The Know-It-All

The universe just loves dealing us a number of irritating conundrums. The aunt that insists on pinching your cheeks. The colleague that always calls you 'Bill' even though you've told them a thousand times that your name is 'William'. Perhaps one of the most annoying, the most painful, the most obnoxious would be the know-it-all. Ah yes that dreadful enigma that insists on correcting every grammatical error and delights in explaining to you the differences between African and Indian elephants.
It was a shock to discover that one man, A. J. Jacobs, actually WANTED to become one of these bothersome troves of information. A. J. Jacobs spent one year of his life reading, cover to cover, the 2002 Encyclopædia Britannica - all 32 volumes, all 33,000 pages, all 44 million words - and along the way recorded his journey.
'The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World'.
Another one to add to the LMG collection? Tell us what you think!

Mortdale November 1901

109 years ago, this is what the corner of Mort's Road and Victoria Avenue looked like when Mortdale had "two people and a dog". St Peter's Church sat where the present Franklins supermarket is. Paddocks still littered the surrounding area and it was not uncommon for parisioners to cross paths with cows on the way home from church services. I daresay a few inconveniently placed cow pats as well.

Like historic photos? See more in our Local Studies Photographs Catalogue.

Calling all young writers- the 'Do You Love To Write?' project program for the remainder for 2010/11 is almost complete!

Check out some of the awesome upcoming workshops below, and make sure you write the dates in your diary!

‘Do You Love To Write’
Program: November 2010- May 2011.

Do You Love To Write: Creative writing as an inspiration for art
Nov. 9th: 4.30 - 6.00pm

Meet artist Peter Day and use your creative writing skills contribute ideas to a brand new mural for the new Hurstville Bus Interchange

Do You Love To Write: Dialogue and Drama
Dec. 7th: 4.30 – 6.00pm

Writer Pat Cranney will return to work with you on creative writing, focussing on dialogue, scripts and drama, starting work on new group collection
Do You Love To Write: Happy Holidays

Jan.: Off- New carpet being installed at the library, happy holidays!

Do You Love To Write: Books Vs. Movies
Tuesday Feb. 1st: 4.30 – 6.00pm

Looking at adaptations, what worked, what didn’t, feel free to bring in your favourites- and of course, the big question … is the book always better than the movie? Group short script writing activities to work on screen plays for the Youth Week 2011 theme ‘Own It’!

Do You Love To Write: Writing for Movies/Story boards/Illustration
Tuesday Mar. 1st: 4.30 – 6.00pm

Continue working on the group screenplay, begin editing to have 2 short screenplays completed. Learn to story board and illustrate with assistance of local artist. Begin to collate finished work for exhibition in May.

Do You Love To Write: Lights, camera, action!
Tuesday April 5th: TBC

Super-sized, school holiday session as part of Youth Week 2011! Use Guerrilla Film Making techniques to make a short film of the scripts developed in the group!
A chance for young Spielbergs and Scorceses’ to turn written works into lo-tech Guerilla Cinema! Finished works will be featured in Hurstville Youth Week celebrations.

Do You Love To Write: Launch/Exhibition
Tuesday May 3rd: TBC

Bring along your family and friends to show the work on display by the group. Prints of written work, storyboards and illustrations, a new booklet of works, and a presentation for participants.

For more information contact 9330 6142,don't miss it!

New DVD Titles Coming Soon

We have some fantastic new DVD titles arriving soon:

Examples are:

• Iron Man 2 - starring Robert Downey Jr. , Gweneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlet Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke and Samuel L. Jackson. Tony Stark's Super Hero secret is revealed to the world. He suits up again to face his most dangerous enemy.
  


• Sex and the City 2 - starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon. The movie didn't do as well at the box office as the first movie, however it is still an enjoyable movie especially for fans of the TV series.
  


• Beneath Hill 60 - starring Brendan Cowell, Gyton Grantley, Aden Young, Jacqueline McKenzie, Anthony Hayes and Steve Le Marquand. An Australian movie based on a true story. The movie has been named as "One of the great war movies in cinema history" and "One of the finest films ever made in this country".
  


• Glee: Road to Sectionals (Season 1; Volume 1) - The series focuses on a high school glee club competing on the show choir competition circuit and a teacher trying to transform the glee club into champions.
  
  Also arriving on our shelves soon are instructional DVDs on Wedding Stationery; Wedding Flowers and Wedding Decorations. These can be found in the Non Fiction section of the library in a few weeks.
  
  Many more new titles will be on the DVD stand soon so why not come in and take a look.
  
  All purchase suggestions are welcome. All you need to do is post them here.

New Carpet for Hurstville Library

Hurstville City Library is getting new carpet!
The library will close on Tuesday, 4 January 2011 to Friday 14th January 2011 and reopen Saturday, 15 January 2011.
Don’t worry, you can still use the Penshurst Branch Library which will remain open during this time.
Find out more on the LMG website





(image courtesy of Sobrinksi Painting)

Stock Up! Get first pick of new stock for your holiday reading

Just in time for your holiday reading! Hurstville and Penshurst libraries will have a

great selection of new books, CDs and DVDs available for loan. Everyone is welcome
Bring your library card or join on the spot (ID with your current address required). Membership is free.
Staff will also be available to show you how to make a request, listen to and show you how to make suggestions and recommend some great holdiay reading. So tell us what you think! We'll also show you our new eLibrary where you can download audio-books and e-books from home.

Hurstville City Library
cnr Queens Rd & Dora Street, Hurstville
Wednesday 8th December
9.30am - 8.30pm

Penshurst Branch Library
630 Forest Rd, Penshurst
Thursday 16th December
10.30am - 12.30am, 2pm - 5.30pm

Dr Mohamed Khadra to speak at Hurstville City Library

Healthcare in Australia is in crisis - what are the solutions? After the success of Making the Cut: a Surgeon's Stories of Life on the Edge, in which he described his work as a surgeon, and The Patient: One Man's Journey through the Australian Health-Care System, in which he wrote about the life of a man terminally ill with cancer, Dr Mohamed Khadra moves to the natural sequel- the topical subject of the healthcare system in Australia.
Dr Khadra will speak about his recently published book Terminal Decline: A Surgeon's Diagnosis of the Australian Health-Care System

Hurstville City Library

cnr Queens Rd & Dora St, Hurstville

Wednesday 17th November, 2010 @ 7pm

Free Event: Bookings 9330 6142

Book available for sale and signing

A Tiny Bit Marvellous.

Dawn French is a name synonymous with two things. Laughter, and Curly Wurlys. From her deliciously sinful portrayal of Geraldine in 'The Vicar of Dibley' to her outrageous skits and shenanigans with longtime partner-in-crime Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French remains one of the worlds most beloved comediennes.
Her first book 'Dear Fatty' was a poignant, insightful and often hilarious description of Dawn French's harrowing journey through life.



Now, Ms. French has progressed past her memoirs and has put her years of experience to good use in her latest literary mission - 'A Tiny Bit Marvellous'.
This novel explores the lives of a family. There's mum, Mo. Then there's dad and the two kids Dora and Oscar. Oh, and there's a dog called Poo.
The book details through a series of diary entries how each family member lives in their own little worlds, putting the stability of the family in jeopardy.
Heartbreaking, and yet laugh-out-loud funny, should we consider adding this gem to our library shelves?

Dianne Blacklock coming to Hurstville Library

Popular novelist Dianne Blacklock will be speaking about and signing her new book The Right Time.

Hurstville City Library
cnr Queens Rd & Dora Street, Hurstville

Wednesday 10th November ,2010 @12.15pm

Free Event : Bookings 9330.6142

For lovers of books about family and man-woman relationships,love and friendship this event promises to be a real treat.

A library without books...?

...why it must be the University of Amsterdam library!

The University of Amsterdam Library has been designed for the post print age and the focus has shifted from book repository to a dedicated area for study, work and digital collections. Books can still be requested online (hence the orange crates in the above pic) but by removing books - that which traditionally defines a library - the library space can evolve into something unspeakably stylish. Bless the genius of the Dutch!

Check out more pictures of this new concept in the approach to a library building.

(image via Co.Design)

Discover our Databases

Looking for information? Searching the Internet? How do you know if the information is accurate, trustworthy and up to date? There is another option…

Hurstville Library subscribes to a wide range of databases that cover health, business, family history, literature, science, consumer & current issues and much more...

All of our databases can be accessed for free if you are a library member. Not a member, start the join up process online at the Hurstville Library, Museum & Gallery website or visit Hurstville or Penshurst library to join .

How do you access the databases?

Go to the Hurstville LMG website Under Find Information click on Research Databases and select the databases you are interested in by subject or from an alphabetical listing. Many of the databases you can access from home. You will just need your library card number X16.....

After selecting the database click on Login from Library or Login from home.

What databases can I access from home or the library?

ANZ Newsstand
Full-text newspapers and newswires from Australia and New Zealand covering regional and international topics.

Bookan Chinese E-magazines NEW!!
The world’s largest Chinese online magazine & newspaper website.

Consumer Health Complete
Consumer-oriented health content covering all areas of health and wellness from mainstream medicine to the many perspectives of complementary, holistic and integrated medicine.

Points of View NEW!!
Gain a balanced perspective on current issues with information from a range of viewpoints.

and many more...

What databases can I access when I visit the library?

Ancestry Library
Access to a wide range of unique resources for genealogical and historical research, including census records; military records; court, land and probate records; vital and church records; directories; passenger lists and more. Start searching your family history today!

Choice Online
Access to articles from Choice – the consumer magazine. Compare products and find independent product reviews. See the library staff to gain access.

And many more...

St George Art Awards - Winners announced!

Congratulations to all the finalists whose works are displayed in the LMG!
We are very proud to announce the following prize winners of each category....drum roll please....

St George Art Prize
Winner:
Life Adjustment Disorder, Sunny Day - Simon Collins

Highly Commended:
Barthelemy Roger's Oui-re kine - Nicola Dickson
Barthelemy Roger's Bedgi-bedgi - Nicola Dickson
In Your Arms - Fiona White


St George 3D Art Prize
Winner:
Ambiguous Perception No. 7 - Tim Mantzouridis


St George Local Youth Prize
Winner:
In Trouble - Colan Luo

Highly Commended:
Sisters - Julie Zhao


Exhibition runs until 16 December 2010. 2D & 3D works are displayed at the Museum & Gallery. The Youth finalists are on display in the Library exhibition area.

Come and vote for your favourite work in the People's Choice category!