Geraldton Regional Library Find your chapter inside!
“The welcoming smile of my librarian. The anticipation in my heart. All those books — another world — just waiting at my fingertips.” Excerpt from My first memory (of Librarians) by Nikki Giovanni
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EE T Mon 1:00pm to 5:30pm Tues 9:00am to 5:30pm Batavia Park Wed :00pm to W5:30pm AR ORIA VICT BOWTELL Thu 9:00am to 5:30pm DU RE RL EET STR N AC RO HE Fri 9:00am to 5:30pm R A ST. PO SatSTOKES 9:30am to 1:00pmD ST OF TURLEY to 4:30pmHMAS Sydney F LA Sun 1:30pm II Memorial NE ICE Fire Art Gallery Station Park AR ST 08 9956 6659 MS R Post EE TR T ON Office Parking First 15 minutes free at the STREET STR G EE T AS back entrance off Chapman Road; OM TH limited street parking on Marine O'BRIEN ST. Stirlings Centre Terrace. STREET
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Chapter # Foreword Second line
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Come and join us, we’ll show you around Library membership is FREE! The membership form is available from the Geraldton and Mullewa Libraries or our website. Full membership entitles patrons to borrow up to 12 items at a time, including a maximum of four DVDs. You can also access the Library’s e-resources. You’ll find lots of great services and facilities at the Library. For example, there’s room hire for commercial, community and volunteer groups; free WiFi access, computer use and office equipment facilities; activities for children; a youth zone; library outreach; talks and events including The Big Sky Readers and Writers Festival. This booklet covers these things and more. Our aim is to provide a library of excellence to meet the needs of the community and provide support for libraries in the Mid West of Western Australia. Please tell us how we’re tracking. Susan Smith, Manager Libraries and Heritage
Prologue
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Reading ~ broadens your horizons. Even if it’s a work of fiction you can learn so much from stories that are set in different times and places and cultures. ~ is great for improving spelling and vocabulary, increasing general knowledge and promoting a rounded understanding of the world. ~ can feed adrenaline and imagination, improve self confidence and has even been linked to improved sleep patterns and reduced stress. If you can read you can go anywhere or do anything. You can escape into a wonderful world that is full of adventure or whatever you want.
Contents
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Chapter 1 Inside the Library: take a peek
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Chapter 2 Online, e-books, DVDs and books that talk
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Chapter 3 Enter other libraries and catalogues from here
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Chapter 4 Discover local heritage, history and culture
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Chapter 5 Accessible to all 10 Chapter 6 Rooms for hire, free connections, computers
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Chapter 7 Children and parents, stories and rhymes
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Chapter 8 Youth and students: stuff and zones
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Chapter 9 Adults: little known facts to popular stories
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Chapter 10 Events, festivals and awards
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Epilogue Coming of age: a snippet of library background  
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Chapter 1 Inside the Library
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...take a peek Our libraries at Geraldton and Mullewa have more than 54,000 items. We have another 10,000 items in our Local Studies Collection. And then there’s access to other libraries in Australia through the Inter-Library Loan Service. Our collection has something for everyone: adults and seniors, young adults and juniors. If you can’t come to us we may be able to bring our mobile library to you depending on your circumstances and where you live. There are books in other languages too. We have real books you can hold, talking books you can listen to, DVDs you can watch and other electronic resources such as e-books and e-magazines you can download.
Chapter 2 Online, e-books, DVDs ...and books that talk electronic resources including downloadable audio and e-books ~ talking books and DVDs ~ kids online reading room ~ Online English literacy activities ~ e-books for kids (animated, talking picture books) ~ education resources ~ electronic publications (e-magazines, full text magazine database) ~ family history ~ online activities for playing and learning ~ Library social media and website.
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Chapter 3 8. Other libraries and catalogues
Enter other libraries and catalogues from here The Geraldton Regional Library and Mullewa Public Library members have access to resources housed in libraries across Australia via the InterLibrary Loan Service. If you are a member of another public library or a visitor to the City you too can access our Library and InterLibrary Loan Service.
Chapter 4 9. Heritage, history and culture Discover local heritage, history and culture An account
I love local history, learning about how the Geraldton area has been shaped, and the feats and ordeals of our people and cultures over the years. Heritage Services at the library helps me to uncover the past. They have a Local Studies Collection (including lots of Randolph Stow books), and hold Oral History Recordings by historians and locals who give personal accounts. The library wants to capture and preserve my own memories of life here which I send into I remember when... from the Heritage section of the library’s website. If I’m in the library I use their website to further research my own family history through the databases they make available. Heritage Services staff are very helpful if I have any questions. Before friends visit from other cities, I refer them to the website’s list of all the heritage related things they could do or see in town to help them plan!
Chapter 5 Accessible to all
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Three Short Stories I can’t get around as easily these days so I applied for the Housebound Service and now the library comes to me. I often borrow large print books and entertaining talking books which give my eyes a break. I quite like downloading e-books (for free) from the library’s user friendly website. With an e-book I can adjust the size of the print. Wonderful! Coming from Malaysia, I was comforted to find some books in my own language. This makes me feel more a part of this place. There are no steps in the way. I can drink from the bubbler just in the entrance and use the bathroom facilities. I access the main library service—the books and other items—with room to manoeuvre my wheelchair between the rows of shelving. There’s always a friendly library assistant on hand if I need one.
Above: Anthony enjoying time at the Library Top: The Housebound Service comes to you
Chapter 6 Facilities Rooms for hire, free connections, computers
venue hire
Two meeting rooms with facilities. Bookings essential. Different rates for commercial and community groups. Volunteer groups free. Book via online booking request form on the website, call the library or email (see page 2 for contact details).
student study area Available year-round.
computer use
Free (Geraldton and Mullewa). Word processing. Printing (pay per page).
lap top area
Free Internet access. Free Wi-Fi (Geraldton).
photocopiers
Printing and scanning.  
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Chapter 7 Children and parents
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...stories and rhymes
Junior Collection Books. Graphic Novels. Audio Books. DVDs & CDs. Magazines. Board Books. Pre-School Titles. Beginner Readers. Non-Fiction for Recreation and Studies.
A child’s tale
The best time of the week is when mum or dad takes me to Story Time. We get books read to us about crocodiles and creatures and we all jump around and sing to the music they play. (My baby brother goes to Rhyme Time which is similar but for little kids). There are stacks of other books I get to look at too in the kids very own part of the library that has chairs and tables my size and other fun things. When my little brother was three months old he received a free reading pack that had a picture book for him to keep all to himself. I even got one similar in Kindy and it's called the Better Beginnings Program. When I get into primary school I'm going to write a poem and win a Randolph Stow Young Writers Award. Mum said I can come to the Library’s holiday program and make all sorts of cool things like vegetable heads.
Chapter 8 Youth and students
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...stuff and zones A young adult saga
It is so cool (literally!) to go to the student study area and concentrate, away from my noisy, crazy home. I connect to the Wi-Fi for free using my own tablet or I book one of the library’s computers for about an hour. Reference material is a short walk to the shelves if I can’t find what I want on Britannica Library — you guessed it, for free from the Library’s website by just entering my library card number. For breaks here and there I escape into the Youth Zone, check out a few magazines or comics, watch a DVD, use the gaming console, or play a board game with someone else hanging out there. I even made a new friend.
YA Collection Books. Graphic Novels. Magazines. Board Games. Online Magazines.
Chapter 9 Adults
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...little known facts to popular stories An adult’s anecdote
Fiction & NonFiction Titles Including Large Print. Talking Books. DVDs. Books In Languages Other Than English. Magazines & Newspapers. Paperback & Magazine Exchange. Jigsaws.
I read everything and anything. The library stocks novels from wonderful Australian authors, such as those they bring out here for their festival, through to worldwide best sellers, and not-so-good sellers that suit a certain taste. I’ve even come across a few books written by locals, not to mention our legendary Randolph Stow. The non-fiction shelves are stacked with information on trip planning, tree planting, cookery, photography, or just about anything or any phase I’m going through. I get across international and current affairs relaxing in the attractive lounge area with a BRW or national newspaper in hand.
Chapter 10 15. Events, festivals and awards
The Library organises and runs: • The Big Sky Readers and Writers Festival. • The Randolph Stow Young Writers Award writing competition for Mid West students • Book launches • Talks by guest speakers and authors
Visit the website for details. Above: Big Sky Readers and Writers Festival visiting artists
Epilogue
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Coming of age: a snippet of library background Geraldton Regional Library
1968 opened next to the Council buildings on Cathedral Avenue.
1979 became a regional library,
“The great secret lies on some shelf Miss Jones Passes every day on her rounds. She’s very tall, so she keeps Her head tipped as if listening. The books are whispering. I hear nothing, but she does.” Excerpt from In the library by Charles Simic
providing advice and support to 26 libraries throughout the Mid West of WA. 2010 moved to its new, bigger, state-of-the-art technology-equipped premises at 37 Marine Terrace; the site of a former supermarket.
Public Library Services in Western Australia The partnership between the State Government and Local Government authorities sees the State providing book stock and other materials and facilitating information services, and Local Government providing the buildings and staff.