Become Artist of the Month

Artist of the Month is a new program featuring the work of local artists, on display at Camden Council's libraries. It provides an excellent opportunity for established and emerging artists in the Camden community to display their works in either Camden or Narellan branches.

If you want to know more, call Narellan branch on (02) 4645 5039 or drop in to pick up the brochure with artist guidelines and application forms.

Local Studies Room @ Camden Library

The Local Studies room in Camden Library contains information relating to the people, the environment, the geography and the history of Camden.

Local Studies collect and preserve Camden's history so that it is available to current and future researchers and the community.

Local Studies is an invaluable resource for:

• School students


• Historical researchers


• University and TAFE students


• Family Historians


• Businesses


• Local community groups

The collection contains items of current or historical significance to the local area in a variety of formats includin: books, periodicals, newspapers, audio-visual meterials, microfilm and pamphlets housed in the Local Studies room at Camden library. The collection is for use in the library but duplicate copies of some items are available for loan.

Mini Discoverers - Toys

Discover, imagine and explore Camden Library and Camden Museum with 'Mini Discoverers'. Join us at Camden Library on Tuesday the 8th of February for an exciting adventure exploring both the past and present of our world. A free hour of stories, craft and songs in which children get to play with, touch and see items in Camden Museum from 11am. For further details view the Mini Discoverer's brochure.

Places are limited so booking is essential. Call the Camden branch on 4654 7951 to book in your child.

Australia Day Treat

Camden and Narellan branches are closed tomorrow on Australia day.

Australia day commerates the landing of the First Fleet on Sydney Cove on January 26th, 1788. This celebration has its roots in small celebrations given by Governor Macquarie in 1808.

At times Australia Day is controversial - with alternative labels such as Invasion Day and Survival Day, dating back as early as the 1940s from both Aboriginal and colonial parties. Regardless, Australia Day marks a powerful focal point in the Australian spirit- a courageous willingness to look critically on the past, and an indefatigable tendency to take the best from that past as the fuel for the future's national identity.

As a small freebie for iPad and iPhone users, we've found this free copy of the Australian constitution available free to anyone who would like to view the core legislation that defined Australia's spirit.

What will you be doing on Australia Day?

The Castle: Completed!

Voila! The castle is now finished and available for your viewing pleasure in the foyer of Narellan library. The monument will be installed permanently. Check out the library's Flickr account for more pictures!

InConcert Performance @ Camden Library

Local musician, Nathaniel Oliveri will be the guest performer at Camden Library’s InConcert program of musical performances on Saturday 29th January 2011.

Nathaniel has appeared twice before at the library, and is back by popular demand, but this time he will be recording his new CD/DVD there, and the audience will have the opportunity to be part of the experience.

He is a talented guitarist who has been playing music and been in bands for over 10 years. At 21, he has been on radio, and has supported many prominent musicians at their live concerts, including Maria Schneider (winner of six Golden Guitars) and The Angels, and has performed with Peter Pik.

Nathaniel’s special guests will be talented singer/songwriter, John Nathan and Brendan McGuinness, one of Australia’s most talented didgeridoo artists.

The concert is free and will start at 11am at Camden Library. No bookings required, but be early for this one – don’t miss it!

Medieval Tower Construction: Books into Bricks!

You might be seeing more of this one if you'll be in to the Narellan branch any time soon. Freya, our Artycaf coordinator is building a medieval tower out of books for display in the central foyer. Over the next few weeks we'll be posting photos as it slowly comes together.

Check out the slideshow below from Day 1. You can view the rest as it progresses on the Library Flickr Reel.

www.flickr.com

This is a Flickr badge showing items in a set called 365 days of a library. Make your own badge here.

Alison Booth @ Narellan Library Tomorrow

Don't forget about Alison Booth on Friday! She'll be in to Narellan library to talk about her new novel Indigo Sky. Bookings are essential so get in quick! Call 4645 5039.

The details are:

DATE: Friday 21st Jan, 2011
TIME: 10.30am
VENUE: Narellan Library
COST: $5 (includes morning tea)
BOOKINGS: Essential. Call 4645039

It is the spring of 1961, and the sleepy little town of Jingera is at its most perfect with its clear blue skies, pounding surf and breath-taking lagoon. Yet all is not so perfect behind closed doors.

George Cadwallader - butcher by day and star-gazer by night - is loved by everyone, except his wife. He only wants the best for his family - yet it's all falling apart.

Philip Chapman is a sensitive young boy, a musical prodigy - and a target for bullies. But with his wealthy parents indifferent to his cries for help, his entire future is at risk…

Then there's Ilona Vincent and her daughter Zidra, former refugees, now fully-fledged 'Jingeroids'. When a voice from the past reaches out to them, they're soon in a race against time to reunite a family that has been cruelly torn apart…

Read more @ Randomhouse


And praise for her previous novel, Stillwater Creek -

Stillwater Creek is a great holiday novel, lending itself to relaxed reading. It is filled with entrancing metaphors and manages to convey truly horrific events while not letting go of underlying belief in the future. The sticker on the front cover suggests ‘If you enjoyed The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society you’ll love this!’ There are similarities between the two. Stillwater Creek is not an epistolary novel but it is still told from a number of perspectives and the themes of hope and redemption are common between the two. It reads as many novellas threaded into one novel and I look forward to the sequel to see how this will be sustained over time.

Read more @ Australian Women Online.

Chess Club @ Camden Library

<--- Hmmm...perhaps we won't be playing this version...

Ah, the war of wills, the triumph of victory, the challenge of two minds over the checkered battlefield of the chessboard! Of course, at Camden library, you can expect warm conversation, a playful atmosphere and a mix of beginning and experienced players too. Chess Club is set to begin on Wednesday 4th February- so here is your chance to develop your skills in this time-honoured stratagem game.

Beginner or advanced chess players are more than welcome to come and join. No bookings are necessary, just pop in to Camden library on February 4th from 10am to 1pm. Chess club will continue every Wednesday following the 4th, at the same time (10am -1pm) and place (Camden library).

Got questions? Post them in the comments below or call (02) 4654 7951.

Download Audio Books through Camden Council Library Services

Camden Council Library Services now offer free audio books for download through a service called NetLibrary. This means you can access hundred of audio books, from classics to science fiction, youth fiction, children's fiction and more. It's easy to sign up for library members.

Next time you pop in to the library, ask at the service desk to join. The process takes two minutes, and from then on, you can visit the Netlibrary website and download audio books at your leisure.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be expanding to sign-up stage, allowing library members to sign up from home as well.

Call Narellan (4645 5039) or Camden (4654 7951) for questions- or leave a comment on this blog entry!

Library services for Seniors

Home Library Service
The Home Library Service is available to people living in Camden Local Government Area who are temporarily or permanently housebound due to age, illness, injury or carer responsibilities.

Nursing Homes
Camden Council Library Service also provides a Bulk Loan service to many of Camden’s nursing homes and activity centers.

Please talk to nursing staff to find out whether library books are available. Individuals may request specific items to be included in the delivery.

Interested in these services? Direct inquiries to Camden (4654 7951) or Narellan (4645 5049) branches.

Vibrant Places, People Spaces!

If you visited us today at the Narellan branch you might have come accross this new development in the Reference section...

We gave the Reference section a trim today, taking almost half the collection and placing it in the Non-Fiction collection. This means that the books you might have previously wanted to take home for further reading are now available to you.

It also means that new couches and chairs are on the way, providing more reading space for our patrons!

Book Discussion Groups- Commencing January 2011

Camden Council Library Services run a Book Discussion Group, held on the third Thursday of the month, 7.30 pm at Camden Library.

This month we will be discussing ‘Freedom’ by Jonathan Franzen. All are welcome!

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

Reserve now!

Daytime Book Discusson Group will be commencing on Wednesday 23
February 2011. In February we will be discussing ‘Wild Swans’ by
Jung Chang.

Author Visit: Alison Booth 21st Jan 2011

Announcing our next Author's Visit!

Alison Booth will be dropping in to Narellan library on Friday January 21st, 2011. She'll be focusing on her new novel "The Indigo Sky."
Here's the full details.



DATE: Friday 21st Jan, 2011
TIME: 10.30am
VENUE: Narellan Library
COST: $5 (includes morning tea)
BOOKINGS: Essential. Call 4645039

The Indigo Sky (Blurb from Random House)


It is the spring of 1961, and the sleepy little town of Jingera is at its most perfect with its clear blue skies, pounding surf and breath-taking lagoon. Yet all is not so perfect behind closed doors.

George Cadwallader - butcher by day and star-gazer by night - is loved by everyone, except his wife. He only wants the best for his family - yet it's all falling apart.

Philip Chapman is a sensitive young boy, a musical prodigy - and a target for bullies. But with his wealthy parents indifferent to his cries for help, his entire future is at risk…

Then there's Ilona Vincent and her daughter Zidra, former refugees, now fully-fledged 'Jingeroids'. When a voice from the past reaches out to them, they're soon in a race against time to reunite a family that has been cruelly torn apart…

Once again weaving together the enchanting stories of Jingera and its townsfolk, Alison Booth offers up a heart-warming sequel to the critically acclaimed STILLWATER CREEK.

About Alison Booth

Alison Booth was born in Victoria and brought up in Sydney. After over two decades living in the UK, she returned to Australia in 2002 and is now a professor of economics at the Australian National University. She is married with two daughters. Alison is the author of two novels, STILLWATER CREEK and THE INDIGO SKY. She is currently hard at work on her third, which will be set in Jingera in 1970.

Wollongong Beach Bus

The Camden-Wollongong Beach Bus is a free bus service that operates during the summer school holiday period for young people aged between 12 and 18 years. Young people are required to present a valid school pass or proof of age card when collecting tickets and must live, work or study in the Camden or Campbelltown local government areas.

Camden Council and Busways take no responsibility for the young people using this service. No supervision will be provided. Parental consent forms are available from both Camden and Narellan branches.

Energy: Art Exhibition at Narellan Library

Camden Council Library Service is proud to announce "Energy"; a new art exhibition showing throughout the Artycafe and Narellan Library branch. This series of glorious, swirling artworks are colourful and fluid.

The artist is one Melissa Wheeler, a Fine Arts Diploma graudtae of Campbelltown Art School. Her bright and unusual abstract drawings are her signature style that has devloped over the last four years through her art studies at Campbelltown TAFE.

Her artwork will be on display, available for purchase, from the 4th of January until the 21st. Opening day is tomorrow- Saturday the 8th from 10.30am to 12 noon.

More examples below- but drop in to the library soon to see the full series!

Renew your loans online!

The website looks a little different now, but the directions still apply. This Youtube video shows you how to renew your items, so you can read that book, or watch that DVD a little longer!

You'll gain three weeks for a book, and one week for a DVD.

More Youtube directive videos to come this year!

Don't forget to Can Your Fines!

In the world of today, there are big reminders and small reminders. This blog post, for example, is a small reminder. The display pictured below, currently at Narellan branch in front of the technology hub, is not.

So what are we trying to tell you? That for the whole of January you can waive your library fines through the Can Your Fines scheme, currently running at the Narellan branch. Bring in non-perishable goods (not out of date!), even just a single can, and we will waive the fines off your card. Just come up to the desk with your goods. These will be forwarded to local charities.

Keep in mind, fines from missing items etc, are not included in this scheme.

365 days of a library...

The 4th of January marks the beginning of a new photographic project for Camden Council Library Services. ‘365 days of a library’ will showcase one snap every day of the ins and outs of Narellan and Camden branches. The objective - to capture the many facets of our libraries, from the noisy bursts to the quiet lulls.

We’ll be showcasing anything and everything in the library, in order to create an online, visual record available to everyone. This will cover our collections, displays, events, special guests, our regulars, programs and more. We also welcome the public to come forward with any shots they wish to share. These will be compiled alongside the regular stream in the hopes of creating a robust photographic resource.
Photographs can be emailed to nlnlibrary@camden.nsw.gov.au, or left at the desk for subsequent scanning and pickup.

With ‘365 days of a library’, we’ll certainly have a great way to look back on 2011 come New Years once more!