December 2023—January 2024

PLS eNews

Welcome to the monthly newsletter from the Public Library Services team at the State Library of NSW. It lets you know about upcoming events, promotions and professional development opportunities.

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Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all

As this is the final issue of the PLS eNews for 2023, we wish you all a very happy holiday season! The team has enjoyed visiting so many libraries across NSW this year, and it was great to see so many of you online and in person at various library events.

PLS staff will be on leave from Monday 25 December 2023 to Friday 5 January 2024, in line with the NSW Government Christmas closedown period.

NSW State Librarian Caroline Butler-Bowdon

A message from the State Librarian Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon

I’m delighted to be your new State Librarian. On my second day in the job, I travelled to Penrith with Cameron Morley to speak at the annual NSW Public Library Association Conference and had the pleasure of meeting many colleagues from right across the public library network. Thank you for your warm welcome, it was the perfect way to begin my time as State Librarian.

Libraries have played a central role in my personal and professional history, indeed I wrote much of my PhD in the Mitchell Reading Room drawing on the State Library’s extraordinary collections. My recent work has been focused on the activation of public spaces, including parks, streets, community centres, and of course, NSW public libraries, working with over 100 councils and their brilliant staff across the state. I’ve inherited this role at a time when the profile and support for public libraries is soaring, and I have to thank you for that, as well as the work of my predecessor Dr John Vallance, who has championed the NSW public network over the past six years. I’m honoured to be building upon these strong foundations to keep growing and supporting our public libraries.

I am very much looking forward to working together.

Remake of the Library Regulation

NSW regulations are automatically repealed every five years under the Subordinate Legislation Act 1989. Regulations that have ongoing utility are remade after a review process prescribed under this Act. This ensures that regulations are reviewed regularly and remain current.

The Library Regulation 2018 was due for repeal or remaking on 1 September 2023, however this was postponed until 2024.

We sought feedback from you earlier this year which was noted by the Library Council of NSW, and are proceeding on the basis that the regulation is to be remade in 2024 without change.

We will keep you up to date as the draft is prepared by the NSW Parliamentary Counsel’s Office.

Shelf of Korean books at Parramatta Library

Bulk loan service closure

The bulk loan service will be closed from Monday 18 December to Monday 1 January, resuming on Monday 8 January. You can still return loans during this period. Requests submitted after Friday 15 December will be fulfilled in the new year.

We wish you all a relaxing and happy festive season celebrating with your family and friends, and look forward to supporting your diverse communities in 2024.

Cover of bilingual Vox Book with audio player

New format for bulk loan

Bilingual Vox Books have been introduced to the bulk loan collection.

This new format of children’s picture book features an inbuilt audio player so readers can listen and read along with the printed words. The audio reads out the story in English and the language of the book. These are available in 13 languages.

You can find out more about the multicultural bulk loan service here.

Words "Funny Ethnics" with orange background

indyreads Summer Book Club

The indyreads Summer Book Club will run from 1 December 2023 to 15 February 2024. Funny Ethnics by Western Sydney writer Shirley Le is this year’s featured title. It is a coming-of-age story set in the sprawling suburbs of Western Sydney.

Resources to promote the Summer Book Club are available to download here.

Save the date!

An online author talk with Shirley Le will be held on Thursday 15 February, FREE for all to attend.

More information about the author talk will be released in January.

Keep the kids entertained over the holidays

Keep children and youth entertained during the school holidays with Gale databases. Below are just a few ideas to promote to your community or incorporate into holiday programming:

Gale: Interactive Science — use the collection of 3D printing models to print designs including animal skulls, organs and volcanos.

Books and Authors — find something for fussy or reluctant readers using the read-a-like feature.

National Geographic Kids — find information on a variety of topics including animals, history and culture.

LOTE DVD classification is changing

The Australian Government’s Classification Amendment Bill was passed by Parliament in September as the first step in the reforming of the National Classification Scheme.

The changes simplify how classification is applied across formats and will increase the diversity and range of LOTE DVDs available to library vendors. This will also ensure library members have access to trusted and reliable classification information to inform their viewing choices.

More information is available in the Minister's media release here.

Summer preparedness: heat, bushfires and bushfire smoke communication toolkit

NSW Health has developed a new communication toolkit about how to stay safe and healthy during hot weather and bushfires. Specific assets have been developed for key audiences, including:

older people
parents and carers
Aboriginal communities
CALD communities.

The toolkit contains assets for print and digital copy and suggested uses, and can be shared with your networks and community. You can download the toolkit here.

Bah Humbug and Fraise in the sun mocktail cards

Drug Info summer

Drug Info has two delicious summer mocktail recipes to promote and serve to your library users. Fraise in the Sun is a refreshing blend of strawberry, apple and ginger that is the perfect tie-in to the summer of cricket, while the Dickens-themed Bah Humbug is a minty pomegranate yuletide treat.

Literary mocktails are always a fun alternative to alcohol, and with our summer mocktails campaign Drug Info has a range of ideas and resources to assist public libraries with promotion. See our summer mocktails page for event ideas and suggestions for social media posts.

Summer is also a great time to promote your library’s Drug Info service. See our social media calendar for more opportunities to promote Drug Info this summer.

a young person showing an older person how to use a mobile phone

Legal help for older people

At the recent Seniors in Focus seminar, we heard two great presentations from organisations that help older people.

The NSW Ageing and Disability Commission promotes the rights of older people and adults with disability to live free from abuse in their family, home and community.

People can call the NSW Ageing and Disability Abuse Helpline from Monday to Friday, 9 am–4 pm, on 1800 628 221 Order free pamphlets.

The Seniors Rights Service is a community legal centre that protects the rights of older people. They provide telephone advice, advocacy, legal advice and educational services.

Email the Seniors Rights Service to order free pamphlets.