MSLS Library News

Holiday opening hours

2011-12-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

SEASONS GREETINGS FROM ALL YOUR LIBRARY STAFF

This year, in addition to being closed on the public holidays, the libraries will be varying the hours of opening over the Christmas/New Year period. Click here for details.

Web-based language learning that’s easy, fast and effective!

2011-09-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

Mitchell Libraries is excited to launch this web-based language learning program available from Thursday 8 September 2011. This program is available free of charge to all library members.

Byki is a powerful and personalised language learning system, an exciting program intended to provide a fun, engaging and effective environment for language learning. It locks foreign language words and phrases into your memory so that you can recall them perfectly and remember them forever. There are over 90 languages available for you to learn plus 17 English as a Second Language (ESL) Courses. Library members have 24/7 unlimited access – anywhere, anytime with simultaneous access. Byki features listening, reading, speaking and writing exercises, speech analysis to improve pronunciation skills and interactive dialog and reading exercises. Individual progress tracking and assessment tests help identify areas for improvement and move users in the right direction.

If you want to use Byki at the library you will need to provide headphones to use within the library due to noise considerations.

Byki will be available from a link on the libraries homepage

Library survey

2011-08-31T22:24:00.000-07:00

Now is your chance to let us know what we are doing well and areas where we can improve. We are running our annual customer satisfaction survey for the month of September.

Temporary closure of Kilmore Library

2011-05-30T23:28:00.000-07:00

Kilmore Library is currently undergoing refurbishment involving both external and internal works. These works have started and will include repairs to the roof, new toilets and new carpet. Kilmore library will be closed for approximately 2 weeks from Monday 13 June 2011 until Wednesday 29 June, reopening Thursday 30 June 2011. Borrowers will still have access to the library catalogue online through the library website to renew items and place holds on titles. We apologise in advance for this interruption to our services. Broadford, Seymour and Wallan libraries will be open as usual. For more information, call Kilmore Library on 5782 1322 until Sunday 12 June 2011. After this date, please contact the Wallan Library on 5783 3555 for updates on the renovation and assistance with library related enquiries.

Swift upgrade / catalogue unavailable

2011-05-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry, slight confusion regarding the timing the catalogue will be unavailable...

The catalogue will actually be unavailable on Tuesday 10th May from 9.15 pm (not 9.15am as previously stated). The system will be back online at approximately 10.00am Wednesday morning - 11th May.

This means that you will not be able to access the system to browse, reserve or renew items on the catalogue until it is back online.

Apologies for any inconvenience.

SWIFT update

2011-05-03T00:11:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday 10th May, from 9.15 am our libraries, as well as all the other Victorian SWIFT libraries will not be live due to the upgrade to the new version. We will be offline on this day and until approx. 10am on Wednesday 11th May.

This means that you will not be able to access the system to browse, reserve or renew items on the catalogue until it is back online.

Apologies for any inconvenience.

Festive season

2010-12-12T15:05:00.000-08:00

SEASONS GREETINGS FROM ALL YOUR LIBRARY STAFF

This year, in addition to being closed on the public holidays, the libraries will be varying the hours of opening over the Christmas/New Year period.

Click here for details.

The Age Book of the Year 2010 announced

2010-09-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

The winner of 2010 The Age Book of the Year award is Lovesong by Alex Miller. Kate Howarth won the non fiction prize for Ten Hail Marys and Jennifer Maiden won the poetry prize for Pirate Rain.

The Age Book of the Year 2010 shortlists

2010-08-10T00:21:00.000-07:00

The Age announced the shortlists of its annual book of the year awards with the winners being announced at the Melbourne Writers' Festival.

Fiction
•Lovesong by Alex Miller
•Summertime by J.M. Coetzee
•Come Inside by G.L. Osborne
•Parrot And Olivier In America by Peter Carey
•The World Beneath by Cate Kennedy

Non-Fiction
•The Lost Mother: A Story Of Art And Love by Anne Summers
•Listening To Country by Ros Moriarty
•Ten Hail Marys by Kate Howarth
•Flying with Paper Wings by Sandy Jeffs
•Otherland: A Journey With My Daughter by Maria Tumarkin

Some of these titles are held by our library service and others will be available thru the Swift group of libraries - select ALL in the library search box on our catalogue page.

Free Wireless Internet Now Available

2010-07-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

Your favorite local library now comes with complimentary Wi Fi. Get some work done, check email and connect with family and friends, all for free!

With free Wi-Fi, customers can access the Internet using their laptops or PDAs. All you need is a Wi Fi enabled device like a laptop, PDA or compatible mobile phone and a current library membership.

Not a library member but wish to use the Wi Fi? Membership is free, visit your nearest library branch and join today.

Library Catalogue unavailable

2010-02-27T18:21:00.001-08:00

Unfortunately our library catalogue will be unavailable on Monday 1 March, Tuesday 2 March and Wednesday 3 March while we change over to our new library computer system. Check out the post below for further details.

New library computer system

2010-02-27T18:18:00.000-08:00

Your library staff are all very excited!
From Thursday 4 March we will be operating with a totally new library computer system. We are the 16th public library system in Victoria to join the Swift consortia.
As a member of Swift you get direct access to the complete stock of all libraries that are members of Swift. You can now select and reserve any of more than 2 million items in the combined libraries’ collections from our catalogue page - at no cost. Although we are sharing our stock with other library services that are members of Swift this will not be at a disadvantage to our own library members. Our library members will always have priority access to our own library items i.e. reserves on Mitchell items will be satisfied first before reserves from other Swift libraries.
Our catalogue page will have a new look with extra features e.g.
• Access to a kids version of the catalogue
• Links to hot websites
• Easy access to books on the Premiers’ Reading Challenge list
• Simple searching and reserving of individual magazine copies

With the introduction of the new computer system all items borrowed from the library will have a
standardised loan period of three weeks.

Holiday Opening hours

2009-12-03T16:24:00.000-08:00

This year, in addition to being closed on the public holidays, the libraries will be varying the hours of opening over the Christmas/New Year period.
Click here for details.

Booker Prize winner announced

2009-10-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

British author Hilary Mantel has been named winner of the prestigious Booker Prize for fiction. Mantel's Wolf Hall is an historical novel about English king Henry VIII's advisor Thomas Cromwell.

One of the literary world's most prestigious awards, the annual Booker Prize goes to the best work of fiction by an author from the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland. It comes with a winner's cheque for 50,000 pounds ($90,000) and all but guarantees worldwide readership and an upsurge in book sales.

Our library has a copy of this book.

2009-09-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

Victorian Premier's Literary Awards: Winners & Shortlist 2009

The Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction
Winner
The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
Shortlist
* The Pages by Murray Bail
* Dog Boy by Eva Hornung
* The Boat by Nam Le
* The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
* Breath by Tim Winton

The Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction
Winner
The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island byChloe Hooper
Shortlist
* The City's Outback by Gillian Cowlishaw
* Arabesques by Robert Dessaix
* The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island by Chloe Hooper
* House of Exile: The Life and Times of Heinrich Mann and Nelly Kroger-Mann by Evelyn Juers
* Darwin's Armada by Iain McCalman

Shortlist Man Booker Prize

2009-09-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

The shortlisted works for the 2009 Man Booker Prize have been announced.

A.S. Byatt The Children's Book
J.M. Coetzee Summertime
Adam Foulds The Quickening Maze
Hilary Mantell Wolf Hall
Simon Mawer The Glass Room
Sarah Waters The Little Stranger

Australian interest this year rests with J.M. Coetzee who will be vying for his third Man Booker Prize after winning for Life and Times of Michael K. in 1983 and Disgrace in 1999.

The winner of the 2009 prize will be announced on Tuesday 6th October.

New extended opening hours at Wallan

2009-08-10T23:18:00.000-07:00

From Wednesday 12th August the Wallan library will be open longer hours:-
Monday to Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 1pm

Family history research

2009-07-30T21:38:00.001-07:00

everyone has a story to tell… .
…… what’s your story?
…… who will you find?

ancestry ®
is now available for use within the library
FOR FREE.

It is ideal for the family historian.
Ancestry provides the most genealogical information available on-line, with more than 5 billion names in over 4,000 collections. It offers a wide and diverse variety of unique content to help users trace their family lineage or help historians access historical records that have previously not been available online. It is continuously expanding with new content added every business day.

Do-it-yourself loans from other Victorian public libraries

2009-07-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

Members of Victorian public libraries can now search the catalogues of libraries across Victoria and request books from those libraries themselves. You can do this at home or in the library. There is a link on the catalogue page of the library’s website to LibraryLink. Please note a charge will apply when you request an inter-library loan $1.10 if the item comes from a public library, $15.20 from a university library. Requests are not taken for DVDs or Talking Books. There is a limit of 6 requested items. Requests take a minimum of 4 weeks to arrive.

School Safari Sculpture competition

2009-07-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Children’s Book Week, Mitchell Library Service is excited to announce our School Safari Sculpture competition especially for primary school children in Mitchell Shire.

TO ENTER:
1. Create your Safari themed sculpture (out of paper mache, clay, playdough, icypole sticks, etc).
2. Deliver your creation to the catchment library by 21 August (see below to check which library you should deliver it to).
3. Complete an entry form.
4. Tell your family and friends to come in and vote between the 22-28 August.
5. A winner will be selected for each library branch based upon audience votes.
6. At each branch voting will take place between 22-28 August, with winners announced on 2 September.

If you attend school in Puckapunyal or Seymour your catchment Library is Seymour.
If you attend school in Broadford or Tallarook your catchment Library is Broadford.
If you attend school in Kilmore, Pyalong, Tooborac, Wandong or Willowmavin your catchment Library is Kilmore.
If you attend school in Wallan, Upper Plenty or Beveridge your catchment Library is Wallan.

Contact your local Library for more information.

Queens Birthday

2009-05-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

All of the libraries will be closed on Monday 8th June for the Queens Birthday Public Holiday.

An item no self-respecting greenie should be without....a library card

2009-05-14T00:07:00.000-07:00

Reading is generally thought of as a green, low-impact activity, but books made from virgin paper are contributing to deforestation across the world. Though some publishers use sustainably sourced or recycled fibres, you can't beat a borrowed book. Libraries ensure resources aren't unnecessarily wasted - why should 10 people buy 10 separate copies of a book, when they could all happily share just one?
....from G Magazine May/June 2009 issue

G magazine is available from all our branches.

Based on the Book...

2009-03-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

A list of recent popular films that were based on books.

Twilight is based on the first novel

in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.

Confessions of a Shopaholic is based on the first novel of

the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella.
The book is published in Australia as "The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic".

Marley & Me is based on the biography
of the same name by John Grogan.

Slumdog Millionaire is based on the novel,

Q&A by Vikas Swarup.

The Golden Compass is based on the novel,

Northern Lights by Phil Pullman.
The flim takes the name of the US publication.

The Kite Runner is based on the novel
of the same name by Khaled Hosseini.

The Devil Wears Prada is based on the novel

of the same name by Lauren Weisburger.

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas is based on the novel

of the same name by John Boyne.

Step By Step: Tutorials

2009-01-13T17:00:00.000-08:00

Reserving an item at home

Many users are unaware that they can browse our catalogue, reserve items and view their personal details including previous loans history & reservation status.
Below is a step-by-step tutorial that will help you get the most of your library's services.

Step One
Firstly, we will need to visit Mitchell Shire Library Service's online catalogue.
This can be found by clicking the following link, or typing it into your address bar.
http://mitchell.spydus.com/

Step Two
To view your personal details and to make a reservation, you will need to log in.
If you only want to browse our cataogue, there is no need to log in, and you may skip this step.
To the left of the screen will be a section to input your ID and PIN.

Your ID number is the full number underneath the barcode on the back of your library membership card. (example: 33/8573200)
note: if you find you cannot log in, try only typing your ID number minus the "33/"

Your PIN number is the last four digits of your phone number, by default unless you opt to change it. If you have issues with your PIN number, please call your local branch and the staff will be able to confirm your PIN, or issue you a new one.

Input your details as shown below, and click Login.

Step Three
Once you hae logged in, you will instantly be able to view your details.
Here you can easily view any outstanding fines, all your loans - current and previous, and also track your reservations. Below is a sample of what this screen looks like.

Step Four
To view our online catalogue, logged in or not, you just need to click on "Catalogue" in the top left corner of the screen. Shown below is what the link looks like.

You will be directed to, perhaps a familiar screen, the online catalogue as seen at your local library. The convenience of this is that you dont even have to leave your home to view our collection!

Step Five
To reserve a book, click on it's title.
Shown below is a sample result from typing into the search bar of our catalogue.

Once you have clicked on the item's title, you will be directed to a page that will display more information about it. To the top of the screen you will see "Place Reservation" in a blue box, like shown below. Click on it to reserve that item.

If you are logged in, your details should automatically fill out the form on your screen.
If you are not logged in, you will need to input your ID and PIN.
Upon selecting which branch you would like to pick up the item once it has been allocated to you, press "Place Reservation."
An example of this page is shown below.

Hey, Presto!
You've just reserved a book, magazine or dvd in the comfort of your own home.

Great Summer Reading

2009-01-06T18:08:00.000-08:00

Why not take a break with a great Victorian book this summer?

These books are all set in Victoria, and/or were written by Victorian Authors.
Did you know that we Victorians read more books than any other state?
And that we have a higher concentration of book clubs & bookstores per capita than anywhere else in Australia?
Let's keep it this way by reading a book today!

Beaten by a Blow; Dennis McIntosh
memoir, shearer's story

Swing by Sailor; Catherine Dyson
true stories, wartime

I am Melba; Ann Blainey
biography

Dissection; Jacinta Halloran
women's fiction, medical

Blood Sunset; Jarad Henry
crime fiction

The Time We Have Taken; Steven Carroll
literary fiction

The Zookeeper's War; Steven Conte
literary fiction

Musk & Byrne; Fiona Capp
historical fiction

Geography; Sophie Cunningham
woman's fiction

Addition; Toni Jordan
romance fiction

10 Great Reads!

2008-12-14T15:50:00.000-08:00

The rule of four / Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason
(A thriller about a secret in a book and the men who must follow the clues to find it – an interesting and intelligent read supposedly based on some degree of truth [I’d love to know how much])

The end of Mr. Y / Scarlett Thomas
(Philosophy wrapped in an adventure/science fiction novel that details an incredible personal journey, though that summary does not do this novel justice. It’s a bit like a very adult version of Sophie’s world, though not as emotionally void. The characters are quirky and well-developed; the story is fast-paced and furious, sometimes sad, often witty and always intoxicating. Scarlett Thomas has other novels – great reads, just as off-beat as this one though not, in my opinion, quite as potent)

The historian : a novel / Elizabeth Kostova
(history and myth in a novel that takes you around the world and through time – elegantly written and full of vivid details that drew me in to the point where I did not want to leave)

The accomplice / Kathryn Heyman
(A story about a moment of ugliness in human history, the wreck of The Batavia in the 1600's and the shocking events that took place afterwards – very well written, haunting, moving and disturbing, this is a powerful novel)

The geographer's library / Jon Fasman
(again, history and myth in a novel that takes you around the world and through time. This story is incredibly dense, thorough and intriguing – it’s quite harsh too, the treatment of its characters seems cold and distant, but that only adds to the strangeness of the mood of the novel)

The six sacred stones / Matthew Reilly
(part of a series, however it can easily be read on its own – Action, adventure, mystery and conspiracies, he’s popular for a reason. The best way to describe this novel: fun; ridiculously over-blown [but not entirely mindless] fun)

The miracle strain / Michael Cordy
(he has other novels that are also interesting, all tackle scientific possibilities and their values and dangers – I find his novels are useful as ‘what if’ scenarios and they’re also full of adventure so they’re satisfying too)

Blue diary / Alice Hoffman (A story about a small town and people who aren’t quite what they seem, this is a haunting drama and a slowly-revealing mystery that explores the grey spaces between right and wrong, truth and fiction. The characters are subtle and very well written and the writing is masterful. The mood is dream-like and strange, wrapping a cloud of fantasy around events that would have otherwise been raw and jarring. Very effective)

Mallawindy / Joy Dettman
(If you like Blue Diary you will probably like Mallawindy. This is another moody piece with well developed, beautifully flawed characters, light and shade, mystery and drama. Richly detailed descriptions and a harsh Australian setting add to the depth and flavour of this novel. It really dragged me in and wrapped me up in its muddy, twisted world – compelling stuff!)

Nineteen eighty-four: a novel / George Orwell
(I read this novel again recently and was reminded about how great the story is. I read an article not too long ago regarding Nineteen eighty-four and the journalist was convinced the story was irrelevant in today’s society. I disagree; as an exploration of the ability of power in general to corrupt and language to control I think it will always be relevant. It reminds me, anyway, of the possibilities of power and how little changes don’t seem worth criticising until you think of them in terms of the bigger picture.

Compiled by Liz

Book Review - Water for Elephants

2008-12-03T18:33:00.000-08:00

by Sara Gruen

A novel about circus life set in America during the 1930's. It has trains, dwarves, horses and one particular elephant Rosie the star of the show. Jacob in his grief over the lose of his parents jumps on a passing train and becomes part of a struggling circus. He discovers how to train the reluctant Rosie and wins the heart of the leading lady,August who is married to the ringmaster.
It is an emotional book full of anguish, hate and love.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Reviewed by Yvonne

Water for Elephants is available at Broadford Library in the fiction section.
You can also reserve the book online at http://libraries.mitchellshire.vic.gov.au/
simply click on the blue box to access our online catalogue.
all you need is your borrower card & your PIN (last four digits of your home telephone number)
to login, search for books on our catalogue, check your loans, and of course, reserve items.

Non-Fiction Gems

2008-11-14T17:57:00.001-08:00

The meaning of everything : the story of the Oxford English Dictionary / Simon Winchester
The code book : the science of secrecy from Ancient Egypt to quantum cryptography / Simon Singh
Affluenza : when too much is never enough / Clive Hamilton and Richard Denniss
A decapitated coffee please : and other great malapropisms / Des McHale
Freemasons : a history and exploration of the world's oldest secret society / H. Paul Jeffers
What is this thing called knowledge? / Duncan Pritchard
Creepy crawls : a horror fiend's travel guide / Leon Marcelo ; foreword by Herschell Gordon Lewis

Great to browse through:
A pictorial history of science fiction / David Kyle

Morbid Curiosity:
Buried alive : the terrifying history of our most primal fear / Jan Bondeson
Execution : the guillotine, the pendulum, the thousand cuts, the Spanish donkey, and 66 other ways of putting someone to death / Geoffrey Abbott.

Compiled and Recommended by Liz.

Staff Top 10

2008-11-14T17:57:00.000-08:00

1. When you are engulfed in flames by David Sedaris
2. Naked by David Sedaris
3. Cloudstreet by Tim Winton
4. Theft / Peter Carey
5. Fly away peter by David Malouf
6. The secret river by Kate Grenville
7. The corrections / John Franzen
8. The Widows of Eastwick / John Updike
9. Death sentence: the death of public language by Don Watson
10. Running with scissors: a memoir / Augusten Burroughs

Compiled & Recommended by Kim.

Staff Top 10

2008-11-04T22:43:00.000-08:00

1. God is not Great - Christopher Hitchens
2. Talk to the Hand - Lynne Truss
3. Stupid White Men - Michael Moore
4. Letter To A Christian Nation - Sam Harris
5. Eats Shoots & Leaves - Lynne Truss
6. The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
7. What I Do - Jon Ronson
8. Get Me Outta Here! - David Jacobson
9. Everybody Hurts - Leslie Simon
10. Musicophilia - Oliver Sacks

Compiled & Recommended by Cory.

A Travelling Exhibition - History of the Shrine

2008-10-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

A travelling exhibition presenting the story of Victoria's most significant war memorial from conception to construction and beyond - Melbourne's Shrine of Rememberance is coming to Kilmore.

The exhibiton will be on display at the Kilmore Library in the John Taylor Room from Tuesday 11th November until Sunday 14th December 2008 during library hours.

Book Review - Swan Peak

2008-10-21T23:29:00.000-07:00

by James Lee Burke

I enjoyed this further yarn of Dave and Clete fighting inner demons plus the bad guys. Author clearly loves the outdoors life.

-Reviewed by LED

Swan Peak is available at Romsey Library in the paperback section.
You can also reserve the book online at http://libraries.mitchellshire.vic.gov.au/
simply click on the blue box to access our online catalogue.
all you need is your borrower card & your PIN (last four digits of your home telephone number)
to login, search for books on our catalogue, check your loans, and of course, reserve items.

Book Review - As Darkness falls

2008-10-21T23:24:00.000-07:00

by Bronwyn Parry.

New Australian writer - I really enjoyed this read. Look forward to the next book.
Reviewed by LED

Darkness Falls is available at Wallan & Broadford Library in the adult fiction section.
You can also reserve the book online at http://libraries.mitchellshire.vic.gov.au/
simply click on the blue box to access our online catalogue.
all you need is your borrower card & your PIN (last four digits of your home telephone number)
to login, search for books on our catalogue, check your loans, and of course, reserve items.

Goodbye Pauline!

2008-10-20T20:03:00.001-07:00

Friday 17th was the last day of work for our library wonder woman, Pauline Roberts.
She was farewelled at a party in Seymour and will be dearly missed.
All the staff at Mitchell Shire Library Service wish her all the best at her new position.

New Broadford Library

2008-10-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

Broadford Library will be opening at it's new location on Monday 20th October.
It will now be located at the Mitchell Shire Broadford Office 113 High Street.
Opening hours will be

Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8.15am-5pm
Tuesday, Thursday 8.15am-6pm
Saturday 10am-1pm

The library will continue to be open in it's current location next week but with reduced stock as we will be transferring items to the new library. The library will be closed on Saturday 18th October as part of the relocation.
We look forward to seeing you in our new location.