Family History Feast at the State Library

If you are interested in family history and would like to know the latest information about researching your family tree we would encourage you to visit the State Library of Victoria for a Family History Feast. The free information day will be held on Monday 3rd August from 10-4, it will be held at the SLV Village Roadshow Theatrette, Entry 3, La Trobe Street. You will need to book a place as numbers are limited on 1800 657 452. The sessions include information about the Geelong Heritage Centre Collection which is Victoria's largest regional archive, VicHeritage at Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages will give an overview on their current projects. Sessions about the PROV, Multicultural Australia, Redmond Barry Collection at the SLV and the Victorian Association of Family History Organisations (VAHFO) 2009 Don Grant Lecture will be other special features of the day. While you at the State Library take the opportunity to visit The Independent Type ; books and writing in Victoria exhibition in the Keith Murdoch Gallery - this is also free and is fascinating, some of our staff have visited it and next year at Campaspe we will be hosting a range of events around the travelling exhibition which will be on display at the Echuca Branch.

Reuse, reduce and recycle

Come along to all our library branches during June and see the displays about the theme "reuse, reduce and recycle" We have joined forces with our Landcare team and have lots of information at each branch about what can be recycled and how to go about it. Thanks to Doug Gray from the Tongala Depot who has put together a "recycle Bin which is see-through"to show what can be put in it.

All our storytimes this month will feature this theme and the children will be making musical instruments out of recycled products.

National Library and Information Week

Did you know that libraries are your free passport to discovery? This years NLIW theme highlights the self-directed discovery element of libraries and celebrates libraries as free place to access, communicate, connect, educate, entertain and inform. We have a range of activities happening during the week including Toddler Rhyme time at Echuca Library on Tuesday 26th at 10.30am, Pete the Sheep storytime sessions at Rochester and Kyabram libraries also on Tuesday at the same time. Rushworth are holding a Australia's Biggest morning tea event also at 10.3o that day. New books will also be display at this one and other morning (afternoon) teas at Kyabram on Wednesday at 2.30pm, Tongala on Thursday 28th at 10am and Rochester also on Thursday at 10.30am. We will also be joining Nanneella Playgroup on Wednesday as part of their open day. To finish the week off the Echuca Friends of the Library are hosting an Australia's Biggest Morning Tea and book display at 10.30am.

So, there will be plenty of tea and cake all throughout the week, as well as an opportunity to come along and mingle with other library members, support an important cause and also see the latest books the library has purchased.

What has been happening in our branches?

We have just had a very successful holiday program and involvment in National Youth Week. Thanks to everyone that came along and supported the Bookmark Tour at Kyabram, Echuca and Rochester Branches. We also hope that the children and their parents enjoyed the Scientwists shows at the same branches. A visit from a Mermaid captivated the children at Kyabram Branch soon after we opened the library at the new site. Above are some of the photos from these special events. Next Monday 4th May we have special guest author Barry Heard who will be presenting a talk at the Echuca Civic Centre from 2pm. Barry will speak about his book and his experiences in Vietnam. Information or bookings 54821997. Soon it will be Library and Information Week which includes celebrating the National Simultaneous Storytime Pete the Sheep and "New Book" morning teas (in conjunction with Australia's Biggest Morning Tea) We are also involved at the Playgroup Playday next Tuesday 5th May at Apex Park Echuca from 10am. The following week we are promoting National Families Week at our storytimes. So there is something for everyone. If you need further information about any of these activities please contact one of our staff today on 1300 666 535 or pop into one of our branches. A reminder that our Kyabram Branch is now located at Lake Rd with the Shire of Campaspe Customer Service Centre, it's new name is Kyabram Library and Community Hub. Come in and enjoy the new comfortable surroundings, we are open from 9-5 Monday and Friday, 9-6 Tuesday and Thursday, 9-7 on Wednesdays and 10-1 on Saturdays.

One year on ....

We have just celebrated our first year being part of the SWIFT consortium. What does that mean to you? - access to nearly 2,800,000 items from the other participating libraries for free. Since we have joined the SWIFT consortium we have borrowed 4625 items from the other member libraries, and we have actually lent out 7807 of our items to the other members. The photo shows the amount of traffic that goes between our branches on a weekly basis. What a great caring, sharing bunch we are! It can be gauged as a tremendous success and we are pleased to announce that other libraries will be joining us soon to widen the choices even more. The SWIFT consortium recently won the LG PRO Award for Excellence for Innovative Management Initiative”. We also have access to another shared system called Library Link Victoria which will be upgraded over the next few months giving us even more choice and selection options to all our valued library customers. There are great advantages of being part of collaborative systems like these because they provide additional benefits to everyone. If you would like more information about our online services, or how to set up your own account so you can order material online or renew your items please contact us today on 1300666535 or email us at libraries@campaspe.vic.gov.au Remember that we have some fantastic resources available from our website including free online tutoring for students from year 4-12 and a range of authorative databases that can be accessed by just using your library card.

Kyabram Library and Community Hub Officially Opened

On Tuesday 24th March Minister Richard Wynne officially opened the new Kyabram Library and Community Hub. The library is now operating successfully in its new home at the Lake Rd site, along with the Customer Service Centre, Toy Library, Historical Society and Family History group. Many community members came along to the opening, as well as the media from WIN TV and Kyabram Free Press and we thank all for their support. Minister Wynne and Councillor Howell both spoke very favourably about the facility and highlighted the 60% increase in space, additional library hours and the improved facilities for the public and the staff. The new shelving and the children's area, as well as the glass frontage and pleasant outlook were all big hits. The library will now be available from 8.30am every day and open till 5pm on Mondays and Fridays, 6pm on Tuesday and Thursdays and 7pm on Wednesdays, also Saturday from 10-1. The library staff will commence at 10am each day except for Wednesdays when it will be 12pm. The public now have nearly the double of hours of opening now that it is the new location. So come along, and enjoy the new surroundings. Thanks to the project team, ably led by Keith Edwards, who have created a wonderful library out of the existing Shire building.

FOLA Eric Flynn Award for library services to older adults

The Campaspe Regional Library are thrilled to receive the Eric Flynn Award for Library Services for Older Adults from the Friends of the Library Australia. We recently held a celebration dinner to recognise and thank the efforts of our Words on Wheels Storytellers. It was a very happy occasion and we thank FOLA President Dr. Alan Bundy AM for attending the evening and presenting the award to Valerie Hansen, WOW Coordinator and Jenny Mustey, Library Services Manager. Dr. Bundy spoke very highly of the program and believes it is a model worthly of emulation by other councils and their library services throughout Australia. We are extremely proud of the way the program is reaching over 380 residents in aged care facilties each month. Valerie has put a huge amount of time in researching the stories, poems and pictures that are developed into storytelling kits on a vaste range of themes. The storytellers are all enthusiastic and bring many talents and ideas to the sessions. We also appreciate the important support from all lifestyle and activity coordinators at the various facilties, without this it would be very difficult to conduct the program. We look forward to the opportunity of speaking of the program at a conference in May which is focussing on library services to older adults.