BOOK SALE

Don't forget about our 2 day mega book sale starting this Friday.  Doors open at 9.30 am. Come early and grab some great bargains. All stock available on Friday.

Kids books: $1.00
Fiction books: $2.00
Non-fiction books $3.00
DVDs & CDs:  $2.00
Magazines 5 for $1
Some items with prices as marked.

Where:
Hurstville Library, Cnr. Queens Road & Dora Street, Hurstville.
Friday 2 November 9.30am to 8.30pm
Saturday 3 November 9.30 to 3.00pm

Did unapproved building alterations exacerbate a fatal Bankstown apartment blaze?

There is evidence to suggest that illegal building alterations may have contributed to a recent fatal  fire in an apartment building at Bankstown.¹ The fire reached an explosive state known as 'flashover' in its first 15 minutes, and the intense heat led two young women to jump from the fifth-floor balcony, where the fire had started.² Yinuo Jiang, a 27-year-old student, managed to survive the fall - although she is still recovering from severe injuries. Her friend, 21-year-old Connie Zhang, died at the scene.

According to a recent Sydney Morning Herald report, the roof which covered an interior atrium was not included in plans approved by council.³ The enclosed atrium is thought to have contributed to the accumulation of trapped dense smoke inside the building, which hindered residents' access to internal fire escapes. (To read more about this tragic accident, login to the ANZ Reference Centre (Ebsco) with your library card's barcode.)

The Building Code of Australia (BCA) provides the minimum regulatory requirements for all building work in Australia. If you would like to access the BCA and Standards Online database for quick and convenient access to vital building information, ask staff at the information desk of Hurstville Library to log you in with the required password.

Rayyan

References
¹Sean Nicholls and Josephine, T 2012, 'Roof of fatal fire block 'not approved'', Sydney Morning Herald,  8 September, Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre, EBSCOhost, viewed 5 October 2012. 

²Stuart Washington, A 2012, 'Fire flat building changes: 15 minutes to 'flashover'', Sydney Morning Herald, 21 September, Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 October 2012.

³ Op.cit.

Eid Mubarek (Happy Eid) to Australian Muslims

'Id al-Fitr: father and son in Lahore, Pakistan. [Photograph]. In Encyclopedia Britannica Online Library Edition. Retrieved from http://library.eb.com.au/eb/art-99574

Australian Muslims today celebrated the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha or the 'Feast of Sacrifice', which commerates the Prophet Ibrahim's (Abraham) willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of submission to God. This festival, which is celebrated by Muslims worldwide, also marks the culmination of the Hajj rites at Mina in Saudi Arabia. In Australia, Muslims on this day will pray at the mosque, visit friends and relatives and endeavour to give money/food to the poor and needy.

Eid al-Adha is one of the two Islamic festivals that is held annually, the other being Eid al-Fitr, which celebrates the end of Ramadan (the month of fasting). If you would like to learn more about these festivals, login to the Encylopaedia Britannica Online database, which can be accessed from home (or in the library) with your library card's barcode.

Rayyan.

Bookan Chinese eMagazines

好市围图书馆的会员们现在可以透过博看电子中文期刊资料库 - 世界上最大的中文杂志资料库，来阅读到超过2,500种中文杂志。杂志种类多样，从政治、财经和科学，以至健康、文学和娱乐都有，全部向图书馆会员们免费提供。在家或在图书馆内，都可以凭借书证上的电脑条码登陆博看网.

MEGA BOOK SALE AT HURSTVILLE LIBRARY 2-3 NOVEMBER 2012

It's time for our annual book sale once again.  We have an incredible range of items available for purchase which will cater to all ages.

Kids books $1.00
Magazines 20c
DVDs & CDs $2.00
Fiction $2.00
Non Fiction $3.00
Some items with prices as marked

Where:   
Hurstville Library,
Cnr. Queens Road and Dora Street, Hurstville.

Time:     
Friday 2 November 9.30am - 8.30 pm
Saturday 3 November 9.30 am - 3.00 pm

Money raised in the book sale goes towards the purchase of new library resources so come along and support your local library and grab a bargain as well.  All sale stock will be available for purchase on Friday 2 November, so don't miss out.  First in best dressed!

Bag It!

As part of National recycling week, Tim Silverwood will host the FREE screening of the award winning documentary "Bag it". The film will be followed by a Q&A discussion led by Tim Silverwood and Tony Wales.

About the film...
Bag It (G) follows "everyman" Jeb Berrier as he navigates our plastic world. Jeb is an average guy who decides to take a closer look at our love affair with plastics. Jeb's journey starts small but when he takes a closer look he discovers that the problem extends further than he ever imagined.

When: Monday 12th November 2012
For more information and bookings, click: http://www.hurstville.nsw.gov.au/BagIt.html

Bring up the bodies

Who could resist a title like that? The judges of the Man Booker Prize couldn't when they awarded the second instalment of Hilary Mantell's Tudor epic the prestigious gong for 2012.

And there are certainly enough bodies about in this fastidiously researched, smartly written imagining of the maelstrom that was the life of Thomas Cromwell. The story began with Wolf Hall and Thomas' rise from what his arch enemies the Boleyn's considered coarse beginnings, his Dad owned a brewery, to Henry VIII's most trusted minister. Bring up the bodies maintains the pace with more intrigue and wives done wrong. You've got to love the Tudors.

And if you like them a bit better looking, cleaner and sexier, why not try the DVD series The Tudors, guilty of one of the worst cases of miscasting in cinematic history. (Watch it and you'll see what I mean.)

If you enjoy reading Maeve Binchy why not try........................

Bestselling Irish writer Maeve Binchy, died recently after a short illness aged 72.

Her family sagas and short stories focussed on small-town Irish life and explored the friction between tradition and modernity. Her work included Circle of Friends which was made into a popular film.
 If Maeve Binchy is one of your favourite authors why not see who else writes like her on Friday 19 October at Hurstville Library when books by authors written in a similiar style and with similiar themes will be on display and available for loan.

Read more about Maeve on her website http://www.maevebinchy.com/

Winner for September Announced

We are now past the half way point for the LMG Digital Photography competition. So far we have had close to 200 photo submitted and 85 participants. Way to go Hurstville! This is a fantastic effort.

  by  wandagirl21 

There were 40 submissions for September's heat. The theme was "Grow", and as you can imagine there were plenty of animal and foliage shots. The judges met and narrowed the pool of 40 shots down to 3. In third place the judges selected this growing fern by Wandagirl21. They saw how the fern was about to hit a growth spurt and explode into a fully grown tropical masterpiece.

by
Sharon's Photography.com.au 

The second photo which inspired the judges was the flowers growing out of the pack. They thought the colour white was symbolic of innocence, and that the photo displayed technical ability. Well done Sharon, you've captured a beautiful image.

However, the judges selected the trees below by le2018 as the winning photo for September. They saw how the growing trees met the criteria, and  felt the photo brought an abstract quality to the competition. Well done Le.

September was a really good round. Everyone who contributed deserves congratulations for their efforts. Photos submitted were easily identifiable with the theme. The judges also commented on how everyone's technical abilities have grown throughout the competition. Good work.

  by  le2018 

We are now entering the final rounds of the competition. This means there are only a few opportunities left to snap your best shots. This month's theme is "Explore". Good luck everyone, we are looking forward to seeing what you can produce.

Author Talks: David Hill "The Great Race"

Popular author David Hill who has written extensively about many key periods in Australian history will be Hurstville Library's next guest author. David's newest book  The Great Race: : The Race Between the English and the French to Complete the Map of Australia is an account of  the thrilling race between Frenchman Nicolas Baudin and Englishman Matthew Flinders to chart the coast of Australia. On the afternoon of 8 April 1802, in the remote southern ocean, the two explorers had a remarkable chance encounter. Written from diaries and other first-hand accounts, this is the fascinating story of men whose drawings recorded countless previously unknown species and turned mythical creatures into real ones, and whose skill and determination enabled Terra Australis Incognita to become Australia.

David Hill has had a remarkable career as chairman then managing director of the ABC, chairman of the Australian Football Association, chief executive director of the State Rail Authority NSW, chairman of Sydney Water Corporation and chairman of CREATE, a national organisation responsible for representing the interests of young people and children in institutional care.

David's earlier books  include

• The Gold Rush: the fever that forever changed Australia,
• The Forgotten Children: Fairbridge Farm School and its betrayal of Australia's migrant children
• 1788: the brutal truth of the First Fleet: the biggest single migration the world has ever seen.

Thursday 25 October @ 7pm

Hurstville Library

cnr Queens Rd & Dora St, Hurstville

Bookings 9330 6142 or at Service Desk

Books available for sale & signing

Poetry Slam 2012

On September 20, 2012, 17 people came to Hurstville Library to perform in the National Poetry Slam Competition organised by WordTravels. As each person anxiously awaited their turn to spill out their hearts and minds to the all embracing audience, they were entertained by the MC. The show began with a bang as  Hurstville Library's own Kate Campion opened the evening. From that point on the library’s Exhibition Space was transformed into a daring arena where only the bravest of slammers were willing to compete for the title of the 2012 Hurstville Poetry Slam Champion. 

The evening was filled with tongue twisting soliloquies, alliteration, metaphors and prose all of which combined to offer an enticing evening for the audience. The performances were all highly commendable, and two lucky slammers were able to progress into the next round of the National Competition.

A big congratulations goes out to Alan Pham and Jessica Santosa. Their poems touched the hearts and souls of audience members. Congratulations also go to Gloria Demillo who came in a close third. The next slam heat will be held in Glebe for those who are interested. For those who were part of the audience,  leave a comment saying which poem was your favourite and why.

If you want to slam with the best of them, there is still time. Marrickville is hosting a wild card heat at Urchin Books on October 21. Glebe's Friend in Hand pub will also be hosting a heat on November, 6. Let your heart write your soul out on paper and slam it out at either one of these locations - who knows, you may end up winning.