Annual Library Budget

At the Board meeting last week our budget for 09/10 was approved to be advertised. A copy is available at all branches if you would like to look at it as well as an online copy. There are 28 days for the public to comment on it.

The main new initiatives for the coming year are a new position to work with young people in our region, a Youth Services Co ordinator. We are doing some wonderful things with young people, in particular the Finding MY Place program (based on the Western Australian program) with 6 secondary schools and a Living and Learning Centre. The program involves a series of 8 - 10 workshops aimed at Year 9 - 11 secondary students at risk of disengaging from secondary school. We have successfully run this program in partnership with Hume/Whittlesea Local learning and Employment Network for the last 2 years. We also run Youth Week programs, and I talked about the very lively program a couple of blogs ago. We are putting wiis into our branches and Lalor library is doing great things with video games. The new position will work with branch staff to engage young people and encourage them to use the library as well as build partnerships with community organisations to offer activities and programs.

The purpose of the role is:

to form high level partnerships with the Youth Departments of member Councils, community organisations and agencies, government departments and local schools;
train and support library staff in relating to and working with young people;
facilitate and identify programs eg literacy, zines, reading, intergenerational computer skills, that will be run in branches;
advocate for young people in the library service;
encourage young people to use the library, ensuring we identify and meet their needs.

The other main initiative is to update our website, which has not been done for a long time and is well needed. We are exploring some very exciting options for that - stay tuned!

Please let us know if you have any comments on the budget document.

The death of newspapers?

I was listening to a very interesting program this morning on Radio National, Future Tense, about the future of newspapers. Already in the US there are many cities that no longer have a daily newspaper and even such august publications as the New York Times are said to be under threat. We are lucky in Melbourne where we still have 2 metropolitan dailies and a national paper.

The commentator on the radio was saying that the production of newspapers is a very odd thing to do in the 21st century. First, you find your tree - then it gets pulped. The pulp is sent off to make paper (probably over the sea) and then the paper is shipped to the printers where millions of pages are produced and then the finished item is delivered all over the country, to small businesses and individuals. They are seen as very disposable too, and long gone are the days when they ended their life wrapped around fish and chips or even meat (yes, I'm that old!!)

I admit to being a very dedicated newspaper reader. I get quite anxious if my paper is not on the driveway by 6.30am. During the day I will check the online papers, but nothing to my mind beats reading the paper over breakfast and sitting down in the evening finishing off what I missed in the morning.

Online papers are obviously much greener and less wasteful of resources, but the question is what will happen to the journalists if the papers no longer exist. People are unlikely to pay for online content, so revenue has to be raised by advertising. So how do we still get the investigative journalism and the expert opinion on matters of importance to the community? Will we no longer have professional journalists, but see the rise of the citizen journalist?

The library subscribes to many newspapers, and there is always a queue in the morning to be the first in to claim today's edition. What do you think? Do newspapers have a future? We'd love to know what you think.

Games valuable learning tool

Queuing for the wii at Lalor library

Computer games can be a valuable learning tool according to education experts quoted in an article in The Age on Thursday 9 April. The article quotes Patricia and Don Edgar, authorities on children's media, education and social trends, who wrote a paper for the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority in which they argue that there is growing evidence that games are effective and valuable learning tools.


Lalor library was highlighted in the article and Felicity Macchion, the Branch Manager, has spoken at a symposium on computer games held at the State Library of Victoria recently. Lalor library is doing a great job encouraging young people into the library who may not otherwise come. The monthly games night featuring wii games and computer games is further enhanced by the provision of pizza and coke and is proving very popular. The library service is introducing wiis into more branches and the latest is Watsonia.

Youth Week

Youth Week was celebrated with enthusiasm at Thomastown and Watsonia libraries on the weekend. The library partnered with youth workers from Whittlesea and Banyule Councils and local Freeza groups to present bands, singers, comedians and even a poet at events at the library.

Watsonia library was humming especially when headline group Frankie wants out played, a 9 piece band who play contemporary swing - they are fabulous! We will be posting a video onto our Myspace page soon.

Watsonia library have had a mini makeover and we have installed a wii in the new teenage area and Foxtel cable tv in the new lounge area that will be available for news stations, music and video and sports. We hope our users like it!

Thomastown library has had ethnic cable tv for some time now and is proving popular with different groups.

Lalor is proving particularly popular with young people since we introduced wiis there and regular games evenings on Friday night with pizza and coke have encouraged more interest.
Installing screens, games and tvs is our way of showing that education, learning, recreation and culture can come in all different kinds of media and are all equally appropriate in a public library. We hope you agree!

Youth Week at Yarra Plenty

Youth Week was celebrated with enthusiasm at Thomastown and Watsonia libraries on the weekend. The library partnered with youth workers from Whittlesea and Banyule Councils and local Freeza groups to present bands, singers, comedians and even a poet at events at the library.

Watsonia library was humming especially when headline group Frankie wants out played, a 9 piece band who play contemporary swing - they are fabulous! We will be posting a video onto our Myspace page soon.

Watsonia library have had a mini makeover and we have installed a wii in the new teenage area and Foxtel cable tv in the new lounge area that will be available for news stations, music and video and sports. We hope our users like it!

Thomastown library has had ethnic cable tv for some time now and is proving popular with different groups.

Lalor is proving particularly popular with young people since we introduced wiis there and regular games evenings on Friday night with pizza and coke have encouraged more interest.

Installing screens, games and tvs is our way of showing that education, learning, recreation and culture can come in all different kinds of media and are all equally appropriate in a public library. We hope you agree!