Sutherland Shire Libraries News

The Miles Franklin Literary Award, 2012 Long List has been announced, with seven of the thirteen contenders being women. This is noteworthy, as no women have appeared on this list in two of the past three years. To win this prestigous prize, the winning author "must present Australian life in any of its phases". Best of luck to each of the authors listed below.

Blood by Tony Birch
The spirit of Progress by Steven Carroll
Spirit house by Mark Dapin
The precipice by Virginia Duigan
All that I am by Anne Funder
Sarah Thornhill by Kate Grenville
Five Bells by Gail Jones
Foal's Bread by Gillian Mears
Autumn Laing by Alex Miller
Cold Light by Frank Moorhouse
Past the shallows by Favel Parret
The street sweeper by Elliot Perlman
Animal people by Charlotte Wood

The short list will be released in April, and the winner announced in June 2012.
Each of these books are available in the library, so why not read some of the nominated titles, and tell us about your favourites.

So you think you don’t have time to read? Think again!
Here's a short list of tips to get you thinking about how you can get reading:

• Just do it.
Pick up a newspaper or a magazine. Read a twitter post or a recipe. Keep reading this blog (it's short). Whatever you read, for however long you read it, whether it's a couple of minutes or a couple of hours, it all counts as reading.

• Swap something else for reading.
Read instead of watching TV, or swap surfing the net for reading an e-book. (You can download them free from the library via Overdrive).

• Read one page a time.
You don’t have to read a lot, just a little bit at a time. Try reading an article, or even one or two pages of a book. Those couple of pages may be all it takes to get you hooked on a book.

• Keep it short.
Read a short story, or a short book. Try one of the less-than-200 page Quick Reads, a collection of novellas by well-known authors available from the library.

• Just ten minutes a day.
Aim to read for ten minutes a day. Early in the morning, at morning tea, afternoon tea or lunch time, in the bath or before bed.

• Seize the moment.
Take a book, or an e-reader (loaded up with those books you’ve been wanting to read) with you everywhere, to give yourself more opportunities to read.

• Listen.
Download an audio book onto your ipod and listen while you exercise, cook or garden. Try listening to a CD audio book as you drive.

• Learn to speed read.
Read more in less time!

• Read about what you love.
Reading the genres and topics that interest you, means you’re more likely to keep reading it –and to finish it.

• Read to someone.
Take the time to read a bedtime story to a child. A great way to spend some quality time together and create a reading habit; a gift that can last a lifetime.
Would you like to be read to? Come along to Adult Storytime at Sutherland Library (bring your lunch), the first Wednesday of each month from 1.00pm. Listen as library staff read short stories to you during your lunch break.

photocredit: Flickr user Moriza "On the platform reading"

Improvements to the library catalogue are on their way towards the middle of the year.


Over the past 12-18 months or so Sutherland Shire Libraries Have been working towards replacing the software that we use to manage our collection and borrower information, our Integrated Library System (ILS).

The selection phase is now complete We have selected a vendor and we are now into the implementation phase.  Over the next 3 or 4 months we will be setting up the new ILS, to be ready to change hopefully towards the end of June or start of July.

For the most part, library users will not notice any changes. We are endeavouring to make the change over as seamless as possible. Loan periods will remain the same, for instance, and the change to our system will not generally change the way we provide our service to you.

Where you will notice the change, however, is when you interact with the library through the catalogue and related online services. If you search for books or other materials online, once we've changed over you will be using a completely new online library catalogue.  We're excited about the improvements coming to the catalogue. While we know that some people find it difficult when we make changes like this, we hope that once you get used to the new interface you will agree that the changes are worthwhile.

Some of the improvements that are coming include:

• A simpler, more Google like search.
• An improved discovery experience making serendipitous discoveries more likely.
• Improved visibility and access to alternative online resources - newspaper and magazine articles, online books, etc.
• Opt-in borrower history - elect to have the library store a list of books/items you borrow.

It's still very early in the set up phase so we don't really have a working example that we can show you yet. Hopefully before we make the switch we'll be able to give you a chance to try the new catalogue out.  The software we'll be using is being widely used. You can get a feel for what it's like at these libraries:

• Skokie Public Library
• Minuteman Library Network (Arlington, MA)

Mark Dapin, popular newspaper columnist and successful Australian author, answers five questions in five minutes...




What are you reading right now, and are you enjoying it?

I'm reading Tunnel Rats by Jimmy Thomson and Sandy McGregor. It's a book about Australian engineers in the Vietnam War. I'm actually in Vietnam with Jimmy and Sandy as I answer these questions.

Could you tell us a bit about your favourite book?

My favourite book is probably Money by Martin Amis. I read it in my twenties, and it helped me understand what was wrong with my life. My joint-favouite book, Graham Greene's The Quiet American, still helps people understand what was wrong in Vietnam.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I write, I train at the gym, I go to the pub, and I look at my children at marvel at how beautiful they are. That's my whole life, really.

Whats next for Mark Dapin?(could you give us a clue about your next book...)

I don't know what I'm going to do next. Newspapers, magazines and book publishing all seem to be in perpetual crisis. Maybe I'll become a pole-dancer.

If you could have dinner with two famous people, who would they be, and why?

I wouldn't really want to have dinner with anyone famous. It'd be too much like work.



Mark Dapin will be presenting an author talk/book signing at Sutherland Library, on Tuesday, 20th March, at 6.30pm. Copies of his books including his latest novel "Spirit House" will be available for purchase on the night, courtesy of Berkelouw Books.






You are welcome to join us for this event, bookings are essential. You can book online, or call the Library on 9710 0351.