The emotional trauma of finishing a book

Have you ever finished a really good book, and then wondered what to do next with your life? It’s stressful stuff! 

The problem is the fact that the book often ends on a cliffhanger, the loose ends aren’t tied up, you’ve reached the end of a series, you’re waiting for the next book in a series, or the book was just so good that you have no idea what to do after that. Have the authors ever considered what it does to Book Fans; just waiting for a book that will or won’t come? If they’re going to finish writing a series, they had better do it properly! If they don’t, they will encounter the wrath of the Book Lovers!

Authors must decide to deliberately annoy the readers, because sometimes it is painfully obvious that two characters like each other, and the tension is too much to handle. Just kiss already! Then there’s the factor of the author killing off your favourite characters in the book. Just as we get to know them; they’re gone. It’s also really easy to fall in love with fictional characters, and once you have finished reading the book you wonder how you will ever live without them?

Genevieve, work experience student

Genevieve, work experience student

After all of that emotional trauma with the previous book you will find another book which is almost as good as the last, but soon that book will come to an end. It’s just a never ending cycle of growing excitement and then the emotional pain of having to part with the characters, which you have grown close to. Again. You could say it’s like breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend over and over.

One of the only ways of coping with this is to make your friends read the books and then talk to them about it. This way your pain isn’t bottled up inside of you, slowly eating away at your insides. Another way to relieve you of your pain is to write your version of how it should’ve ended, how you think the events should’ve happened, or what could’ve happened next. This is what the experienced users of the Internet (aka teenagers) call Fan Fiction.

‘You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.’ – Paul Sweeney.

Written by: Genevieve – work experience student @ City of Tea Tree Gully Library

Work Experience

work experienceMy experience with the City of Tea Tree Gully Library was a memorable and insightful few days. I really didn’t know what to expect when I first walked through the doors to start out work experience. I have to admit I was a little nervous and overwhelmed with all of the information and paperwork that was given to me on the first day. At the time I didn’t realize how different everything is behind the scenes and the sheer amount of work that needs to be done to keep the Library running smoothly. There were numerous jobs that needed to be done and you only spent an hour or so doing each job before you changed over. By doing this I got to try out a number of different jobs like customer service desk (CSD), story time, shelving, information desk, working in the chute room and I even got the opportunity to go on a bus run.

By Day 2 I was a lot more relaxed when I arrived for the day; the welcoming and friendly staff probably had a lot to do with that. I quickly learnt that working in the library was going to be a lot of work, but I knew even then that it was going to be a great experience worth having. At the end of each day I left the library with new experiences, skills and unfortunately aching muscles.

By the end of the week I had become accustomed to the daily routines and was sad to see my time come to an end, but was overcome with happiness that I had completed the work experience and learned a lot of useful skills along the way. I think one of the most important things that I am going to take away from this experience is learning what everyday work life is like.

Written by work experience student – Alannah

My week of work experience at the Library

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Work Experience student – Zach

Many people come to the City of Tea Tree Gully Library and go to a certain section looking for a book or a DVD or a magazine but, have you ever wondered what is behind those chutes or past the “Staff Only” doors? Well I have been back there on my week of work experience here. It seems like a quite small place when you haven’t left the teen fiction or the kids section, but when you take a look behind the scenes you realize that there is much more to this Library that you never knew was there. What you can see is only around half of what is there. It is a two storey building with several areas you can’t go to on the bottom floor, like several desks and a book storage room, and there are sections that the public is able to access that I didn’t even know are there.

To get all of this to run smoothly you need a lot of people, so while you might only be able to find 10 or so at any one time, there is actually more than 40 people working here, in several different teams. I have worked with a lot of nice people here, doing everything from covering books, to working in the chute room, to listening in on the ‘Baby Bounce’ group to writing this blog post!

The Library is a great place to be for work experience. I was really nervous at the start of the first day but I soon realised that there is nothing to be nervous about. Work experience at the Library has given me opportunities to meet some great people and learn so much about everything at the Library, like how all the computer programs work and where everything is and how to get there. The staff made sure I was doing something new every hour or two, and everyday there was something different. I have learned about everything in this Library from so many great people. I got to help with a beginner’s iPad class and that was a lot of fun to be at.

I have really enjoyed my week doing work experience at the Library. It was spent doing and learning so much, from how the Library works to what it is like in an actual workplace environment. I met so many great people, and got to talk to and meet so many great members of the community. I will definitely come back to the Library often to get new books and remember my great week here.

Written by Work Experience Student, Zach.

New DVD arrivals – Life of Pi and The Hobbit: an unexpected journey

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Eagerly anticipating the release of two of the biggest films of this year? Well they have now arrived at the City of Tea Tree Gully Library! Place a hold on the Life of Pi and The Hobbit: an unexpected journey; both DVD and Blu-Ray copies are available. Enjoy!

Have you met our Digital Hub Volunteer…Gordon?

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Library Volunteer – Gordon

Internet Training is a popular program in the Library which has Digital Hub Volunteers provide individual, hands on assistance to Library customers who are new to using computers and tablet devices and need to build their confidence. Gordon has been a Volunteer for nearly 3-years and shares some thoughts on his role as a Digital Hub Volunteer.

Why do you like volunteering at the Library? I get a kick out of seeing someone grasp a new concept or feeling a little less threatened by computers. Also, I like people to become computer literate so they will have some access to the world should they become ‘shut in’.

How has Volunteering changed your life?It’s replaced work, providing contact with people, as well as some discipline and job satisfaction. I enjoyed work and would not have retired had I been able to reduce hours. Now I do some sort of voluntary work three or four days a week and have time to spend on hobbies as well.

City of Tea Tree Gully Library  is celebrating National Volunteers Week 13th-19th May 2013. We have over 140 volunteers in the Library, across 9 different programs. To all of our volunteers we say, ‘thanks a million.’

Have you met our Early Learning Program Volunteer… Daisy?

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Library Volunteer – Daisy.

Storytime, is an active and vocal session aimed at pre-schoolers who enjoy themselves with a mixture of picture book story reading, singing much loved rhymes and craft activities. Early Learning Program Volunteers assist on this program by preparing the children’s area and craft activities ready for the young people and facilitating the session. Daisy is an Early Learning Volunteer and shares her thoughts.

 


What do you like about volunteering at the Library?
In my role as a Storytime Volunteer I get to meet and interact with other people and especially the children, which I love.

Do you have a memorable moment you would like to share?
Every Storytime session brings pleasure to see the ‘littlies’ faces light up as they listen to stories and sing their favourite songs. I love to see that!

What has volunteering brought to your life?
I am a widow, my daughter lives in Victoria and my son and his family (two of three grandchildren and a great grandchild) live in Mount Gambier, so volunteering fills this gap in my life and provides me with a chance to meet people of all ages, not just ‘oldies’ like me!

The  Library  is celebrating National Volunteers Week 13th-19th May 2013. We have over 140 volunteers in the Library, across 9 different programs. To all of our volunteers we say, ‘thanks a million.’

A book that’s definitely worth a read

Have you ever gotten sick and tired of the same old vampire stories? Ever since Twilight became viral, it seems as though all there ever is in the teenage book section is vampire-based stories. It can be very tiring trying to sort out which of these books are worth reading, and a lot of them tend to be similar in some form or shape.

Vampire Academy, a novel by Richelle Mead, is another one of these teenage vampire novels but unlike the rest of them, Vampire Academy sheds a whole new light onto vampires. Don’t let the name fool you; from the first minute that I started reading I was hooked, and had the book finished in about a day. The story was fresh – there was a new way of showing vampires by having living vampires known as Moroi. The Moroi grow old and die unlike the general stereotype of vampires, and can control the elements that surround us: earth, water, fire and air. They don’t kill to survive, and live in peace with one another and the human world.

Strigoi on the other hand, the Moroi’s most deadly enemy, are very much like the cliché vampires you see on television. Red eyes, pale skin, they can’t go out in the sun, and yeah, they would kill you in an instant. These Strigoi are determined to wipe all Moroi off the face of the planet, but luckily for the Moroi they have the Dhampirs to protect them. Dhampirs are the offspring of vampires and humans, and the novel is narrated by one of them – a sassy, fierce warrior named Rose Hathaway.

Work experience student, Tayla

Rose has spent her whole life protecting her Moroi best friend Lissa Dragomir, and being hauled back to the Academy isn’t going to stop her. She’s determined to be Lissa’s Guardian, but along with her new Russian instructor Dimitri, Rose has many obstacles in her way before she can officially protect anyone.

 Written by Tayla – Work Experience Student @ the City of Tea Tree Gully Library

It’s the BOM!

Yes, Spring has arrived! You can smell it in the air and feel the warmth of the sun on the back of our necks. If you’re wondering if this weather is going to stick around then you may like to jump onto the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) website to get a whole heap of up to the minute weather information. You can follow weather trends and patterns, seek out a 7-day forecast for your local area and view any current weather warnings. There is also radar and satellite imagery for a more graphic display.

If you’re a surfer or fisher there is dedicated information for wind, waves, tides and sea level as well as sea temperatures and currents. Concerned about water levels? Find out about water storage information for more than 250 sites across Australia. If you’re a Smart Phone user you can also get the Water Storage app by the BOM for official water storage info in seconds.

You can also explore more information on climate change and visit the National Meteorological Library! In fact you are most likely to find information that you didn’t even know you might be interested in – like the Tsunami Warning Centre or discovering your local weather station.

This is an awesome website to bookmark and have in your favourites tab.

Prime Minister’s Literary Awards 2012 Winners

The results are in!

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Arts Minister Simon Crean announced the winners of the six 2012 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards at the National Library of Australia yesterday.

FictionFoal’s Bread by Gillian Mears
PoetryInterferon Psalms by Luke Davies
Non-fictionAn Eye for Eternity: The Life of Manning Clark by Mark McKenna
Prize for Australian HistoryThe Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia by Bill Gammage
Young adult fictionWhen We Were Two by Robert Newton
Children’s fictionGoodnight, Mice! By Frances Watts, illustrated by Judy Watson

This year’s Prime Minister’s Literary Awards have attracted the highest number of entries since its inception. Entries were received from every state and territory and included books, e-books, websites, documentaries and audiovisual material.

The Awards celebrate the contribution of Australian literature and history to the nation’s cultural and intellectual life. The winner of each award will receive an $80,000 tax-free money prize.

The Hon. Julia Gillard tweeted just after the announcement “Congratulations to the winners of the PM’s Literary Awards. Now in their 5th year, I’d like to think they’ve become a tradition. “

Vote: Top Aussie Books

If you tune in to watch The First Tuesday Book Club, which airs on ABC Radio monthly, you may be familiar with the poll they are taking for the top 10 Aussie Books to Read Before You Die. There are a lot of lists going around, such as 1001 Escapes to Experience  Before You Die or 1001 Video Games to Play Before You Die. This in comparison seems pretty achievable and downright brilliant.

Perhaps though it could be phrased in a more uniquely Australian way – 10 Books from Bazzaland to Read Before You Croak, or is that just a bit of Flemington confetti?

Anyhoo, before I get too dinky-di, have a gander at this well thought-out list which covers novels across many decades, styles and genres. It includes favourites such as The Power of One alongside more contemporary novels like The Slap. There are buttons to click and vote on the spot, or you may like to  search our ‘you beaut’ new Library Catalogue and create your own top Aussie books list.

 The top ten books will be announced on a one hour special, airing on ABC 1 at 10 pm on Tuesday 4th December, 2012.