Honouring our ANZACs

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
- Laurence Binyon

To honour the ANZAC legacy, the State Library of Western Australia’s Data and Discovery team have curated a special Top 10 list of photos from our collection especially for ANZAC Day. By preserving and treasuring the social and documentary history of the ANZACs we ensure that they will never be forgotten.

1. Returning soldiers.

2. c1914 – C. Longmore and his brother H. Longmore, killed in action at Gallipoli.

3. H. Phil Fry mounted on horse in front of the Sphinx in Egypt, 10th Light Horse, 1915.

4. 16th Battalion AIF, originals left after Gallipoli, 1915.

5. ANZAC Day, Perth, 2007.

6. Gordon Reid laying a wreath at Anzac Day ceremony , 1957.

7. Bunbury War Memorial, Anzac Day, 1956.

8. Ex-servicemen marching in the 1930 ANZAC Day Parade, Perth.

9. Hugo Throssell, James Woods and Thomas (Jack) Axford, VC winners at the 1928 ANZAC Day ceremony .

10. Elevated view of crowd in the Esplanade Perth. Swan river and South Perth in the background, 1928.

Take3 author talks at the State Library – Wednesday 23 May

The State Library of Western Australian invites you to join us for this National Year of Reading event in celebration of Western Australian writing…

Fans and supporters of the Western Australian writing community are invited to hear insights and stories from children’s author/illustrator James Foley, fiction writer Natasha Lester and travel writer Stephen Scourfield.

James Foley recently won the prestigious Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ 2012 Crystal Kite Award (along with author Norman Jorgensen) for their wonderful children’s book The Last Viking; a fun picture book about a boy who outwits local bullies by channelling his inner Viking.

Natasha Lester, who courageously left her career as Brand Manager for Maybelline Cosmetics to become an author, was rewarded for her efforts with the acclaimed TAG Hungerford Award for Fiction for her moving novel What is Left Over, After.

Stephen Scourfield, author and Travel Editor for The West Australian, has impressed readers with his new work, Unaccountable Hours, which evokes landscapes of Cottesloe and theSwanRiver,Perth;Cremona,Italy; and the Little Sandy Desert, Western Australia.

Books by each author will be available for purchase and signing on the night.

This celebratory event complements the State Library’s current exhibition; Write On!, which features profiles of WA authors and illustrators as well as original manuscripts, illustrations and research material of selected works. Write On! is on display in the ground floor gallery space adjacent to the Theatre, so can be viewed on the evening.

This National Year of Reading event is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate and get inspired by the diversity of Western Australian writing.

• WHEN: Wednesday 23 May 2012. 6:00pm for wine and cheese, event begins at 6:30pm
• WHERE: State Library Theatre, State Library ofWestern Australia
• COST: FREE
• RSVP: Please note that as capacity is limited, reservations are essential. Please call 9427 3111 to reserve your place.

National Volunteer Week

It’s National Volunteer Week and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the approximately 100 volunteers who contribute their time, effort, talents and good humour to assist at the State Library.

This year’s theme for NVW is Volunteers Everyone Counts, so I thought I’d give an overview of who our volunteers are:

Officially the youngest is 15, unofficially seven (she volunteered with her aunt for the Better Beginnings Carnivale). The oldest is 85.

They speak Persian, Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, German, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Hungarian, Italian, French, Indonesian, Spanish and, no doubt, more.

One has been volunteering here for 25 years, three started last week.

Their experiences are deep and varied. From our volunteers I can find someone who will write and analyse public policy, manager databases, team lead childcare centres, make great coffee, lead intercultural studies, teach computing courses, understand medical jargon, manage your investments, deliver a baby, take photos and archive them. We have zoologists, law students, post graduates, urban planners, union organisers, students of every level, library officers, library technicians and, yes, librarians.

They volunteer for a variety of reasons: to keep up their skills, to network, to gain experience and build CVs, for social interaction, to be around a wide range of people, for a sense of fulfilment, for professional development, to practice their English, to explore new career opportunities, to build applications for Masters and doctorates Degrees, to help the public, for the enjoyable environment, to watch films from the State Library collection, for exposure to WA history or a passion for family history.

They volunteer directly for the State Library, for the State Library Foundation and via the WA Genealogy Society.

Their time commitment may be sixteen hours a week (the maximum recommended) to once every three or four months for one of our events.

This week we celebrate them and their contribution. For the 2010-2011 financial year volunteers gave almost 8000 hours to the State Library. Because of them and their ‘value-adding’, our clients received increased service and greater access to our collections.

To our volunteers – thank you!

Help Promote Reading @ Love2Read Cafe

46% of Australia can’t read newspapers, follow a recipe, make sense of timetables, or understand the instructions on a medicine bottle.

On Saturday January 21st the Love2Read Cafe opens at the State Library of WA. For five weeks there will be an outdoor reading room with  free events and activities including giant scrabble, music gigs, yoga classes, chalk art, word games, baby rhymetime, family storytime, school holiday activities, author talks, book signings and more.

To help promote literacy and be part of this fun event volunteer at the Love2Read Cafe.

For more information, leave a response here or contact volunteers@slwa.wa.gov.au

SLWA celebrates Making Music. Being Well week

Come and join us at the State Library to celebrate Making Music. Being Well Week, a national initiative promoting the links between making music and feeling good. We have Professor Jane Davidson talking to us about The Power of Music on Thursday May 19th at 12.30pm. It’s a free talk but bookings are recommended on 9427 3111. There are other ways you can celebrate with us. Come in and borrow some sheet music - take home a bunch of your favourite tunes and sing and play to your heart’s content. Come and book an hour in our Music Studio and try out that Beethoven piano sonata you’ve been meaning to have a go at. View our exhibition Images Composed which highlights music inspired by artworks. Listen to the program for the next WASO concert; Read about how to use your computer to create your own music or how to make your own musical instruments. Endless possibilities! Everyone has music in their lives in some form…enjoy it!!!

3 more new electronic resources at the State Library

Next time you’re visiting the State Library why not take the opportunity to view this latest batch of new electronic resources! All are available from the library catalogue terminals and from our public pcs (bookings required for public pcs). Click on the links for more information about each resource:

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
• Oxford English Dictionary
• Grove Art Online

Remember you can only access these when using computers in the State Library building. Enjoy!

New e-books and databases at the State Library

If you’re visiting the State Library why not take the opportunity to view these new electronic resources!  All are available from the library catalogue terminals and from our public pcs (bookings required for public pcs).  Click on the links for more information about each resource:

• Australian local government guide
• Berg fashion library
• Directory of Australian associations
• Margaret Gee’s media guide
• National guide to government
• Oxford dictionaries online
• Oxford history of western music
• Who’s who in Australia
• Who’s who in business in Australia
• Who’s who of Australian women

Remember you can only access these when using computers in the State Library building.  Enjoy!

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

Four new databases available at the State Library

Hooray, we have four new databases available for your delectation! 

1. Literature Resource Center : Information on authors and their works in all genres and disciplines, from all time periods and from around the world using the world’s most current, comprehensive, and reliable online literature resource.
2. Biography Resource Center : An authoritative resource for biographies on notable figures in literature, science, history, government, business, art, religion, entertainment and sports
3. Science Resource Center : Millions of full-text articles on hundreds of topics from over 200 magazines and academic journals along with thousands of topic overviews, experiments, biographies, pictures, illustrations and links to quality web sites.
4. Health and Wellness Resource Center : Full-text authoritative information from journals and reference books covering health, fitness and nutrition.  (This database is also available as a Database from Home)

Click on the title links to go to the catalogue record with additional information for each resource.  To access the databases you will need to visit us at the State Library  as access is limited to those searching within the State Library building (except for the Health and Wellness Resource Center).   To book a PC you will  need to register for a free mylibrary card.  You can search for the databases in our catalogue or you can navigate to them from the Electronic Resources section of our website!

Three new databases at the State Library of WA

If you are visiting the State Library soon you may wish to try our newest electronic resources (only available within the State Library building) :

MaquarieNet – Australia’s Online Reference Library:

For students, teachers and general users. Its broad and diverse collection of resources includes interactive maps,a range of Macquarie dictionaries,daily ABC news feeds, images and interactive Learning Trails

Art & Architecture Complete

 Covering a wide variety of pertinent subjects, including antiques, art and art history, interior and landscape design, and much more,  Art and Achitecture provides full-text coverage of more than 250 periodicals and 150 books

Naxos Jazz Music Library

One of the the most comprehensive collection of Jazz music available online offering close to 22,600 tracks of jazz from over 2,300 albums.
*Headphones are required to use this database and are available to purchase from the bookshop on the ground floor of the library.

Remember – these databases are only be available within the  library – you need to register with the library to access and book library computers.  Access the databases from our Electronic Resources pages.