Its a sad day today!! Firstly it is the anniversary of my husband's death and our wedding anniversary. Also I have been asked by management at Lithgow City Council to no longer Twitter or Blog as Wallerawang Library as council has no social media policy.
Thank you for following Wallerawang Branch Library over the last few years. I am depressed and extremely disappointed at the decision.
Kindest Regards
Diana Simpkins
Monday, March 7, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The Lithgow Flash
"The Lithgow Flash Gift will be held on Saturday 26th February, 2011 at the Tony Luchetti Showground, Lithgow.
The Lithgow Flash Gift is a professional athletics carnival and will see athletes invited from all over Australia to compete for a total prize pool of in excess of $32,000. Races are to be conducted under a handicap system to give an even chance for all competitors of winning.
“The Lithgow Flash Gift” is named for Mrs Marjorie Jackson-Nelson, The Lithgow Flash, who during her athletic career won two Olympic gold medals (Helsinki 1952) and seven Commonwealth Games gold medals."
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Library Lovers Day
Library Lovers Day - 14th February 2011
"For centuries February 14 has been known as Valentine's Day, a time beloved of romantics. Now a new era has begun with Library Lovers everywhere claiming the day for the objects of their special affection - Australia's libraries.
People are devoted to their library and not just on one day of the year. Millions of library lovers across Australia must be right!
This promotional campaign is a combined advocacy event organised by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). So now it's time for libraries across Australia to get on board. "
10 Top Love Songs (Australian Band, Savage Garden is in this selection)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
"Water For Elephants" - Sara Gruen
Water for Elephants
Review from Dymocks
When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train,he enters a world of freaks, swindlers and misfits in a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression.
A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that Jacob meets Marlena, the beautiful equestrienne who is married to August, a charismatic but violently unpredictable animal trainer. Jacob also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems unmanageable until he discovers an unusual way to reach her.
Water for Elephants is a story that has it all - warmth, humour, poignancy and passion. It has an energy and spirit like the feeling under a big top when the show is about to begin."
Friday, December 24, 2010
Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe Festive Season
Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe Festive Season to all Wallerawang Residents and Hugs and Greetings to all my friends in Blogger and Twitter "Land" !!!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Summer Reading Club 2010
Just had my first go at Prezi and adding information about our
Summer Reading Club 2010 activities held at our main branch
which is Lithgow Library Learning Centre.
Summer Reading Club 2010 activities held at our main branch
which is Lithgow Library Learning Centre.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows _ Part 1 (Movie)
For the faithful..Dark Times are coming! Evil is brewing.
Death Eaters are coming!
HARRY POTTER SPELLBOOK: DEATHLY HALLOWS
LIST OF SPELLS - HARRY POTTER
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOW BOOK QUIZ
Death Eaters are coming!
(from AnimateIt.net)
Image by FlamingText.com
HARRY POTTER SPELLBOOK: DEATHLY HALLOWS
LIST OF SPELLS - HARRY POTTER
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOW BOOK QUIZ
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Ten Tunnels 100th Anniversary Celebrations
Ten Tunnels 100th Anniversary
16th - 17th Oct 2010
16th - 17th Oct 2010
The weekend of the 16-17th October 2010 marked 100 years since the opening of the Ten Tunnel Rail Line. A fantastic feat of railway engineering which replaced the Zig Zag Rail system as the main link between Sydney and Central NSW.
The Ten Tunnel Deviation commenced operations on the 16th October 1910.
Today the tunnels are in generally good condition considering that they are 100 yrs old.
The wonderful sights at Zig Zag ceased in June 1957 when the electrification to Lithgow was completed. But it reopened in 1975 as the "Zig Zig Railway" to the delights of children and train enthusiasts who love the old steam trains.
Steam train rides were held from Katoomba through to Lithgow with a stop over at Wallerawang Railway Station. Heritage diesel locomotive train rides were all the go for the weekend as well with stops at Tarana and Bathurst for dinner.
I would like to thank Carrol Rogers from Meadow Flat who worked for me on that Saturday at Wallerawang Branch Library and took time out to take these wonderful pictures of the celebrations. To make it even more magical, it snowed on the Saturday!!
Get this widget at roytanck.com
The steam train that came out to Wallerawang was the 3237 from Lachlan Valley Railway at Cowra, NSW.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
What a Great #Followalibrary Day!
More than 7000 tweets were made worldwide
While I was on holidays, it was #followalibrary day on Oct 1st. I promoted my wanglibrary twitter and also posed the question to a number of famous identities over the world.."What was their favourite library as a child?.." Her Majesty, Queen Noor of Jordon (Twitter account - QueenNoor)( replied to me that it was New York Library and John Birmingham, author (Twitter account - JohnBirmingham) and columnist replied Ipswich Library. I am thankful for those two wonderful people for taking time out in answering my question. I had sent a number of tweets to famous people as well as our own PM Julia Gillard but no luck there!!
The other benefit of this fantastic day on Twitter was to promote all libraries and meet amazing people in our profession on Twitter as well as anyone that loves libraries.
Apart from that I have been acknowledged by the organisers (Poulus Bliek, Wilma van den Brink, Lukas Koster, Edwin Mijnsbergen, Ad Aerts, Harriet de Man - #followalibrary crew/organisers) in their blog. So you can see I'm "tickled pink" with excitement at Wanglibrary being noticed worldwide.
I would like to thank all of the #followalibrary crew for organising such a momentous event which shows libraries do it best!! Even on Twitter!!
http://followalibrary.blogspot.com/
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Oct 1st is #followalibrary day on Twitter
On Oct 1st is #followalibrary Day on
Twitter!
Check out the main promotional blogsite
here!
Use the hashtag of #followalibrary
while on Twitter!
Tell us which libraries you love to follow
and why!
Or just tweet why libraries do it
best!!!
Above is a screen capture of wanglibrary's Tweet Cloud.
Tweet Cloud is a service that shows a cloud of
words that you use the most while on twitter.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
History Week (History Council of NSW)
History Week was introduced by the History Council of NSW to showcase the diverse, rich tapestry of history that is offered by organisations and individuals throughtout NSW.
Lithgow NSW 2790
Faces in the Street
Historic Lithgow Streetscapes
from the Lithgow Library's Photographic Collections.
Early Lithgow Bus Company which was called "Berry's Blue Bus Service".
Here are staff with a bus whose destination on the front states "Hassans Walls".
Photo ID: LRL 48105
Lithgow NSW May Day Procession 1927
Photo ID 74_6243
Lithgow Volunteer Fire Brigade cicra 1910
Photo ID LRL 48239
The Lithgow Library Learning Centre, in consultation with Dr Naomi Parry ( Follow Naomi on Twitter ) , historian and manager of Eskbank House, and Historian Joan Kent are developing a Local Dictionary of Biography which will be an online resource for the Lithgow Community.
If you would like to be a part of this project please contact Kay Shirt at the library and join us for a "how to" information session with Dr Parry, Joan Kent and Maureen Breckell in Lithgow Library Meeting Rooms on 21st Sep 2010 at 4pm (RSVPs preferred).
157 Main Street
Lithgow NSW 2790
Ph: 63529100 Fax: 63514962
Postal Address:
Po Box 19, Lithgow NSW 2790
Friday, August 27, 2010
I'm back at my favourite library, WALLERAWANG !!
Hi everyone out across this beautiful planet called "Earth". I have been away for 10 weeks . Have become 'homeless'! Have learnt about the good in people and the very deplorable actions of others.
I would like to thank 3 wonderful amazing people that helped me recently who wouldn't know me from "a bar of soap" but felt compelled to help me, on the side of the highway on my way to work. I have forgotten their names due to the medication that I take for my health condition but they know who they are. If it wasn't for their generous spirit and goodwill, my first day back at work would have been dismal.
On the subject of "homelessness" at least I have had different people open up their hearts and their houses to accommodate my daughter and myself. But placing it into perspective at least I have a roof over my head compared to at least 20 million people in Pakistan that are suffering due to those enormous floods.
In the USA, there are libraries such as San Francisco Public Library that employ a full time social worker as well as the homeless themselves to help the 'homeless"
This picture is taken from VOA. news.com
Could we do more in Australian Public Libraries? Yes we could but like everything else, you need funding or sponsorship!
I would like to thank 3 wonderful amazing people that helped me recently who wouldn't know me from "a bar of soap" but felt compelled to help me, on the side of the highway on my way to work. I have forgotten their names due to the medication that I take for my health condition but they know who they are. If it wasn't for their generous spirit and goodwill, my first day back at work would have been dismal.
On the subject of "homelessness" at least I have had different people open up their hearts and their houses to accommodate my daughter and myself. But placing it into perspective at least I have a roof over my head compared to at least 20 million people in Pakistan that are suffering due to those enormous floods.
In the USA, there are libraries such as San Francisco Public Library that employ a full time social worker as well as the homeless themselves to help the 'homeless"
This picture is taken from VOA. news.com
photo by Rhonda Miller
Perhaps this could become a common site at our major city public libraries due to the every growing problem of affordable housing in NSW. There are over 10,000 people in NSW on a waiting list for public housing. Sometimes these government departments are so busy that merely leaving your contact number a number of times on their emergency shelter number is of no use as it has been over a month and nobody has ever called back.
Accolades then to the San Francisco Public Library for tackling the enormous problem of the homeless.
In Australia there are some basic attempts at helping at a basic level of providing books to those in need:-
- The Benjamin Andrew Footpath Library currently operates in Sydney and Melbourne Australia with a regular supply of books to the homeless or disadvantaged.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Speakers at #rugame2010 seminar at NSW State Library 23rd June
Our first speaker on Wed 23rd June at the NSW State Library's seminar RU GAME: Games and Public Libraries, was Gary Hayes. He has worked on countless of projects overseas as well as here in Australia and developed numerous works, such as online Social Virtual worlds as well as Augmented and Alternate Reality productions. His presentation was incredible with the amount of information as to how the world was incorporating games into business and everyday life with various formats. Below is his slide presentation. Try some of the links in these slides. You will be amazed! Microsoft's Kinect will revolutionize gaming along with Augmented Reality Games (PSP article - Äugmented Reality is Next Big Thing in Gaming)
Friday, June 25, 2010
#rugame2010 - NSW State Library Online seminar in World of Warcraft
It has been a packed 2 day "feast of information and fun" at the NSW State Library. On Wed 23rd June 2010 the first part of the seminar was held at the Metcalfe, hearing wonderful diverse speakers on the topic of gaming and games in public libraries.
The second part of the conference on Thursday 24th June was held in the largest MMOG ( massively multiplayer online game ) in the world which is "World of Warcraft". Over 68 million players estimated to play this game which is a conservative figure given by one of the speakers on the Wednesday seminar which was Huon Longman, a PhD student from Queensland University of Technology who spoke of the value of online relationships in World of Warcraft (WoW).
The second part of the conference on Thursday 24th June was held in the largest MMOG ( massively multiplayer online game ) in the world which is "World of Warcraft". Over 68 million players estimated to play this game which is a conservative figure given by one of the speakers on the Wednesday seminar which was Huon Longman, a PhD student from Queensland University of Technology who spoke of the value of online relationships in World of Warcraft (WoW).
Here is my WoW toon
and my character's name
is
Wanglibris
Here is a screenshot
of participants at the online seminar
The above screenshot was taken by Liz Danforth
Occupation: Professional eclectic -- freelance writer, illustrator, librarian, and gaming advocate.
Location: Tucson Arizona USA
Friday, June 11, 2010
Orange Prize for Fiction 2010
"The Orange prize for fiction, the UK's annual book award for fiction written exclusively by woman which this year celebrates its 15th anniversary" - The Guardian - UK
And the Winner is !!!
Barbara Kingsolver
for her novel
The Lacuna
Synopsis from the Orange Prize Website
"Born in the US and reared in a series of provincial households in Mexico, Harrison Shepherd is mostly a liability to his social-climbing mother, Salomé; his fortunes remaining insecure as Salomé finds her rich men-friends always on the losing side of the Mexican Revolution.
Harrison aims for invisibility, observing his world and recording everything in his notebooks with a peculiar selfless irony. Life is what he learns from servants putting him to work in the kitchen, errands he runs on the streets. Then, one day, he ends up mixing plaster for famed Mexican muralist, Diego Riviera – which leads to a job in Riviera’s house, where Harrison makes himself useful to the muralist, his wife Frida Kahlo and the exiled Bolshevik leader, Lev Trotsky.
A violent upheaval sends him to the US. In Carolina, he remakes himself in America’s hopeful image and finds an extraordinary use for his talents of observation. But political winds continue to volley him between north and south, in a story that turns many times on the unspeakable breach – the lacuna – between truth and public presumption."
Barbara Kingsolver Wikipedia Biography
Monday, May 24, 2010
National Simultaneous Storytime - 11am Wed 26 May 2010
From ALIA's website : - "National Simultaneous Storytime is a campaign organised by the Australian Library and Information Association, in which a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously to children in a variety of venues around Australia.
This campaign promotes the value of books and encourages young people to read, share books and become involved in other fun and engaging literary based activities. The campaign is an integral part of promoting the value of reading and literacy within Australian society.
In 2009, over 120,000 children and adults across Australia took part in National Simultaneous Storytime, reading the book Pete the Sheep, written by Jackie French illustrated by Bruce Whatley."
Smudge Colouring in Sheets for "Little White Dogs Can't Jump"
Smudge Face Mask
Smudge Maze
Preview from HarperCollins website: - "Smudge and his family have got a problem to solve - Smudge′s legs are so short that he can′t jump into the car! One of the children in the family devises a series of ingenious ways of getting Smudge into the car, but none of them work.
Finally, it is Mum who solves the problem.
This is the book for all those who fell in love with The Ugliest Dog in the World and have been wondering what became of that irresistible creature. "
Ages 5+
Bruce Whatley Biography
Wallerawang Branch Library Story and Craft time every second Wednesday at 10:30am. National Simultaneous Storytime at 11am this week. Bring the littlies, have fun and morning tea! Contact Wallerawang Branch Library on 02 6355 1101.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sydney's Writers Festival - 15th to 23rd May 2010
Sydney's Writers Festival
15th to 23rd May 2010
The festival welcomes local as well as international writers and covers the latest contemporary fiction and nonfiction and also has the world's leading scientists, intellectuals and journalists participate in various programs.
Take a look at some of the intriguing celebrity program here !"
The catch cry of this year's festival is:-
Read. Rethink. Respond
An interesting children's event that is close to the Lithgow region will be " An Afternoon with Andy Griffiths", at Katoomba's Carrington Hotel on Sunday 16th May from 3.00 to 3.45pm.
Andy Griffiths is one of Australia's most leading and funniest children's author. He has sold over 4 million books worldwide.
Andy Griffiths - Children's Author and comedy writer
Sunday, May 2, 2010
NSW Premier Literary Awards 2010 - People's Choice - Shortlist
88 Lines About Women by Steven Lang
Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
Ransom by David Malouf
Wanting by Richard Flanagan; 
Summertime by J M Coetzee People's Choice Award
Vote in the 2010 People's Choice Award!
"The judges have selected the above six titles as the best in new Australian fiction.
And now the people of New South Wales can have their say.
By casting a vote and signing up for the newsletter, you will have the chance to win some fantastic prizes. Voting is open between 7th April and midnight 10th May 2010." Vote here !
PS Guess what? Cate Kennedy did win the People's Choice Award for 2010!
Check out the winners here.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Moments in Time at Wallerawang
The Sydney Morning Herald pg 6 Friday 1 August 1884 Wallerawang Coal Company
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