NEW CARPET!

Here at the Library we are really excited to announce that the ground floor carpet is being replaced during December, so we will be looking spic and span for 2022.

Preparations for this work will start on 6 December, and anyone who has done home renovations knows that this is not a simple task! Due to these preparations some parts of the collections will be unavailable from 6 - 24 December, as well as some disruptions on the ground floor. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

KIDS ACTIVITIES

The Waverley Library Children’s Team is getting ready to celebrate that “most wonderful time of the year” with a festive inspired reindeer headband craft for you and your family to create and enjoy. The team will be decking the halls with, well maybe not boughs of holly, but some great Christmas themed picture books for you and your children to read. Don’t forget the free resource  Story Box Library.

If you are interested in one of our craft packs, come into the children’s library during opening hours and ask one of our friendly staff at the desk.  If you would prefer to Grab n Go simply email and we will place a craft pack and a suggested book title aside for you to collect.

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER CULTURE CLUB
Monthly Fridays, 7 - 8 pm via Zoom, next session 10 December

During our next session we will discuss books, films and art by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. We will talk about history and culture and promote learning and understanding of Australia's First Nations People. Book online at Eventbrite.

THE INNOVATION OF CUT & PASTE: WAVERLEY COLLAGE MAKERS
9 December 2021 - 8 February 2022, Waverley Library Gallery

The Innovation of Cut & Paste presents an ecclectic mix of artworks by the Waverley Collage Makers. Comprising of artists from Waverley, Sydney and beyond who gather in person and online, the group, co-ordinated by Waverley Library practise a different style of collage each week, juxtaposing images and materials, subverting meaning and honing their distinctive styles. This exhibition showcases the group’s commitment to the possibilities of collage, through a diverse, dynamic, witty and thought-provoking series of works, crated against the backdrop of 2021.

THE TEMPLE OF FLORA: WAVERLEY SKETCHFLASH
9 December 2021 - 8 February 2022, Waverley Library Gallery

Is there anything more delightful than a garden in bloom? Throughout 2021 Waverley Sketchflash has been inspired by nature and the joy of the garden. Drawing from the ouvres of Adrien Feint, Andy Warhol and with particular reference to Robert Thornton’s The Temple of Flora, Sketchflash has created a graphic garden which will dazzle the senses. Waverley Sketchflash is a free, inclusive, community drawing group facilitated by the Waverley Library. The informal group meet weekly to explore the many possibilities of drawing.

GLOBAL & SOCIAL ISSUES DATABASES

Have you tried Waverley Library’s range of databases yet? December 10th is International Day of Human Rights and with more people discussing human rights today, Waverley Library is here to help you navigate the conversation. With Gale databases like Gale in Context: Global Issues, Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints, Gale One File: Diversity Studies, and Gale One File: Pop Culture Studies Waverley Library’s range of databases will help keep you informed of all the important news and opinions from around the world.

NEWSBANK SPECIAL REPORTS

December is the month of Universal Human Rights, when people across the world appreciate the strides we've made in the pursuit of this goal. Newspapers have been instrumental in tracing these advancements and with NewsBanks' Access Australia Waverley Library can provide comprehensive news coverage from across Australia and beyond. From local publications to nationwide sources such as The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian. Along with NewsBank's Special Reports which collects articles, images, and other useful content grouped by specific topics, Special Reports and Access Australia can keep you up to date on the state of human rights around Australia and the globe.

MABO

This is the story of how one man fought the system and won; how one man affected the lives of all his people. Eddie Koiki Mabo was shocked to discover that the ownership of land his ancestors passed down on Murray Island in The Torres Strait Islands for over 15 generations was not legally recognised. Rather than accept this injustice he began an epic fight for Australian law to recognise traditional land rights. Click here to watch.

UNBOWED

Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, Wangari Maathai has been fighting for environmental responsibility and democracy in her native Kenya for over 35 years. Unbowed recounts the incredible journey that culminated in her appointment to Parliament in 2002. Despite repeated jailings, beatings, and other obstacles along the way, Maathai created the Green Belt Movement and never relented in her goal to bring democracy to Kenya. Click here to listen.

SELMA

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historical struggle to secure voting rights for all people. A dangerous and terrifying campaign that culminated with an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1964. Click here to reserve.

THE PRISON LETTERS OF NELSON MANDELA

Arrested in 1962 as South Africa's apartheid regime intensified its brutal campaign against political opponents, forty-four-year-old lawyer and African National Congress activist Nelson Mandela had no idea that he would spend the next twenty-seven years in jail. Mandela wrote hundreds of letters to unyielding prison authorities, fellow activists, and most memorably to his courageous wife, Winnie, and his five children. Click here to listen.

LOCAL HISTORY: HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS

The annual Australian Human Rights Awards acknowledge and celebrate the work that Australian individuals, organisations, and businesses do in advancing and advocating for human rights. First held in 1987, the award came to a Bondi local in 1991. Walt Secord, a journalist at Australian Jewish News at the time, won the prestigious award for the regional print division for his portfolio of work including articles on the struggle by Sydney Jewish women to remove restrictions placed by a religious divorce (gett); Vietnamese Israelis; a project linking Sydney’s Jewish and Aboriginal communities; Japan’s only ‘’righteous gentile” and the Jews of the Northern Territory. You can read more about the Human Rights awards here.

COMPOSTING & WORM FRAMING WORKSHOP
Saturday 11 December, 2 – 4 pm via Zoom

Join our popular and interactive composting and worm farming workshop to learn how to turn your food scraps into food for your garden! The workshop will be hosted by the amazing Margaret of Moss House for the Compost Revolution Program. This is a Waverley, Randwick and Woollahra Councils initiative. Click here for more detail or book your spot on Zoom now.

CURRENT LIBRARY OPENING HOURS

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 9:30 am - 5 pm
Tuesday, Thursday: 9.30 am - 9 pm
Saturdays: 9.30 am - 3 pm
Sundays: 1 pm - 5 pm

For those members of the community who are not yet fully vaccinated or are still wanting contactless pick-up, we are continuing to offer the ever popular Grab n Go service.