Merry Christmas

The staff of Campbelltown City Library Service would like to wish all of our members and customers a very happy and safe Christmas. We look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.

Remeber that all special operating hours are in effect over the holiday period and you can find more information about your local branches hours on our web site.

Assignment Blog

The Reference and Information services team at Campbelltown have set up a new blog specialising in information about school assignments.

Many assignments recur each year and the guys have created permanent web pages to assist with these. Other assignments may be one-offs and they may just post a few helpful hints. We hope you find this blog helpful and encourage students to post any comments to expand the information available.

You can access the blog at http://campbelltowncitylibraryassignment.blogspot.com/ .

Christmas & New Year Operating Hours

Over the Holiday period Campbelltown Libraries will be operating for slightly different hours.

H.J. Daley Central Library, Glenquarie Branch, Ingleburn Branch & Eagle Vale Branch
Close 5:00 p.m. Friday 22nd December 2006
Reopening Wednesday 27th December 2006

New Year Operating Hours
H.J. Daley Central Library, Glenquarie Branch, Ingleburn Branch & Eagle Vale Branch
Close 5:00 p.m. Friday 29th December 2006
Reopening Tuesday 2nd January 2007

Minto Library
Will be closed from 5:00 p.m. Friday 22nd December 2006
Reopening Tuesday 2nd January 2007

Anyone wishing to return items may do so through returns chutes at all branches. Remember that all branch libraries have extended loan periods and unlimited loans for the holidays.

Holiday Activities

Its nearly the holidays! Hooray!

We're really looking forward to the holidays this year and have a bumper programme of kids activities to keep enthusiasm high and boredom low.

We've got everything from blockbuster entertainment to the latest Questacon science shows. Why not learn to make balloon animals or play with slime, gases and magnets, become a Story Sleuth, experiment with bubbles and catch a film?

For more information check out the Library's web site and don't forget to book on 46454444.

State Library databases from home!

As well as the databases that are available from our Virtual Reference Desk you can now trial a range of high quality databases from the State Library of NSW. From July to November 2006 the State Library is offering trial access from home to the following selection of databases for residents of New South Wales.You must first register for a State Library Readers Card, which you can do online, and it can be posted to you. Try reading the Times newspaper from 1785 or a 15th century book! These, and much more, are available for 3 months only - so register now to enjoy them.

The Library Elf

You can now register with Library Elf to track your library account. Using Library Elf, an Internet-based tool from an independently run company, you can receive email and/or RSS feed reminders about when your items are due for return and requested titles that are ready for pick-up. You can even track all family library cards on the one account!

How do I get reminders from Library Elf?Because Library Elf comes from a third party you will need to visit their site to create your account. We recommend that you read Library Elf's privacy policy and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

You will need to provide your Campbelltown Library card number (the number under the barcode on the front of your card) along with your account PIN. Once you are signed up for an account, you can choose to receive email reminders and/or RSS feeds for all of the cards you attach to your account. Email reminders are sent in HTML format only.

What about fines on overdues?
Library Elf reminders do not include any information regarding overdue fines. You will need to check with Campbelltown Library directly for details on fines. Contact us by phoning or visiting any branch, e-mailing library@campbelltown.nsw.gov.au or logging on to our online catalogue.
Please note that you are still responsible for any overdue fines even if you do not receive a reminder via Library Elf. Please see the Campbelltown Library membership page.

Can I renew my items using Library Elf?
No. While Library Elf will tell you when your books are due, you can only renew items by phoning Campbelltown Library or by renewing online via our online catalogue (My Details).

NOTE ON RSS FEEDS: If you receive your RSS feeds through a web-based aggregator such as Bloglines, Feedster, and Yahoo, your feeds might be viewable by the general public even if your account is marked "Private". This is due to the nature of web-based RSS feeds, and is not due to a security failure by the Campebelltown Library or Library Elf. This privacy issue does NOT exist for RSS aggregators which are installed on your own PC, ONLY for web-based services. Learn more about RSS and view a list of aggregators/RSS readers that can be installed on your PC or are built-in to a browser to ensure your privacy.

Sydney Morning Herald Index

For those who are aware of the SMH on CDROM that we subscribe to, there has been a technological change for 2006 and beyond. Fairfax is discontinuing the production of the CDROM and it has been replaced by a "Digital Archive" website. The digital archive covers from January 2006 onwards and, unlike the CDROM version, includes ALL of the newspaper - classifieds, advertisements, photographs etc.

There is a search facility that can be limited by date, articles, ads or photos as well as being able to browse by date. When you select a date you will see the front page of the paper and it is then possible to "turn" the pages to read the entire paper if you wish to. When in this browse mode you will notice that moving your mouse cursor over an article, photo, ad etc.turns that section of the paper pale yellow. Clicking on this section will load the selected article into a new window for printing.This preview pane offers two menu options 'Article' and 'View' - in 'view' you can toggle between a "quick view" and "Newspaper view" - newspaper view presents the article exactly as it appeared in the newspaper.

You can access the Digital Archive link from our Virtual Reference Desk page under the "Newspapers & Journals" link. The direct address for the site is http://archive.quarterlies.com.au/ .

Unlimited Loans

From December 8th, library members can take advantage of our special christmas extended loan period and unlimited item counts. Stock up on your favourite books, CDs and DVDs before the holidays and enjoy a stressfree 6 weeks before needing to return them. Of course if you're through with them early, you can return them at any branch library. For more information about our holiday loans and opening hours, head to the site for the details.

Welcome

This is the first posting in the Campbelltown City Library blog. You can catch up on the latest news and information about the Library service and our programmes. Drop in from time to time to check up on the latest news.