An ambitious project from the National Library of Australia and State Libraries of Australia, brings us the Australian Newspaper Digitisation Project. From the website:

“The Australian Newspapers Digitisation Program will initially be digitising approximately 3 million pages over 4 years, starting in July 2007. These pages will cover a range of titles from every state and territory, from the earliest newspaper published in Australia in 1803 through to the mid 1950’s. A further million pages from the Sydney Morning Herald 1831-1954 will also be digitised.”

So far they have digitised over a million pages.

From Victoria, the project is digitising the Argus and Melbourne Argus - the great Melbourne newspaper which closed down in the 1950’s. So far they have digitised 1915 to 1945. You can search all of the papers digitised thus far on the Australian Newspapers Beta website.

As the digitisation is being done using optical character recognition (OCR), viewers are invited to correct errors on the website as you go.

I did a quick search and found a car struck a wagonette in Narre Warren in October 1924, Airdrie won the Cranbourne Cup in 1923 and a cool store was planned for Pakenham in 1915.

Why not take some time and find out some interesting facts from our local history for yourself!

Michelle

CCLC subscribes to over 350 different magazines on a huge range of subjects. From trash to deadly serious, there’s something for everyone. My current favourite is Psychology Today (great articles; strange ads). A tip for searching the catalogue: use the words and magazine after your search term - Eg. fitness and magazine or travel and magazine. All the issues that we have will be listed and you can place holds for all but the current edition.

A few facts… With some exceptions, we keep copies of magazines for two years before sending them off to booksale. They have a 2 week loan period and we review our subscriptions annually.

Have you wondered what the [CC] means on some magazine records? It stands for Casey-Cardinia. We found it was too confusing to share magazine records with our other library partners, as we do with books. Too many libraries, titles, editions and copies, so now we have own catalogue records. Eventually, all of our magazine records will show [CC].

If youre happy to read online, we offer an even bigger selection of magazines through our database subscriptions (these collections include general/popular magazines as well as Trade and Academic journals and often include a large backfile). Some examples include:

Choice

Australian Nursing Journal

Architecture Australia

Journal of Educational Research

You can set up an email alert that lets you know when a new edition is available. For help with this or searching for particular titles email us at information@cclc.vic.gov.aunospam (remove nospam from the address)

- Linda

As Australian Library Week comes to a close, here’s a quick statistical look at Australian public libraries - brought to you by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian Library and Information Association and us - the Casey-Cardinia Library Corporation.

• Approximately 12 million registered public library users in Australia (Casey-Cardinia Library Corporation’s membership is over 110, 000)
• Has more than 1700 public library branches - with our service having 7 of those
• Lending over 174 million items - last year we lent over 2 million
• With nearly 5,000 public internet computers - we have nearly 70
• 46% of over 18 year olds visited a library in 2006
• Libraries were the 2nd most visited cultural venue in 2006, behind movies
• 55% of children visited a public library outside of school hours

Libraries have a lot going for them and its good to know that our users and many others recognise that. So Happy Library Week!

Michelle

2008 is a bumper year for books being released as movies. Below I have listed a sample of just some of the many titles which are making the leap from small print to big screen. These movies are either in our cinemas at now or will be before the end of the year.

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis is the third title in the Chronicles of Narnia, but only the 2nd movie, following up on the highly successful Lion, the Witch and the wardrobe. The first and third books - “Magician’s nephew‘ and “Horse and his boy” respectively, have not been made into films in this series.

The actors who played the Pevensey children in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe movie reprise their roles, as does Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan. I’ll definitely be going to see this one with my family during the forthcoming school holidays.

Love in time of cholera by Nobel prize winning Gabriel Garcia Marquezand, a Colombian author, screenwriter and journalist. He won the 1982 Nobel Prize for Literature “for his novels and short stories, in which the fantastic and the realistic are combined in a richly composed world of imagination, reflecting a continent’s life and conflicts.” The movie, which is screening in cinemas now, stars Benjamin Bratt from Law and Order and Academy Awarding winning actor Javier Bardem.

Sex and the city was originally based on the novel by Candace Bushnell. The popular, long-running TV series which finished its 6 season run in 2004, has now moved to the big screen, with original cast members reprising their much-loved roles. Candace’s book of the same name was comprised of her columns for the New York Observer, which explored the adventures she and her friends experienced in the Big Apple. Sex and the city: the movie will be out in cinemas in early June. One to see for Sex in the City fans.

Journey to the center of the earth by Jules Verne is enjoying another remake. This time the classic novel from Jules Verne stars Brendan Fraser as a bumbling professor searching for his brother, who with his nephew and a guide, discover the lost world inside the earth. The movie will be released in Australia in September. Looks like it will be an amusing take on an old classic.

Choke by Chuch Palahniuk is one I had not heard of before. Published in 2001, its about a medical-school dropout and con artist, who comes up with a scam to help pay the bills for his mother’s care. Starring Sam Rockwell as the main character Vincent and with Anjelica Houston, the movie will be Australian cinemas in October.

Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince - the 6th and second last in the series by J.K. Rowling is coming out in December. With the books now finished with the publication last year of the last book, I suspect that the movie will be drawing even more attention. All the regular cast will be there, participating in the penultimate battle with Voldemort. If you haven’t started reading the Harry Potter series, its never too late to start. We have it on audio as well as in print and of course the earlier movies are available on DVD.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory stars our own Eric Bana, with equally famous co-stars Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. Phillipa Gregory is a prolific historical fiction author, who has written over 20 novels for adults and children. Two of her titles have been adapted for television, but this is the first to be made into a movie. It is out in cinemas now.

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffennegger has been a popular book and is a highly anticipated movie, again starring our own Eric Bana. It co-stars Rachel McAdams and the rights to the movie were originally bought by Brad Pitt, who is also one of the producers. The book is Niffenegger’s first title, however she has since written “Three incestuous sisters”.

There some great reads, regardless of whether you see the movie or not. But as Hollywood is spending those millions making the movie, it seems that there is something there worth checking out. Remember that you can place holds for free and you can do it online - just click on the title you are interested in and it will take you straight to the catalogue.

So I’ll see you at the movies AND at the library!

Michelle

Great news for those time poor people or those who like to do things themselves! At Endeavour Hills and Cranbourne libraries you can now pick up your own holds. Imagine the flexibility of being able to sit at home or work, look up the books you have heard about at your local book chat, book discussion group or even on Oprah that afternoon and place a hold for free on the item to pick up at your nearest library.

There are many ways to check to see if your hold is in. Login to the library catalogue and see if it is available for you to collect, wait for the letter to be sent to you or rock up at your library, go straight to the self serve holds shelf and collect your item.

You then have the choice to take the held item with your other selections to the circulation desk and “talk to a person” OR you can take it to the self checkout machine and do it yourself*.

Now you can make your experience to the library as personal or as quick as you want it to be.

Only books, videos and talking books are able to be used at the self serve checkout machines. You will also need to bring in the library card you used to place the hold.

Monique

Author Ilsa Evans visited the Emerald Library for a talk sponsored by the Friends of the Emerald Library.

On a cool April evening over 30 avid readers of Ilsa’s Laundry series of books gathered to hear her speak about her life, writing, and her journey from writing light fiction to a novel on the darker topic of domestic violence.

It was wonderful to hear an author give so much of herself through stories of past relationships, family and their impact on her writing. Despite being a successful author in Australia, Ilsa still maintains her “ordinariness” in her comparisons to the audience and to other women who lead busy lives as mothers, wives, and in the workplace.

Feedback from our audience reflect the interest in listening to Ilsa talk about writing and the publishing process, when she began writing, and her motivation for writing.

Some quotes from the night were…

“I loved meeting the creator of the books, and feeling as though I now know her as a person”

“Ilsa’s talk was fantastic”

“So enjoyed hearing how she learnt her craft and also her struggles with writing as a career.”

“I loved meeting the author and being able to purchase her books. A fabulous speaker who humanises everyday events to make them fun.”

I would recommend Ilsa as a speaker to anyone who reads this. Her humour and insights make her worth taking time from your busy schedule to listen to.

Cen

For all of you who have been so busy with Christmas that you haven’t had time to think about your summer reading, be reassured, your libraries will be here for you when you
need us.

All branches of Casey Cardinia Library Corporation will be open until 4pm on Christmas Eve - Monday 24th December. We will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and re-open to normal hours on Thursday 27th December. Plenty of time to recover in the post-Christmas period and come in to find a relaxing book or DVD to enjoy.

Just so you are aware, we then also close at 4pm on Monday 31st December, so that everyone can escape to enjoy their new year celebrations. We will be closed on Tuesday 1st January 2008 and reopen to normal hours on Wednesday 2nd January.

When you do come in, why not check out some of the titles in the Great Victorian Summer Read, vote for your favourite and go in the running for some great prizes. The kids can do the same with the Summer Reading Program - with stickers and bookmarks to be earned for reading achievements and chances to win bigger and better prizes too.

So once you recover from the festivities of the season, pop in to the library, pick up your magazines, DVDs, CDs, books and more, then go home (or on holidays) and relax!

From CCLC to you, here’s wishing you a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!

One of the most common questions we receive at the library is health related.  The queries range from diet and nutrition, through exercise, pregnancy and childbirth, medications and then specifically on varying diseases or disorders and much more.

We have an excellent health collection, with books as well as DVDs, videos and audio on many of these topics.  However, the lesser known disorders can be difficult to find information on.  When you find out that you or a family member or friend has such a disorder, you want to know more than what you find out from a short consultation at the doctors.

Your local library can help with these sorts of questions.  Besides our lending collection, we have excellent reference books, with very specific focussed information on diseases and medications. We have links to good quality websites on various health topics, as well as professional medical indexes through our website directory page.  We also provide free access to three quality health databases.  All you need is your current library card number to access the amazing content they contain.
Health and Wellness is a full-text database that provides reliable health information aimed at the general public rather than medical practitioners. The index includes hundreds of periodicals, 6 reference books and thousands of pamphlets.

Consumer Health Complete is the single most comprehensive resource for consumer-oriented health content. CHC provides content covering all areas of health and wellness from mainstream medicine to the many perspectives of complementary, holistic, and integrated medicine. This full text database covers topics such as aging, cancer, diabetes, drugs & alcohol, fitness, nutrition & dietetics, men’s & women’s health, and children’s health.

Cochrane Library contains high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making. It includes reliable evidence from Cochrane and other systematic reviews, clinical trials, and more. Cochrane reviews bring you the combined results of the world’s best medical research studies, and are recognised as the gold standard in evidence-based health care.

If you still can’t find what you are looking for using these valuable resources, feel free to use our free online enquiry service, IRIS and let us find the information you need.

In this cooler, wet weather, its an ideal time to catch up on some award winning reading.  Or in this case, some award nominated reading.  Victoria is in the midst of book nomination season, with the previously mentioned Children’s Book Council Awards and Books Alive campaign now on, with winners being announced on the former soon.

Add to that now the Age Book of the Year Award and the Melbourne Writer’s Festival and its a literary gourmand’s dream come true.  Check out these booklists and more and then click on the link to the title or author you want.  This click takes you to the catalogue, where you can check on its availability and/or place a free hold.

As the award winners are announced, our booklists will be updated.  Watch out coming soon, the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards.

As per your many requests, we have increased our loan limits on DVDs. You can now borrow 3 DVDs per library card, for a two week period. Then if they are not overdue or requested by another borrower, you can renew them for another two weeks. Renewals can be done in person at one of our libraries, by phone or via our catalogue.

CCLC has a wonderful collection of DVDs, which includes titles for children ranging from pre-schoolers to all your Pixar favourites such as Toy Story, Monsters Inc and more. For adults, we have a wide range of how-to and documentary titles which are not readily available through hire stores, as well as a wide range of movies and television series.

So enjoy the increased limit and come in and borrow some more DVDs. With school holidays now over, you will find a great selection available on your library’s shelves.