 |
|
Edition 29, December 2009
|
Library eNews
Welcome to Library eNews, where we keep you up to date with all the latest news, events and happenings at Gold Coast Libraries.
Library happenings
For the latest information on what's happening at your local branch library, go to the current Calendar of Events.
In this issue
|
Useful links
Download one of these great eAudiobooks now!
Contact us
We hope you enjoy this issue. We value your feedback. For comment or enquiries, please email:
lcs@goldcoast.qld.gov.au
Subscription
Unsubscribe or subscribe to others
|
Win $500 worth of books with Book Coasters and our hit picks for summer
Book coasters, Gold Coast Libraries online book club, has been Gold Coast readers' best kept secret for a few months. But now we are officially launching the online space in December, and we'd love you to hear from you. As an extra incentive to visit, we're giving away a fantastic $500 book prize courtesy of Peter Pal Library Suppliers.
All you need to do to go into the draw is read one of the 10 books we've selected as hit picks for this summer, then head to book coasters and post a review or comment on any post about the hit pick book you've read. Competition entry is automatic - as soon as you post, you're in the draw! It's that easy!
The ten hit picks for summer are:
We'll see you online at book coasters! Read... comment... share... and win!
|
Older Adults Only: Restricted to 55+
This month, Gold Coast Libraries will launch a fantastic new monthly program, especially designed for the quarter of the Gold Coast population who are 55 and over.
There's no 'morning melodies' or 'cooking for one' - these sessions are especially for active older adults looking to be inspired, to learn and to have a laugh.
The program kicks off with a very special event at Albert Waterways Community Centre at 10.30am on Thursday 10 December and features the perennially popular bush poet, Marco Gliori.
For 10 years, Marco Gliori has travelled Australia with his original poetry and comedy performances. The Australian Women's Weekly voted Marco 'Best Modern Day Bush Poet.' He is a record four-times winner of the Tamworth Country Music Festival Poetry Performance Award.
Don't be disappointed - book your place now by phoning Broadbeach Branch Library on
(07) 5581 1555, or email brolibrary@goldcoast.qld.gov.au.
Find out about Older Adults Only events for January and beyond.
|
Send your kids on a reading quest this summer
Each year, Gold Coast Libraries run a summer reading program to encourage kids to develop a love of reading and to help them keep their reading skills in tip-top shape over the summer break. These school holidays, kids can join in our Summer Reading Quest and head off on a reading adventure, with the extra incentive of some awesome prizes provided by Angus & Robertson at Southport Park.
The Summer Reading Quest runs from 12 December to 16 January. Bring your kids into your local branch library so they can collect their very own passport and start their summer reading quest to success!
For more information, please speak to staff at your local branch library.
|
Living green for kids at Gold Coast Libraries
These school holidays, kids can join in the fun at branch libraries across the Coast as we learn a thing or two about living green and flexing our creative muscles! Kids can create a bird feeder, construct a 3D landscape, create their very own worm farm or 'grow' an origami garden. Perfect for kids aged six to 12, our range of school holiday activities will suit every budding eco-warrior!
For full details, check the Calendar of events. Bookings are essential and places will fill quickly - secure a spot now by contacting your branch library!
|
Book launch: No One's Son
Tewodros 'Teddy' Fekadu's personal story of civil war and detention across three continents is both extraordinary and inspiring. He is an active member of the local community as founder and president of the African Communities Association, Gold Coast Inc. Join Teddy in branch libraries across the city to celebrate the release of his new book, No One's Son.
|
Storytime smorgasbord at Gold Coast Libraries
Reading to babies and young children is about so much more than entertainment! Speech pathologists note that reading to babies helps with vocabulary development, and is also a great way to bond with your child. Reading to kids of any age helps them broaden their language horizons and encourages them to develop a reading habit.
Gold Coast Libraries offer a range of storytime programs that are specially designed to get kids interested and involved in reading, in a fun, interactive and social environment.
-
Baby rhyme time allows you and your baby to share in a some literacy-based fun, with songs, rhymes and reading. It's a perfect aide to relationship building for parents and their little ones. Perfect for babies newborn to two years (and their parents or grandparents, too!).
-
Read and grow is an interactive storytime program that goes beyond the telling of a story. These encouraging interactive sessions include fun learning activities to get kids engaged and involved, and are designed to give parents some ideas to take home and try. Children aged three to five years are welcome to bring their parents along to read and grow at their local branch library!
-
PJ storytime is an extra special storytime that's perfect for busy parents. Pop the kids in their PJs and head to your local branch library for a pre-bedtime story. This session is perfect for pyjama-clad kids aged up to five years, and their (hopefully!) pyjama-clad parents, too!
To find a storytime at a branch library near you, check the Calendar of events. Bookings not necessary - just come on in!
|
Calling all super sleuths
Local Studies Library staff are currently working to describe and make available to the community many of the photographs in the collection. Sometimes, an image in the collection exists without any information attached to it, making it particularly difficult to describe accurately, and therefore difficult for local and family historians to discover.
As a new feature in eNews, we'll include a mystery image in each issue, in the hope that one of our readers might have some information that could help us in identifying the who, what, where, when and why of the photograph.
Can you help the Local Studies Library to identify the people in this image? The photograph was believed to have been taken in South East Queensland in the very early 1900s. Unfortunately, no other information accompanies this particularly beautiful wedding portrait.
The original image in our collection is a large negative. As a result, there is no handwriting, notes or comments written anywhere on the original.
As the portrait is so perfect, it is a photograph that families would tend to cherish, make copies of and keep in their own family collections for many years. As such, we are hopeful that a local family may have another copy of this image that records the names of the people photographed. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Please contact the Local Studies Library if you can assist.
For additional information about the Local Studies Library and its extensive collection, please contact lslibrary@goldcoast.qld.gov.au or (07) 5581 7217.
|
The hills will come alive at Robina Branch Library
Gold Coast Libraries have long been about more than books. Our DVDs of classic, award-winning movies and TV series are some of our most popular items for borrowing. This month, Robina Branch Library celebrates one such movie classic with a free screening of The Sound of Music. The hills and library will come alive on Thursday 17 December from 1.30pm. Phone Robina Branch Library on (07) 5581 1600 to book your seat. Don't miss out!
|
Get beading at Helensvale Branch Library
Helensvale Branch Library is holding a basic beading workshop this month. The hands-on session will introduce you to the fun and creativity of beading as you create your own unique bracelet - a great Christmas gift!. All materials are provided, but if you have your own tools, please bring them on the day.
Bookings are essential. Phone Helensvale Branch Library on (07) 5581 1625 or email hellibrary@goldcoast.qld.gov.au.
|
What do a baboon, a sieve and a fromage frais container have in common?
They all feature in the title of books nominated for the Diagram Prize for the Oddest Book Title of the Year. The first award in 1978 was presented to the University of Tokyo Press' Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice and last year's winner was the very assertively titled If You Want Closure In Your Relationship, Start With Your Legs. This year's shortlist of six titles range from fromage frais to strip knitting and are:
-
Baboon Metaphysics by Dorothy L Cheney and Robert M Seyfarth
-
Curbside Consultation of the Colon by Brooks D Cash
-
The Large Sieve and its Applications by Emmanuel Kowalski
-
Strip and Knit with Style by Mark Hordyszynski
-
Techniques for Corrosion Monitoring by Lietai Yang
-
The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-milligram Containers of Fromage Frais by Professor Philip M Parker
|
Parallel importation of books - no change to current legislation
In November, the Federal Government decided not to accept the Productivity Commission's recommendation to remove the parallel importation restrictions on books. Under Australia's copyright law, there are provisions that allow Australian publishers 30 days to publish an Australian version of any book that has been released anywhere in the world. If the book is published within 30 days, all booksellers are obliged to purchase the publication from the Australian publisher and cannot import the book from an overseas publisher.
The Government felt that in an environment of intense competition from online books and eBooks, changing the regulations governing book imports would be unlikely to have any effect on the price and availability of books in Australia. And that to be competitive in the current environment, publishers need to lift their game and ensure titles are published in a timely fashion and at a competitive price - otherwise customers will increasingly opt for online sales and eBooks.
|
US National Book Award: 2009 winners announced
The US National Book Awards recognise the best of American literature, raising the cultural appreciation of great writing in the country while advancing the careers of both established and emerging writers. The 2009 winners were announced on 18 November, at the National Book Foundation's 60th National Book Awards Ceremony and Benefit Dinner.
This year's winners are:
Fiction
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Nonfiction
The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. Stiles
Poetry
Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy by Keith Waldrop
Young People's Literature
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
Also announced was the title chosen by the public as the Best of the National Book Awards Fiction. The winner, with more than 10,000 votes, was The Complete Stories of Flannery O'Connor.
|
Prime Ministers Literary Awards: 2009 winners announced
The Prime Minister's Literary Awards celebrate the contribution of Australian literature to the nation's cultural and intellectual life. In October, we told you about the shortlisted titles, and in November, this year's winners were announced. Why not add these to your 'must read' list?
Fiction
The Boat by Nam Le
Non-fiction
Joint winners:
|
Book review: Voices by Ardnldur Indridason
Each month, a library staff member will share a review of a book they've read recently. This month, Kate, a library staff member from our southern branch libraries, shares a review of a mystery she's read recently.
There has been a buzzing excitement in the world of 'mystery' lovers over the last few years with the sensational publication of The Millennium Trilogy, by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson. Not only were the three novels a powerful explosion of suspense and intrigue, with one of the most complex protagonists to grace the written page for many years; the tragic circumstances of the authors own death prior to publication added to the drama. But he is not the only Nordic writer to create such dynamic characters and intriguing plots.
Icelandic writer Arnaldur Indridason was a journalist and critic before branching into fiction writing. His series of crime novels featuring the Reykjavik Police partnership of Erlendur and Sigurdur Oli are well worth reading.
The novel Voices is set in a grand hotel in Reykjavik, at the height of the tourist Christmas season. A doorman has been found dead - murdered. As Erlendur and his team investigate; a complex mystery of lost dreams, loneliness, apathy and greed unfolds. There a plots within plots here as the detectives meander their way through half truths to piece together the life story of the murdered man and those around him.
Indridason is a fine writer. His prose is sparse, almost wistful, which seems to add to the sensation of sadness and cold in the Icelandic Christmas and characters he is describing. His investigator, Erlendur, is a full character - complex, thoughtful and empathetic. The novel has been beautifully translated by Bernard Schudder and was a worthy winner of the CWA Gold Dagger as well as the Swedish Martin Beck Award.
|
|
Gold Coast City Council, PO Box 5042, Gold Coast MC Queensland 9729 |
|
© 2009 Gold Coast City Council
|
 |
|
|
