We are currently trialling Music Online, delivering all of the music content you need, from the world’s best record labels and music publishers, together in one place. The trial is available to SLWA members until 31 March. Have a look, have a read, have a listen, have a play and let us know what you think by filling out the short survey.
Last month at the State Library…
There were 98,747 visitors to the Alexander Library Building
There were 192,055 visits to our websites
We welcomed 451 new members to the State Library community
Our clients performed 83,114 searches on electronic resources provided from the Alexander Library Building
Our Preservation & Maintenance teams preserved 1372 digital images
There are currently 233 public libraries in Western Australia.
Find, contact or join your local library using the Australian Libraries Gateway or our Guide to Public Libraries in Western Australia – and get reading!
The State Library has approximately 90 wonderful people who volunteer for us. They partner with us in all sorts of ways, with all sorts of skills and are vital to the work of the State Library. Over the last year they have had many achievements and without them there is much that would not have been done.
In Collection Services, volunteers in the Liaison, Acquisition and Description teams processed and housed archival material, cleared 27 metres of ephemera, identified photos, created contents lists for Oral Histories, checked catalogues against items to be donated and assisted to make our collections more accessible to clients.
In Preservation and Maintenance volunteers cleaned and re-housed slides, made boxes for preserving materials, cross checked and matched scanned negatives and researched the history of photographs.
Volunteers in Community, Learning and Development were in The Place during story-time and school holidays, set up activities, keeping the noise to a soft roar and entertaining children.
Volunteers in Better Beginnings packed over 5000 packs for the birth to three years program as well as additional packs for the kindergarten pre-primary program. We could not have rolled out the program to libraries without their efforts. They also assisted with the packing of read aloud book sets and discovery backpacks for the Kindergarten pre-primary program.
Volunteers in Research and Discovery numbered and listed performance sets in score order, processed new donations and entered information onto spreadsheets.
Volunteers handed out information, were ushers and promoted future events at:
• WAAPA Concerts
• The Seniors’ Week Concert
• Wednesday Matinees, and
• The WA Week Concert
The Western Australian Genealogical Society volunteers have staffed the WAGS desk on the 1st floor and taken approximately 3 500 enquiries. They also provide invaluable support during Family History Week.
The State Library Foundation volunteer was integral part of their Heritage Mapping Project, widening its scope and making it a more valuable resource.
In Client Services volunteers have given administrative support, assisted the Library in the Discarded Book Sales and shelved a staggering 65 000 discard items in the Shop, assisted with events and helped research speeches.
Many, many thanks to our wonderful volunteers who are worth their weight in gold.
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
State Library of Western Australia has recently acquired a large collection of photographic images and watercolour paintings by Frederick Flood.
Frederick Flood moved to Western Australia from England in 1912. In 1919 he was employed by West Australian Newspapers mainly preparing artwork for advertisements but his talent was recognised and he became a full-time photographer for the newspaper.
For the next 40 years he painted, drew and photographed people, buildings and rural scenes in Western Australia and recorded a unique insight into the lives of West Australians.
State Library of Western Australia will preserve the images and watercolours for future generations and make them available for viewing at the State Library and electronically via our catalogue at Photographs and water colours by Frederick Flood : scenes of Perth and rural Western Australia . Other works by Flood, or about him, can be found by searching our catalogue using Frederick Flood in a keyword search.
A book about Flood and his work is available at the State Library and in public libraries Embellishing the Landscape: The Images of Amy Heap and Fred Flood 1920-1940.
State Library will continue to add to the images available online so please visit again as we add images.
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:
Remember you can only access these when using computers in the State Library building. Enjoy!
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:
Remember you can only access these when using computers in the State Library building. Enjoy!
Interested in finding business benchmarks?
Benchmarks provide a snapshot of how businesses in an industry are performing, on average, by providing a measure of various business costs in relation to turnover.
You can now find Small business benchmarks on the ATO website:
Small business benchmarks are designed to help business meet their tax obligations by enabling them to track their performance against the rest of their industry
We have benchmarked the key business ratios for high medium and low turnover businesses for more than 100 industries. By comparing your business to the benchmarks for your industry you can assess your business’s performance.
We also use benchmarks to identify businesses that may be avoiding their tax obligations by not reporting some or all of their income.
You can find a link to these benchmarks (and other useful resources for small businesses) on the Find Information for Small Business page on our website.
Australian Taxation Office
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
Fashion lovers of Perth have been busy this week, spoiled by a choice selection of events as part of the 2010 Perth Fashion Festival.
There is no question that the Western Australian fashion industry is making a name for itself with the talent and innovation of local designers showcased through world-class catwalk shows, exciting retail events, inspiring workshops and vibrant performances throughout the city and metro area.
Interested in the history of the fashion industry in Perth? Let’s take a journey back down the catwalk via the State Library’s pictorial collection to discover the trends throughout the decades (and find out how far we’ve come!).
1950s
1960’s
1970s
1980s
For more information on browsing the State Library’s Pictorial Collection, click here.
State Library of Western Australia Blog 