ALIA event - National Simultaneous Storytime 2010 - 26 May 2010

National Simultaneous Storytime is a campaign organised by the Australian Library and Information Association, in which a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously to children in a variety of venues around Australia.

This campaign promotes the value of books and encourages young people to read, share books and become involved in other fun and engaging literary based activities. The campaign is an integral part of promoting the value of reading and literacy within Australian society.

When: Wednesday, 26 May 2010
11:00 AM

The book
Little White Dogs Can't Jump
Written by: Bruce Whatley and Rosie Smith
Illustrated by: Bruce Whatley
Published by: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN : 9780207198830

More information, click here to visit ALIA website.

Alien invasion at TAFE Library

Friday 24 July, Lifeline’s Dress Down Day was a memorable day for the librarians at the Cairns TAFE. We all got to have a day off, confident in the knowledge that the needs of the staff and the students would be more than adequately taken care of by the gaggle of relaxed looking characters in the photograph.

This motley crew, who paused briefly for a group photograph before someone called the police, was able to handle a wide range of library duties in our absence. The clown with the French-Canadian accent was able to juggle her various tasks. Huckleberry Finn, who curiously answered to ‘Rachel’ throughout the day, seemed relaxed, even without her fishing pole. Sales of Mr Men books in the Cairns area reportedly skyrocketed after the wearer of the dark pyjama suit gave the franchise free advertising during the day. The hippie, known in some quarters as Susan, was obviously prepared for the impending 40^th anniversary of Woodstock and even demonstrated the peace sign for us (But refer to the photograph very carefully before demonstrating this friendly gesture to members of the police force, folks!) And the rather large cross-dressing and pyjama clad bunny rabbit (who seemed to be of the tailless variety) was wheezing like a inebriated sea lion with after only three hops and decided to walk everywhere instead.

Other participants dressed down for the occasion, as did many others in the TAFE community, all relinquishing a gold coin to the very worthwhile cause of Lifeline for the privilege. The students and staff took the change of personnel in good part, and the day was busy and productive as usual until the odd bunch disappeared at the end of the day, never to return.

Until next year …

Dr Brian Stevenson (TNQIT Library)

Did you know?

Did you know that the Library Action Figure is based on a real person – Nancy Pearl? Nancy is a distinguished librarian, and is best known for the, “If All Seattle Read The Same Book” project. This idea of one city reading the same book at the same time has been imitated in cities around the world.

Source: Archie McPhee

My how library advertising has changed!

ENGLISH LIBRARY

NEWCASTLE-STREET, STRAND.

G. SAEL refpectfully* informs his Friends and the Public, that he has juft completed a large and extenfive Catalogue of his Reading Library, confifting of near 15,000 Volumes (with a daily increafe) of the moft valuable and entertaining Books in every Language and Clafs of Learning; including all the popular publications for the two laft years.

Ladies and Gentlemen defirous of becoming Subfcribers, are acquainted, that for Reading the prefent large Collection, with every admired work that may hereafter appear, is only 14s per year, or 4s per quarter. If due encouragement be given, (to the like exertion of perfonal induftry to pleafe) G. SAEL pledges himfelf, that in the selection of publications, he will endeavour to render the Englifh Library a model of elegant literature and not inferior to any in London.

* Read f as s where appropriate.

Text Source: English Library. (1790, December 7). The Times, p. 4, col C.

Image Source: University of Sydney

Love your work

Source: lo-fi librarian

Keep warm on a winter's evening with...

I scooted my rolling chair around the reference area….After the weekend, things were always in a mess. I love the act of cleaning up. It made me almost as happy as reading in bed or eating a piece of homemade vanilla cake....!?

Josephine Carr 2003, "The Dewey Decimal System of Love" New American Library, New York.

Guinness World Records

THE WORLD’S HIGHEST LIBRARY

Library: JW Marriott Hotel
Height: 230.9m above street level
Where: Shanghai, China
Built: 2004

The library is on the 60th floor of the JW Marriott Hotel at Tomorrow Square in Shanghai, and measures 57m2. Membership is available to members of the public and the 103 shelves in the library contain a collection of Chinese and English books.

from Guinness World Records


LONGEST ‘READING ALOUD MARATHON’ BY A TEAM

The Team: Milton Nan, Silvina Carbone, Carlos Antón, Edit Díaz, Yolanda Baptista, Natalie Dantaz
Duration: 224 hours!!
Where: Mac Center Shopping, Paysandú, Uruguay
When: 13 to 22 September, 2007

from Guinness World Records

Library Lovers crossword

Test out your knowledge of Lovers in Literature with this interactive Crossword puzzle. Have fun. I would like to know if anyone was able to get all the answers without cheating or if you thought it was just too hard.

Useful wikis and library info on facebook

LISwiki is a Library and Information Science wiki. Sign in and you can edit and add if you wish. In fact you are strongly encourages to do so. This wiki is on the MediaWiki platform which is the platform that supports wikipedia.

To find Library groups and library sites on facebook, you really need to create an account. Once you have done this, search for library, library 2.0 or a specific library if you wish. The Library 2.0 interest group is a good one. Have fun exploring.

Check out this image of the Kansas City Library - just for fun. More images and an explanation of the why and how click here.

How do your library users view the online environment?

• Social Expressives: the internet is about entertainment, expression and organising social activities.
• Digirati: technology is central to their lives, they have all the latest technological toys and live online.
• Cruise Controllers: are highly successful and busy people. They use the internet to manage their lives and information.
• Conservative Crossroaders: see the internet as a transactional and functional tool.
• Lost in Space: have learnt to live with the internet to communicate and get information, but perfer the non-digital world.
• The Besieged: lack interest in, or ability to get involved with the online environment. They may use the internet to email relatives.

Faure, T 2007, 'Tribal Networkers', The Bulletin, 21 September, viewed 25 September 2007.