AUTUMN 2012
New Reference Library
Children's Reference section Mosman Library, 1947.
You may have noticed some changes to the Reference Library in May when we moved the Reference Collection to shelves around the walls opening up a large space in the middle of the Reference Area. Well, there are even more changes to come! We are also removing the large Reference Desk and moving the staff contact point to a smaller desk and a more visible location to provide even better service. With these changes there will be more space to read, study and use the wireless internet service. We know how crowded it can be, especially during HSC and University exam times and the larger reading/studying areas will make the Library an even more comfortable space for everyone. It will also provide a larger and improved space for our regular Author Evenings. New furniture is also coming, aiming to provide you with more seating options. There will be smaller tables, new lounge furniture and specially designed units for laptop use. The new furniture will be installed at the end of June. Please let us know what you think when it is all up and running.
ISSUE 63
$30,000 grant for Mosman Library’s Great War project
Berrol Lazar Mendelsohn of 67 Raglan Street, Mosman. Killed in action at Fromelles, his body not recovered, he was one of those identified in 2010 and reinterred in the new cemetery there.
Accountant, clerk, farmer, storeman, nurse. Just some of the 1,500 men and women of Mosman who enlisted in the A.I.F. during the First World War. Who were they? What did they look like? An innovative project by Mosman Library will bring their stories to life, thanks to a $30,000 grant announced Monday by the Minister for the Arts, the Hon George Souris MP. With the First World War Centenary just two years away, more and more archives are digitising their Great War collections. We aim to link our Anzacs with items in these collections, and add to the story by inviting families, researchers and other volunteers to be part of the project. We hope to build a resource – and a model – that can be shared with other libraries and communities. The project will also feature:
Workshops by family history specialists Talks by eminent historians and project participants An open day and ‘antique history roadshow’ where family members and collectors can bring in photos and other memorabilia to be professionally digitised and added to the collection.
The project will kick off with a hack day in the Library. A launch date will be announced in June. If you would like to join the team, please call 9978 4099 or email webteam@mosman.nsw.gov.au.
E‐mail: Library@mosman.nsw.gov.au
Phone: 9978 4091
AUTUMN 2012
NEWS & VIEWS
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Our Big Day In
Saturday 26 May turned out to be a big day out for the many Mosman residents who joined in the celebrations on Saturday. The resounding success of last year’s Library and Information Week’s Big Day In gave us good reason for a repeat performance and we’re glad we did because this year’s festivities proved to be bigger and better than ever. Over 800 people came through the doors and the Library was filled all day with the laughter and lively chatter of both kids and adults. The National Year of Reading 2012 gave the Library even more grounds for merriment and served as the inspiration for many of the events we had on the day.
Throughout the day we ran lucky door raffles and all new members were entered into our “win an e‐book reader” competition. Raffle prize winners left with hampers packed with a range of treats and book vouchers, and for Diane Thoe it was more than just books in the Library bag following her first auspicious visit to Mosman Library. Winning a fabulous new e‐book reader means our lucky winner can download from Overdrive, the Library’s very own e‐book supplier delivering free e‐books straight to your e‐reader. Of course this wonderful celebration of reading and libraries would not have been possible without the support of our faithful Library patrons. As librarians our primary aim is to keep the love of libraries alive and so being able to give something extra to our supporters is a real delight, and if we can recruit some new members along the way that’s pretty good too!
Read, Review and Win When the doors opened at 10am the milling crowd couldn’t wait to get through the doors to secure themselves a bargain at the Library Bumper Book Sale. Before long our in‐ house barista was set up and the Library was filled with the sumptuous aroma of brewing coffee…yum! Free cappuccinos and hot chocolates proved to be big hit with the adults as were the mini cupcakes each with The National Year of Reading logo on top. To stimulate the literary minded we ran some book and reading competitions for borrowers to participate in whilst enjoying their coffees. Our winners got to take home a fantastic prize pack each simply for matching the authors and characters with the titles. Well done book lovers! And the kids certainly didn’t miss out on an awesome day. In the Children’s’ Library we had a face painter who turned our tots into their favourite book characters as well as the wonderful performer Katrina Hilton, who had the kids enthralled with her madcap stories and antics. Teens too old and too cool for the entertainer were sent on a scavenger hunt which took them all around the Library searching for cryptic clues to solve the literary mystery.
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Let There Be Light by KennethMoyle on Flickr. Used under a creative commons attribution license.
Relax with a good book over winter, and tell us about it. That’s all you need to do to go into the draw to win a fabulous prize. The Library’s Adult Winter Reading Program runs from Sunday July 1 to Friday August 31. Pick up a card at the desk or go online at www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/Library, and write a short review. Prizes will include a voucher to spend at a local book‐shop amongst a bag of goodies. A prize pack will be awarded each week.
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AUTUMN 2012
NEWS & VIEWS
Read All About It! Mosman Makes the Papers!
E‐Book Reviews
In 1912 there were complaints about speeding cars along Spit Road and so it was declared that cars should travel no more than 4 miles per hour. In 1929 Mosman Council banned beach disrobing when a mixed group of 30 people ‘brazenly’ disrobed on Balmoral Beach. These are just two of the newspaper clippings that were discovered in a box donated to Mosman’s Local Studies Collection. Newspaper clippings give a great insight into history. Reflecting the interest and bias of the creator they are fascinating to read. Highlighting contemporary issues and interests they can provide a wonderful overview of an era with the personal bias adding an extra dimension. It is interesting to note that many of those issues and concerns are still around today! The Mosman Local Studies Collection holds quite a few scrapbooks of newspaper clippings compiled by local residents. Included are six scrapbooks, dating from 1941 to 1952, compiled by Dalton ‘Jack’ Carroll, one time Mayor and Mosman historian. In the 1950s ‘Jack’ donated a large collection of historical materials to Mosman Council which formed the basis of the Local Studies Collection. Another collection of seven scrapbooks was compiled by Ronald Luke Stark, also a Mayor of Mosman, 1947 ‐1949, and a wonderful scrapbook covering the 1967 tornado was compiled, and later donated by Don Rouvray. There are other scrapbooks dating from 1903 to 1941 which inlcude articles on the installation of the Balmoral Shark net and the appropriation of the Mosman Gold Club land for military purposes.
This book is available as an audiobook and can be downloaded to a pc, mac, ipod, mp3 or burnt to disc.
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This book can be read online or downloaded to Android devices, ipads, iphones and other portable devices. EBL now supports Kindle Fire. To access EBL books, request a password via the Library website.
From Overdrive: Carry me down by MJ Hyland John Egan is a misfit, a twelve‐year‐old in the body of a grown man with the voice of a giant. He has been able to detect lies for as long as he can remember and diligently keeps track of them, large and small, in a log of lies. With an obsession for the Guinness Book of World Records, a keenly inquisitive mind, and a kind of faith, John is like a tuning fork, sensitive to the vibrations within himself and his family's shifting dynamics. From his changing voice, body, and psyche to his parents' disheartening marital difficulties, this is a trying year in a fragile young boy's life, and when his sanity reaches near collapse, a frightening family catastrophe threatens to ruin what little they have. Carry Me Down is a restrained, emotionally taut, and sometimes outrageously funny portrait whose drama drives toward, but narrowly averts, an unthinkable disaster. From EBL: We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver In a work that is both chilling and gripping, Lionel Shriver approaches the tragedy of a high school shooting from the point of view of the shooter's mother. In letters written to the boy's father, Eva dissects the lifetime of this more‐than‐ difficult child and reveals herself to have been the unwilling mother of an unlovable son. As the boy's lifetime unfolds through the pages, we draw closer to an expected climax that holds breathtaking surprises and its own kind of redemption. In Eva, Shriver has created a narrator who is tough, sad, funny, and reflective. We Need to Talk About Kevin treads new ground in addressing the thorny issues of unwanted motherhood and teenage violence. It is as original as it is timely.
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The Reading Hour
Mosman Library Presents Roald Dahl
Saturday 25 August, 2012. 6pm—7pm The Reading Hour is a call to action during the National Year of Reading 2012. Mosman Library is joining in to encourage parents to participate in reading activities on Saturday 25 August. In the lead up to the Reading Hour, Mosman Library is holding special workshops for parents to teach teachniques for reading aloud to children. For more information, check out the Mosman Library events page at www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/events closer to the event. What else can you do? Attend a Storytime or Babytime with your child Make visiting the Library part of your weekly schedule Share a book with your child at bed time Take a break with a book at lunch time Get together with friends to talk about your favourite books and stories “We know it’s not always possible for parents to share a book at bedtime with their children, but if they can manage 10 minutes most nights, their child will have the best chance of becoming a good reader, with all the social and educational benefits that brings. Most of our brain development happens between birth and three years of age, so it’s not enough to assume that children will learn to read when they get to school” ‐ Margaret Allen, chair of the National Year of Reading founders
Roald Dahl has entranced and amused readers since 1943 when his first book, The Gremlins, was published and so Mosman Library is holding several events this School Holidays so you can learn more about Roald Dahl and his books. Online bookings are required for all school holiday events. Go to www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/events for more information closer to the date. Aunty Peach Monday 9 July, 11:00am‐12pm Aunty Peach will use Roald Dahl’s wacky and humorous rhymes in this enjoyable, interactive show for kids of all ages! Suitable for children aged 6+ Matilda (1996) Screening Thursday 12 July, 5:00pm Join Mosman Library for this magical tale of a special little girl who loves to read. Matilda is rated PG. Party/trivia. Friday 13 July, 2:00pm – 4:00pm How much do you know about Roald Dahl and his wacky books? Test your knowledge to win some prizes and enjoy some revolting party games with us!
For book loving kids aged 8‐12. Join us on the first Wednesday of the month @ 3:45pm. Share stories, games, writing, craft, competitions and fun activities with a monthly theme. 6 June ‐ Animal Heroes 4 July ‐ Around the world 1 August ‐ Sports and games
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