Teddy Bear Sleepover for The Reading Hour

The Reading Hour was a special nation-wide event on Saturday 25 August 2012 for the National Year of Reading 2012.

The aim for the Reading Hour was to encourage families to share a book with their child for 10 minutes a day, one hour a week.

We encouraged parents to host their own Teddy Bear Sleepover at home and to enjoy sharing a book with their child (and their teddies!) for ten minutes between 6 and 7pm.

We hosted our own Teddy Bear Sleepover at the library on the day. Teddies and soft toys explored the library and took part in a special story time.

Here is their journey:

Arriving at the State Library of Western Australia for the Teddy Bear Sleepover!

Meeting some new friends at the library. It was so fun to meet a tiny robot and a baby manatee, but the dalek scared us a little!

Hanging out in the State Library Shop.

Checking out Better Beginning‘s “Baby Ways” board book.

Who is this here in the mirror!?

The staff at the State Library are so helpful!

Riding up the lift to explore the library. Wheeee!

Meeting the State Library’s “Books Moove Me Cow!“. She was painted by Western Australian children’s book illustrators!

Meeting another State Library staff member. What a funny man.

Accessing e-books from the State Library for free!

Checking out the view from the 2nd floor of the State Library.
Look, there’s the BankWest Tower! Can you spot any other Perth landmarks?

Enjoying afternoon tea in The Place. What’s your favourite afternoon treat?

Having fun at a very special Reading Hour story time!

All tucked in after our bed-time story. Goodnight everybody!

There are lots of fun and creative ways to share books with your children. If you can manage 10 minutes most nights, your child will have the best chance of becoming a good reader, with all the social and educational benefits that brings.

Royal visits to Western Australia

1954 Royal Ball program

The British Royal family have been in the media recently due to the marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton. Previous generations of the Royal family have made several visits to Western Australia over the years. The State Library of W.A. has a collection of programs, tickets, passes and itineraries in its ephemera collection produced for these visits.

The earliest item relates to a visit by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1869.

In 1954 a Royal Ball was held at the University of W.A. in honour of H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth ll as part of her Australian tour. She returned in 1962 to open the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth.

Perhaps in the future Prince William and his new wife will visit W.A.

City in Bloom

The Floral Clock and the Kings Park Garden Restaurant

The State Library and the Cultural Centre are participating in this year’s City in Bloom , the extension of the ever-popular Art in Bloom run by the Friends of the Art Gallery. City in Bloom will lead viewers on a path through the city to view floral installations and end at Kings Park for its annual Kings Park Festival Wildflower September.

There will be several Bloom  installations in the Perth Cultural Centre with Nien Schwarz creating “To make one’s bed” outside the State Library.

Radio station 720 ABC Perth has a guided tour of City in Bloom audio tour  that you can download to your MP3 player.

While you’re passing by the State Library pop in and visit our pictorial collection including images from Flower Day in the 1950s and illustrated botanical works.

Philately in flowers, 1953

Government House – Physical and Digital

A Garden Party at Government House Perth

For those of us living in or visiting Perth, here’s a chance to see inside Government House.  His Excellency the Governor, Dr Ken Michael AC and Mrs Julie Michael are hosting an Open Day and invite members of the public to explore and experience part of the cultural heritage of Western Australia.  The public rooms of Government House, the Ballroom and the Gardens will be open to the public on Friday 29 May 2009 between 11.00 am and 2.30 pm.

If you can’t make the open day you can do a virtual visit using the State Library’s pictorial collection!  We also have a wealth of information regarding Government house, it’s residents, and place in Western Australia’s history – check our catalogue for more!

Have the Perth Christmas lights changed since 1955?

This photograph is available from the State Library of Western Australia online pictorial collection.  It was taken on Murray Street around 1955.   Its online number is 270980PD. 

For more photographs of Perth Christmas decorations, search under the subject heading ‘Christmas decorations — Western Australia — Perth’.

Great website about the history of Western Australian cinemas

http://cinemaweb.scam.ecu.edu.au/search.php 

Dr Ina Bertrand from Edith Cowan University has created a thorough and fascinating website, giving histories of every cinema and drive-in to ever exist in Western Australia. You can search by location or keywords. For many entries there are photographs.

Try looking up your suburb or town – you may be surprised by the cinemas that once existed there. For example, did you know that there was once a chain of three cinemas in Victoria Park?

I have explored this site with a certain sadness at the rich heritage of cinemas Perth once had. Most of them are now lost, with just a few multiplexes in their place.

The photograph shown here is actually from our collection showing an unknown drive-in in 1958; its number is 240025PD.