New Technology

Things are moving very rapidly on the technology front for libraries. We've recently introduced a new type of talking book reader known has the Victor Reader Stream from Humanware, to our home library service. The readers, are basically MP3 players designed specifically from people with a vision impairment and are light, easy to use and can convert printed documents into read documents on the fly.

We've also grabbed ourselves a couple of Amazon Kindles to test and explore how we can use them across the library service.

Kindles are an ebook reader designed to integrate into the Amazon online book shop. Ebooks are considerably less expensive than their hardcopy versions and the waiting time between orering a book on Amazon and its delivery to the kindle is about 15 seconds. That's pretty fast torunaround.

Kindles only became available in Australia in the last couple of weeks and I've been very impressed with the usability and readability of the devices. A lot of libraries in the States are already lending the devices to their members. Hopefully the range of ebook readers available in Australia will start to expand.

Ink Brush Workshop

During the July school holidays we hosted a Chinese/Japanese ink brush painting workshop. Here are some examples of what our young people produced at the workshop. There is certainly a lot of great inkbrush talent out there!

Wendy Harmer

As part of our partnership with the Sydney Writer's Festival, we're proud to be hosting Wendy Harmer at the Ingleburn Community Centre on Thursday 21 May at 7pm.

Wendy will be talking about her new novel "Roadside Sisters". Roadside Sisters charts the trip of three middle-aged women – Nina, Annie and Meredith – who climb aboard the mighty RoadMaster Royale motorhome for an epic voyage from Melbourne to Byron Bay to attend a wedding. The novel is about the friendship they forge along the way – a journey of self-discovery of course.

You can find out more about Wendy and her writing at www.wendyharmer.com

Bookings are essential, please phone 4645 4444.

Don Tate author visit

Vietnam veteran Don Tate will visit HJ Daley Library on Tuesday April 21 2009 to discuss his recent memoir “The War Within”. “The War Within” has been variously described as a brutally honest and a gritty insight into the life of a soldier at war. Don will also screen rare footage of his service in Vietnam during his presentation. Don has appeared on both Channel 9's "RPA programme and the ABC's 7.30 Report.

Don's memoir is ambitious in its scope and a very powerful read. Covering sixty years, from life in Ellen Grove, an impoverished suburb of Brisbane where outlaw behaviour was the norm , to child abuse within the state and private school systems, about being an infantryman in Vietnam - one of the most unpopular wars this nation ever fought- of blatant army incompetence, and medal-grabbing by officers, and then, after being badly wounded, life as a disabled veteran.
Reviewers are saying it is the “voice of a generation, stilled for forty years”.

You can find out more about Don and his book at his website http://www.dontate.info/

Bookings can be made on 46454444