Mosman Library’s Quarterly Newsletter
Issue 61
There’s always something to keep you busy in the Children’s Library, with weekly programs for little people of all ages. Here’s some information about just a few of the things happening in the Library in the next few months.
Hey Babies! Our new Bright Beginnings baby packs have arrived and they Some upcoming dates include: are looking just wonderful, featuring our handsome new lion Roald Dahl Day- Thursday 8 September logo. Talk like a pirate day- Thursday 15 September The Bright Beginnings program is designed to encourage Springtime craft- Thursday 22 September parents to use the Library and prepare children from birth for World Space Week- Thursday 13 October Zootober- Thursday 20 October reading and writing. All you need to do is sign your baby up with their own Library membership, and receive your Bright Beginnings card. It’s like a coffee card– on your third visit you will receive a Bright Beginnings pack filled will all sorts of goodies to help get your reading journey started.
The Children’s Library has been building up a small range of picture books in other languages, as well as a selection of simple books and kits to help children learn. Titles include First one-hundred words in Spanish, Italian, French, Japanese and German, sing-and-learn in a range of languages, and other learning guides that you will find in the junior nonfiction collection. If you would like more foreign language books to share with your family, we can also organise to have a box of books delivered from the State Library. The State Library holds books in just about any language you can think of, and for $3.30 they will deliver a box of assorted picture books or fiction novels in your chosen language, which you can keep for a period of three months. Ask at the information desk if you would like to take advantage of this great service. Don’t forget that you can always make a suggestion if we don’t have what you are after, and we will do our best to help you out.
Creepy Crawly Craft- Thursday 27 October African Rhythm (Festival Show)- Thursday 3 November World Toilet Day- Thursday 17 November Bookings are required for most Thursday Kids activities, ask at the information desk or phone for details.
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.
7 September 5 October 2 November
Stories from Another Time Beasties and Baddies Australian Stories
SPRING 2011
Mosman Library’s Quarterly Newsletter
Research on the move
Mosman Library is pleased to announce that many of our databases are now searchable though mobile devices. The EBSCOhost Mobile application is designed for the smaller screens of mobile devices—including iPhone, Blackberry, Android, etc.—and offers the most important features and functionality for searching, including: • Searching the following databases all at once: Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre, MasterFILE Premier, Literary Reference Centre, Science Reference Centre, Consumer Health Complete • HTML and PDF full text views of articles • Limiting to types of articles and dates • Image quick view • Emailing articles EBSCO offers a free app for accessing EBSCOhost from your iPhone and iPod Touch devices. The EBSCOhost app is available for download from the iTunes app store. Contact Mosman Library for additional information.
Read, review and win Winter Reading Program
Congratulations to the following prize winners for their fantastic winning reviews! Amanda Park - “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” David Hanson - “The last Patriot” Anne McKenzie - “The Handmaid’s Tale” Catherine Crawford - “The Fifth Witness” Thank you to everyone who entered reviews. You can read these reviews, plus many more, on Mosman Readers. www.mosmanreaders.net David Hanson read, reviewed and won!
Issue 61
Byki Online: Library Edition
Byki is a powerful language learning system that uses flashcards to teach you a set of words or phrases.
It is the fastest possible way to lock foreign words and phrases in your long term memory. Learn a new word every day! Try Byki Online at: www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/library
Road to IELTS - English Language Course By Jacqueline Elstein Technical Services Librarian
It’s so much easier for candidates to do well in an exam if they know exactly what to expect. This is where the British Council’s Road to IELTS provides you with a unique advantage. It includes 120 hours of intensive work on vocabulary, reading, writing, listening and speaking, helping you to develop your skills to the levels necessary to succeed in the IELTS exam. Try Road to IELTS at: www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/library
Do you think you’re an expert on Australian literature? Test your knowledge with this quick quiz. 1. Who is the only Australian to have won a Nobel Prize for Literature? 2. “The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith” is a wellknown novel by whom? 3. “More Please” is an autobiography by which Australian? 4. Which Australian author has won the Miles Franklin Award 4 times? 5. Which well-know autobiography is subtitled “The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Bloke”? Answers 1. Patrick White, 2. Thomas Keneally, 3. Barry Humphries, 4. Tim Winton 5. A Fortunate Life, 6. Helen Garner
SPRING 2011
Mosman Library’s Quarterly Newsletter
Issue 61
There’s always something to keep you busy in the Children’s Library, with weekly programs for little people of all ages. Here’s some information about just a few of the things happening in the Library in the next few months.
Hey Babies! Our new Bright Beginnings baby packs have arrived and they Some upcoming dates include: are looking just wonderful, featuring our handsome new lion Roald Dahl Day- Thursday 8 September logo. Talk like a pirate day- Thursday 15 September The Bright Beginnings program is designed to encourage Springtime craft- Thursday 22 September parents to use the Library and prepare children from birth for World Space Week- Thursday 13 October Zootober- Thursday 20 October reading and writing. All you need to do is sign your baby up with their own Library membership, and receive your Bright Beginnings card. It’s like a coffee card– on your third visit you will receive a Bright Beginnings pack filled will all sorts of goodies to help get your reading journey started.
The Children’s Library has been building up a small range of picture books in other languages, as well as a selection of simple books and kits to help children learn. Titles include First one-hundred words in Spanish, Italian, French, Japanese and German, sing-and-learn in a range of languages, and other learning guides that you will find in the junior nonfiction collection. If you would like more foreign language books to share with your family, we can also organise to have a box of books delivered from the State Library. The State Library holds books in just about any language you can think of, and for $3.30 they will deliver a box of assorted picture books or fiction novels in your chosen language, which you can keep for a period of three months. Ask at the information desk if you would like to take advantage of this great service. Don’t forget that you can always make a suggestion if we don’t have what you are after, and we will do our best to help you out.
Creepy Crawly Craft- Thursday 27 October African Rhythm (Festival Show)- Thursday 3 November World Toilet Day- Thursday 17 November Bookings are required for most Thursday Kids activities, ask at the information desk or phone for details.
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.
7 September 5 October 2 November
Stories from Another Time Beasties and Baddies Australian Stories
SPRING 2011
Mosman Library’s Quarterly Newsletter
Research on the move
Mosman Library is pleased to announce that many of our databases are now searchable though mobile devices. The EBSCOhost Mobile application is designed for the smaller screens of mobile devices—including iPhone, Blackberry, Android, etc.—and offers the most important features and functionality for searching, including: • Searching the following databases all at once: Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre, MasterFILE Premier, Literary Reference Centre, Science Reference Centre, Consumer Health Complete • HTML and PDF full text views of articles • Limiting to types of articles and dates • Image quick view • Emailing articles EBSCO offers a free app for accessing EBSCOhost from your iPhone and iPod Touch devices. The EBSCOhost app is available for download from the iTunes app store. Contact Mosman Library for additional information.
Read, review and win Winter Reading Program
Congratulations to the following prize winners for their fantastic winning reviews! Amanda Park - “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” David Hanson - “The last Patriot” Anne McKenzie - “The Handmaid’s Tale” Catherine Crawford - “The Fifth Witness” Thank you to everyone who entered reviews. You can read these reviews, plus many more, on Mosman Readers. www.mosmanreaders.net David Hanson read, reviewed and won!
Issue 61
Byki Online: Library Edition
Byki is a powerful language learning system that uses flashcards to teach you a set of words or phrases.
It is the fastest possible way to lock foreign words and phrases in your long term memory. Learn a new word every day! Try Byki Online at: www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/library
Road to IELTS - English Language Course By Jacqueline Elstein Technical Services Librarian
It’s so much easier for candidates to do well in an exam if they know exactly what to expect. This is where the British Council’s Road to IELTS provides you with a unique advantage. It includes 120 hours of intensive work on vocabulary, reading, writing, listening and speaking, helping you to develop your skills to the levels necessary to succeed in the IELTS exam. Try Road to IELTS at: www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/library
Do you think you’re an expert on Australian literature? Test your knowledge with this quick quiz. 1. Who is the only Australian to have won a Nobel Prize for Literature? 2. “The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith” is a wellknown novel by whom? 3. “More Please” is an autobiography by which Australian? 4. Which Australian author has won the Miles Franklin Award 4 times? 5. Which well-know autobiography is subtitled “The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Bloke”? Answers 1. Patrick White, 2. Thomas Keneally, 3. Barry Humphries, 4. Tim Winton 5. A Fortunate Life, 6. Helen Garner
SPRING 2011
SPRING 2011
Mosman Library’s Quarterly Newsletter
5 books you can’t put down… Before I go to Sleep by S J Watson What if you lost your memory every time you went to sleep? Your name, your past, even the people you love. And the only person you trust may only be telling you part of the story. An absorbing thriller that will keep you reading well into the night. The Ottoman Hotel by Christopher Currie Welcome to Reception. Simon and his parents are visiting his long estranged grandmother who has fallen ill. They check into the Ottoman Motel but during the night Simon’s parents simply vanish. What has happened to them? Where have they gone? This is an engaging mystery that delves into the psyche of a small Australian town. Rocks in the Belly by Jon Bauer Written in two startlingly original voices, Rocks in the Belly is about the effortless destruction we wreak on one another in the simple pursuit of our own happiness, and a reminder that we never leave our childhood behind. A haunting and beautifully written novel. As God Commands by Niccolo Ammaniti This compulsively readable story is set in a declining industrial town in Italy, where a father and son contend with a hostile world and their own inner demons. Gritty and relentless, As God Commands moves at breakneck speed, blending, dark humour, and surprising tenderness. Still Alice by Lisa Genova Alice Howland mother, wife and accomplished professor suddenly finds herself becoming confused, forgetting words, and generally not feeling herself. When she is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers Alice is forced to leave behind the life she took for granted. This is a book that will stay with you long after the final page is turned.
Issue 61
Who Else Writes Like…?
Have you read all your favourite authors? Are you in search some new names to try? Do you need some inspiration finding your next read? If so why not have a look at ‘Who else writes like…? available from the Mosman Library website. Simply visit the Reading Lounge, click on the link, type in your chosen author, and Who else writes like…? will give you a list of similar writers. You can also find links to author websites, authors listed by genre, prize winning lists and much more. So make the most of this valuable resource and you just might find an author you like even more! For example if you love the popular Jodi Picoult why not give these authors a go? Who Else Writes Like Jodi Picoult? Mitch Albom Manette Ansay Elisabeth Hyde Margaret Leroy Visit the reading lounge at: www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/library/lounge to access Who Else Writes Like…? and much more.
E-book Reviews
Margaret Atwood – Payback: Debt and the shadow side of wealth With this short and lively book, Margaret Atwood has written what might be described as an intellectual history of debt. Payback is not a book about practical debt management or high finance, although it does touch upon these subjects. Rather, it is an investigation into the idea of debt as an ancient and central motif in religion, literature, and the structure of human societies. Not surprisingly, given her day job as a novelist, Atwood peppers her argument with copious examples from literature. The end result is not so much a single argument as a compendium of miniessays on the various ways that debt has been thought about through the ages. Anh Do – The Happiest Refugee This book is an award winning memoir by Australian comedian Anh Do, and no wonder! It’s great to read. The happiest refugee is a moving account of his family’s escape from war torn-Vietnam and their early life in Australia. The adjustment to Australian culture and the particular challenges faced by a young man are told in an honest account with great humour. You can register for eBook access at: www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/library/information/ebooks
SPRING 2011
Mosman Library’s Quarterly Newsletter
Mosman Library
A Few Minutes with….
by Ken Donnellan Internet & Information Technology Librarian.
Merilyn Porter
Your Community Hub
Numbers from the 2011 annual Library user survey have been crunched and the results are excellent for Mosman Library staff. There was a full 4% increase in customers who are very satisfied with the assistance they have received from staff. This leads on from last year’s annual user survey, where comments regarding the staff were very positive. The staff are definitely the main strength of our Library and this year’s comments are all the more positive. “Mosman Library has always been very helpful to me. The staff are very friendly and efficient and have always obtained books I have requested.” “The Library staff are excellent, professional, courteous, ever ready to help.” It was also noted that many people view the Library as more than just a place to check out books. For many, it is part of their life, part of their daily routine. Mosman Library is a hub of the community. “I love Mosman Library - many thanks for adding so much to our lives.” “Mosman Library is a wonderful experience.” “I enjoy spending time at Mosman Library as it accompanies all my needs.” If you didn’t have a chance to fill out a survey this year, make sure you do next year. In the meantime, keep us informed of your thoughts through the suggestion box, located on each level of the Library, or just tell us. We would love to hear from you.
Mosman Library on the Web
If you want to know about events, get great readers advisory, or learn about our local history you don’t have to come in to the Library! Have Mosman Library come to you – on the web! • ‘Like’ us on Facebook • Follow us on Twitter @MosmanLibrary • Search our photos on Flickr • Read our blog at refdesk.mosmanlibraryblogs.com
Issue 61
Readers Advisory Librarian My average day at the Library includes: Preparing rosters, reading emails, editing newsletters, maintaining displays, cataloguing fiction, researching and writing blogs and reviews, helping the public and having fun! I like to read: General fiction especially Australian literature. What I'm reading right now: Bereft by Chris Womersley If I wrote a book, it would be called: Indigo Child
Jane Broadbere
Information Services Librarian My average day at the Library includes: There is no average day for me and that’s what I like about working in a library. I could be reviewing online resources, working out the monthly staff rosters, writing reviews of books I’ve read, organising books for my book group, ordering resources for the HSC collection, planning events for Adult Learners Week and Seniors Week, attending meetings at the State Library about evaluating libraries and evaluating electronic resources for libraries across the state or on the desk helping people with their information requests. I like to read: General Fiction What I'm reading right now: Restless by William Boyd If I wrote a book, it would be called: Not enough time to Read: the real story of what goes on in the Library
SPRING 2011
Mosman Library’s Quarterly Newsletter
5 books you can’t put down… Before I go to Sleep by S J Watson What if you lost your memory every time you went to sleep? Your name, your past, even the people you love. And the only person you trust may only be telling you part of the story. An absorbing thriller that will keep you reading well into the night. The Ottoman Hotel by Christopher Currie Welcome to Reception. Simon and his parents are visiting his long estranged grandmother who has fallen ill. They check into the Ottoman Motel but during the night Simon’s parents simply vanish. What has happened to them? Where have they gone? This is an engaging mystery that delves into the psyche of a small Australian town. Rocks in the Belly by Jon Bauer Written in two startlingly original voices, Rocks in the Belly is about the effortless destruction we wreak on one another in the simple pursuit of our own happiness, and a reminder that we never leave our childhood behind. A haunting and beautifully written novel. As God Commands by Niccolo Ammaniti This compulsively readable story is set in a declining industrial town in Italy, where a father and son contend with a hostile world and their own inner demons. Gritty and relentless, As God Commands moves at breakneck speed, blending, dark humour, and surprising tenderness. Still Alice by Lisa Genova Alice Howland mother, wife and accomplished professor suddenly finds herself becoming confused, forgetting words, and generally not feeling herself. When she is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers Alice is forced to leave behind the life she took for granted. This is a book that will stay with you long after the final page is turned.
Issue 61
Who Else Writes Like…?
Have you read all your favourite authors? Are you in search some new names to try? Do you need some inspiration finding your next read? If so why not have a look at ‘Who else writes like…? available from the Mosman Library website. Simply visit the Reading Lounge, click on the link, type in your chosen author, and Who else writes like…? will give you a list of similar writers. You can also find links to author websites, authors listed by genre, prize winning lists and much more. So make the most of this valuable resource and you just might find an author you like even more! For example if you love the popular Jodi Picoult why not give these authors a go? Who Else Writes Like Jodi Picoult? Mitch Albom Manette Ansay Elisabeth Hyde Margaret Leroy Visit the reading lounge at: www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/library/lounge to access Who Else Writes Like…? and much more.
E-book Reviews
Margaret Atwood – Payback: Debt and the shadow side of wealth With this short and lively book, Margaret Atwood has written what might be described as an intellectual history of debt. Payback is not a book about practical debt management or high finance, although it does touch upon these subjects. Rather, it is an investigation into the idea of debt as an ancient and central motif in religion, literature, and the structure of human societies. Not surprisingly, given her day job as a novelist, Atwood peppers her argument with copious examples from literature. The end result is not so much a single argument as a compendium of miniessays on the various ways that debt has been thought about through the ages. Anh Do – The Happiest Refugee This book is an award winning memoir by Australian comedian Anh Do, and no wonder! It’s great to read. The happiest refugee is a moving account of his family’s escape from war torn-Vietnam and their early life in Australia. The adjustment to Australian culture and the particular challenges faced by a young man are told in an honest account with great humour. You can register for eBook access at: www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/library/information/ebooks
SPRING 2011
Mosman Library’s Quarterly Newsletter
Mosman Library
A Few Minutes with….
by Ken Donnellan Internet & Information Technology Librarian.
Merilyn Porter
Your Community Hub
Numbers from the 2011 annual Library user survey have been crunched and the results are excellent for Mosman Library staff. There was a full 4% increase in customers who are very satisfied with the assistance they have received from staff. This leads on from last year’s annual user survey, where comments regarding the staff were very positive. The staff are definitely the main strength of our Library and this year’s comments are all the more positive. “Mosman Library has always been very helpful to me. The staff are very friendly and efficient and have always obtained books I have requested.” “The Library staff are excellent, professional, courteous, ever ready to help.” It was also noted that many people view the Library as more than just a place to check out books. For many, it is part of their life, part of their daily routine. Mosman Library is a hub of the community. “I love Mosman Library - many thanks for adding so much to our lives.” “Mosman Library is a wonderful experience.” “I enjoy spending time at Mosman Library as it accompanies all my needs.” If you didn’t have a chance to fill out a survey this year, make sure you do next year. In the meantime, keep us informed of your thoughts through the suggestion box, located on each level of the Library, or just tell us. We would love to hear from you.
Mosman Library on the Web
If you want to know about events, get great readers advisory, or learn about our local history you don’t have to come in to the Library! Have Mosman Library come to you – on the web! • ‘Like’ us on Facebook • Follow us on Twitter @MosmanLibrary • Search our photos on Flickr • Read our blog at refdesk.mosmanlibraryblogs.com
Issue 61
Readers Advisory Librarian My average day at the Library includes: Preparing rosters, reading emails, editing newsletters, maintaining displays, cataloguing fiction, researching and writing blogs and reviews, helping the public and having fun! I like to read: General fiction especially Australian literature. What I'm reading right now: Bereft by Chris Womersley If I wrote a book, it would be called: Indigo Child
Jane Broadbere
Information Services Librarian My average day at the Library includes: There is no average day for me and that’s what I like about working in a library. I could be reviewing online resources, working out the monthly staff rosters, writing reviews of books I’ve read, organising books for my book group, ordering resources for the HSC collection, planning events for Adult Learners Week and Seniors Week, attending meetings at the State Library about evaluating libraries and evaluating electronic resources for libraries across the state or on the desk helping people with their information requests. I like to read: General Fiction What I'm reading right now: Restless by William Boyd If I wrote a book, it would be called: Not enough time to Read: the real story of what goes on in the Library