a very significant person in Australian history."

Fred Hollows was a passionate ophthalmologist who became known for his work helping restore the eyesight of countless thousands of people in developing countries and his passionate plight to improve indigenous health here in Australia. In 1993 he lost his battle with cancer aged 63.

In 2007 The Fred Hollows Foundation restored the sight of 143,759 people, provided eye care for over 1.2 million people, trained 3,284 eye health workers and supplied over $1.3 million worth of essential medical equipment.

Further information about The Foundation can be found on their website at:
www.hollows.org.au
Posted by AL on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 0 Reactions
Filed Under:

Get Your Own Library Catalogue Search

If you've visited the live version of the Sutherland Shire Library News in the last couple of days (rather than receiving email updates or subscribing to the RSS feed) you might have noticed the new Catalogue Search box - it's over in the Sidebar on the right of the screen.

You can now search the catalogue and link to your library account directly from the blog, but that's only the start. You see that box is something called a Google Gadget. It's a little bit of functionality that can be used in different places.

Why?

We want to make accessing the library as easy as we can for our users. We want you you to be able to search the catalogue from as many different places as possible. We think that if we make accessing our collection easier people will be more likely to use it. So we created this gadget that you can add to other web pages.

Where?

Do you use Google to search the web? If you do then you should try out their personalised search page. Just go to www.google.com/ig to start. iGoogle allows you to add gadgets and RSS feeds to your own personal Google search page. There are all sorts of gadgets to choose from in the directory. Here's a look at my iGoogle page showing the catalogue gadget along with a weather gadget and a feed from this blog.


If you already use any other Google services such as Gmail or Blogger you already have an iGoogle page. Just sign in and you're on your way. Otherwise you can sign up for a Google Account - it doesn't take long. Once you've logged in click on the add to Google button under the catalogue gadget in the sidebar and add it to your Google page.

If you use Blogger you can add this gadget to your blog's sidebar. Just edit your blog's layout, choose Add a Gadget, then Add your Own, and copy this URL into the box.

If you have your own web page you can get the embed code for this gadget here.

Where else would you like to be able to search the Sutherland Shire Libraries Catalogue from? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.
Posted by Martin on Thursday, September 18, 2008 1 Reactions
Filed Under:

Twilight Saga Proves very Popular

With Twilight by Stephenie Meyer on the list of 50 Great Reads, a great deal of interest has been generated for the Twilight saga.

Titles in the Twilight Saga:
  1. Cover: TwilightTwilight
  2. Cover: New MoonNew Moon
  3. Cover: EclipseEclipse
  4. Cover: Breaking DawnBreaking Dawn


Some concern has been expressed regarding the appropriate age of children reading the Twilight books. The Library offers the following as a guide only, noting that parents are in the best position to determine whether their children should read these books. Please consider:

  • The series is aimed at Young Adults so parental discretion is advised for younger readers.
  • It is more suitable for students in Year 8 plus.
  • The series includes some violence and gore.
  • It is basically a romance.
  • There is a level of sexual tension running through the first three novels.
  • There is a sex scene in the 4th novel but it is not very graphic.
Posted by Martin on Friday, September 12, 2008 0 Reactions
Filed Under: ,

Project Gen Y @ the Library

This survey has now finished. Thank you to everyone who participated.

Sutherland Shire Libraries in conjunction with a UTS student project is conducting a survey of Gen Y library customers.

Are you between the ages of 10 and 26?
Fill in a GenY @ the Library survey and help us to better understand your library needs.

Gen Y is a unique generation in that they have developed and grown up in a period of rapid technological changes.

The objective of the GenY @ the Library project is to gain a better understanding of the Gen Y library customers in relation to their attitudes towards the library and expectations regarding the information products and services that the library holds now and in the future.

The survey will be conducted at all branches of Sutherland Shire Libraries between 8th and 28th September 2008.
Posted by AL on Friday, September 12, 2008 0 Reactions
Filed Under: , , , , , ,

RFID Coming to Sutherland Shire Libraries

Sutherland Libraries are moving to a system of tracking materials called Radio Frequency Identification. RFID is a fast, efficient way to track, locate and manage library resources. RFID technology is used in many places such as tracking baggage at airports and postal deliveries.

What will RFID mean to you?

With RFID you can:

  • check out multiple items simultaneously.
  • avoid queues if you do not require staff attention.
  • allow library staff to be redirected to more customer focused services such reference assistance and special events.
Your library will soon be closed for a few days to allow for changes to be made in preparation for the switch to RFID. During the closures there will be some redesign of the circulation desks and entries to the library and new self checkers will be installed.

Closure dates

We apologise for any inconvenience during closures and hope you understand that these changes are being made in the interest of improving our services to you.
Posted by Sutherland Shire Libraries on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 8 Reactions
Filed Under: , , , , , ,

Stroke Awareness Week 15th -21st September 2008

To highlight Stroke Awareness Week 2008 Sutherland Library will be hosting an information stand staffed by 2 critical care nurses from Kareena Private Hospital/Ramsey Health on Monday 15th and Tuesday 16th September between 10am and 12 noon.

The nurses will provide promotional material from the Stroke Foundation to help raise awareness about stroke prevention.

This year the Stroke Foundation is encouraging all Australian to look out for the signs of stroke and to call 000 immediately. Getting to hospital quickly can save lives and help to reduce disabilities associated with stroke.
Posted by AL on Tuesday, September 02, 2008 0 Reactions
Filed Under: ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)