Stieg Larsson series now in large print

The best selling series by Stieg Larsson is now available in large print. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl who Played with Fire and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest have been on the best seller list for months. Now readers who need or just enjoy reading large print will not feel left out!

Rise in Technology: are we falling behind?

As part of his five days of work experience at Hurstville City Library, Aaron Li wrote us the following blog entry..

Technology is all around us. And with mankind’s intelligence and ingenious prowess, we are coming to an era where technology has become so advanced that amazing and cool inventions we have today (such as the I-Phone) would soon become objects of no significance or value (I wonder why people with first gen I-Phones are so quiet nowadays...).

Just when you thought one thing is impossible, an invention comes along that proves you wrong. And you sigh and tell yourself, well, it's possible after all (and yea, you lose the five dollars that you bet your friend with...). I mean, who knew it can actually be done, right? In addition all the available technology around us, with every machine constantly perfected by skilled individuals, anything can be possible... (right?).

Technology has impressed us and it continues to do so with each day. It leaves us thinking, what's next? As a new near-impossible invention has been made, what else will they come up with next? The world has already been remade by great technologies, and taken to the next level by inventions that have made the lives of many much more convenient.

What could possibly be next?

Sydney Technical High School – Celebrating the School Centenary

Hurstville City Library often plays host to secondary school kids who are participating in work experience. As part of his five days here, Kevin Qiao wrote this blog entry detailing the Centenary of Sydney Technical High School..

Sydney Tech was founded in 1911 and has undergone many changes, including fifteen years in Sydney Technical College in Ultimo, thirty years in Albion Street, Paddington, and fifty-five years at the present site in Forest Road, Bexley. This year celebrates the centenary of Sydney Tech and will be held on Friday 1st April, Saturday 2nd April, Monday 4th April and Friday 8th April for ex-students, staff members and special guests (Visit http://www.sths.nsw.edu.au/downloads/centenary.pdf for more information). There are also events held for students (students log onto the school intranet and click ‘Centenary News’ in the top left corner)
A book of the school history, “The Story and Times of Sydney Technical High School” by J.F.Morrison is for sale for $110. (Visit http://www.sths.nsw.edu.au/downloads/centenary.pdf for more information - LIMITED COPIES).

Transformers: Dark Of The Moon

The trailer for the third Transformers blockbuster has been released!



This is going to be suh-weet. Hopefully it will live up to it's predecessors Transformers and Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.

Valentines Day

Alas, that time of year is approaching again! It is nearly the annual celebration of all things that are red and heart-shaped. Valentines Day sees restaurants and hotel rooms booked out and couples cuddling on every park bench in the country. It's always difficult to decide upon a present for your lover. Perhaps you should pop into the library and get some ideas for crafty gifts. Or for the slightly more cynical a good Valentines Day murder mystery might give you some nifty ideas.

Whatever you do, make sure that those you love know that you love them, for in the words of Henry Van Dyke:
"Time is too slow for those who wait,
too swift for those who fear,
too long for those who grieve,
too short for those who rejoice,
but for those who love, time is eternity."

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

'A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier' by Ishmael Beah is a poignant tale of a child solider in Sierra Leone. At the age of twelve, Ishmael Beah lost his family and his childhood to a raging, violent civil war. Drafted into the army, Beah was fed drugs, wielded guns, and was witness to the horrific fighting that was the result of a country in turmoil. Beah would spend years in this seemingly parallel world, where boys were men, men were monsters, and life was worthless.


Luckily for Beah, he was removed from the fighting by UNICEF and sent on the long hard road to rehabilitation. Beah learned again to live, laugh and love. To return to the happy, kind-spirited boy he used to be. However, many children do not have this chance.


Ishmael Beah is now 26 years old and lives in New York City. In 2004 he graduated from Oberlin College with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He has spoken before the United Nations and many other NGO's in an attempt to bring awareness to the plight of more than 300,000 child soldiers still left fighting in more than 50 conflicts around the globe.
He is also the President and Founder of The Ishmael Beah Foundation, which aims to help the rehabilitation of former child soldiers and ease their return to normal lives.

Edgar Allan Moran?

Yesterday marked the would-be 202nd birthday of poet Edgar Allan Poe.


Anyone else notice a slight similarity between this gothic poet and funny man Dylan Moran?



Just sayin'.

Personal libraries - Karl Lagerfeld

Best known as the current head designer and creative director for fashion empire Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld is a man of many faces. Well, not really. The same dark-bespectacled eyes and white hair have dominated the fashion industry since the 1980's. However, Lagerfeld is well known for one of his other great loves, books.




This mish-mash of titles may be lacking in any organisation (Ever heard of the Dewey Decimal system, Karl?)however it seems to make the books even more striking and beautiful!
Have you seen pictures of your favourite celebs personal library? Who's is it and why is it your fave?

Back open.

Hurstville City Library has officially reopened after our carpet installation! Check out these photos that one of our librarians snapped of the first Saturday back open..

Carpet Installation - Day 10?

We're almost ready to reopen on the 15th of January here at Hurstville City Library. Today we've been busy cleaning up the shelves and testing the wonderful new carpet.

Check out all our shenanigans on the LMG Flickr

Computer Classes - 2011

Computer classes here at the LMG are starting back up again! Come and learn how to use Facebook or if you're still a beginner, learn basic keyboard and mouse skills.
All our classes are detailed here:

Carpet installation - Week 2.

The second week of the carpet installation has begun at the library. You can check out all the latest photos on our flickr but here's a sneak peek of what's going on..

Nutty's Carpet Adventures.

Nutty was anxious to help out with the carpet installation in the library. It's not like him just to sit by and watch! Here are some of the pictures we quickly snapped while Nutty was working hard.



Spot the nutty!


Out with the old, in with the new.


Nutty addressing the masses!


Even Nutty deserves a break every now and then.

Follow all of Nutty's adventures on our Flickr

Junior Art School at the MCA

The Museum of Contemporary Art has done it again! Check out the results of the school holiday workshop Junior Art School: Pixellation Creations for 5 - 7 year olds this January at the MCA! These are some talented little kids.

Day 4 of the carpet install.

It's day four of the carpet installation here at Hurstville City Library. Everything is going well with contractors rolling out the new carpet and stacking the old carpet in the entrance. The dust is flying around, the commercial radio is blaring, but work is progressing nicely.

New Uniforms?

Ahh yes. Everyone has their idea of the typical librarian in their heads. Perhaps an elderly, silver-haired woman with stern features and little circular glasses that sit so precariously on the tip of her nose that every time she mutters "Shh!" at noisy schoolchildren you swear they're going to topple off her face and land in her fine bone china tea cup. Perhaps not. Chances are you picture someone rather neatly, stiffly, and stuffily dressed.
At Hurstville Library, our librarians are considerably more relaxed. They drink their English Breakfast tea out of mugs, not fine bone china! Which is why, these t-shirts are far more appropriate uniform suggestions.









Well, what do you think? Do the wonderful, albeit slightly nuts, people that work at Hurstville Library need a uniform like this?

(images via. zazzle)

Hugh Mackay - What Makes Us Tick?

Hurstville City Library was lucky enough to have leading psychologist, social researcher and author, Hugh Mackay, join us at the library. Hugh discussed his new book 'What Makes Us Tick?' and in this short excerpt, delves into the human desire for control.



Check out more videos at the LMG's YouTube Channel.

Happy Library-ing!

Mr. Hank is here to guide you around the UTS library!

Perhaps the LMG needs someone like Mr. Hank to get the word out about our facilities?
Happy library-ing!

School holiday visitors

We were lucky enough to have some visitors into Hurstville City Library during the September/October school holidays.

They weren't visitors we are particularly used to, however! These beautiful little gems of Australian fauna were brought in to entertain and entrance the kiddies.


And here's one of our staff, Lisa, getting up close and personal with Olive - the snake!




You can see more photos of our four-legged (and some no-legged!) friends at the LMG flickr photostream.