Come and meet local poet Elaine Barker at Tea Tree Gully Library next week. Elaine has written a collection of poems called High Heels & Tartan Slippers which is a must for shoe lovers. Her poems range from the light-hearted to the serious as she takes us through a reading journey with different types of shoes.
This special event will be happening at the library on Tuesday 7 August from 11:00am – 12 noon. 
To book your place call us now on 8397 7333.
Hope to see you there!
The entries are in and it’s time to vote for your favourite in our “Change History” competition. We asked you to take a photo from our collection and reimagine it, and your imaginations ran wild! Dinosaurs in Tea Tree Gully, UFOs in St Agnes, come and see them all at the library service desk and have your say in who will walk away with one of the Kindle Fire prizes.
The lucky winners will be announced at a special event in the library Saturday 19th May at 2pm.
This Monday night and Thursday morning don’t miss out on this wonderful exhibition by Carole Simmonds of the Tea Tree Gully and Districts Historical Society. Travel back in time through the most intriguing slides from our collection and discover the history of Tea Tree Gully with us in the Community Learning Centre.
Wine and cheese will be provided on Monday evening (7-8pm) and morning tea on Thursday (10-11am). Bookings are free and can be made at the library or by calling (08) 8397 7333.
The Pet Pals Family workshop was a fantastic school holiday session run in collaboration with Inspectors Gary and Kate and our Children’s and Youth Services team. The star of the show hands down was Reggie the most gorgeous Beagle in the City of Tea Tree Gully!
The session was very fun but most importantly informative; teaching children how to approach dogs, deal with stray aggressive dogs and how to care for pets.
Check out the photos (see the Flickr box, left) of the Summer Reading Club Scare up a good book finale, where over 60 children and their parents celebrated the books that have been read over the school holidays. Highlights were the fantastic scary costumes worn by the kids (and staff), and the Monsters Aren’t Real puppet show by Sue Harris. I think the Pin-the-Spider-on-the-Web game was a hit, as well as the face painting, witches brew trail and craft activities.
The top three readers from the Summer Reading Club are about to be determined, and they will be invited to a special afternoon tea with Mayor Miriam Smith, and receive their book voucher prizes from www.TheNile.com.
Well done to all participants, and thanks for joining in our party!
While the year is but a few days old, let’s take a moment to reflect on our highlights in 2010 (in no particular order):
… and here comes 2011 – another exciting new year!
The City of Tea Tree Gully Library will be holding a Living Library event on Wednesday 20 October. The aim of this event is to provide a positive, friendly and informal experience where people feel they can have a conversation with someone they would not normally meet, but from whom they have something to learn.
This is your opportunity to have a conversation with a ‘Living Book’ – someone of a particular stereotype or profession who has many stories to tell. The Living Library enables groups to educate people and challenge the most common prejudices in a safe and relaxed environment.
This year’s event gives you the chance to speak to 10 ‘books’ including a funeral director, Metropolitan Fire Service firefighter, nun, car enthusiast and indigenous elder. What do you want to ask?
Date and time: Wednesday 20 October from 10:00am to 3:00pm
Venue: City of Tea Tree Gully Library Relaxed Reading Area
Bookings: No bookings required
While this event is aimed primarily at high school students, members of the public are welcome to attend. For more information please phone 8397 7470.
See you there!
Michele Hill will be visiting the Library on Wednesday 27 October at 11am, to give a talk about William Morris, textile and pattern designer, and the quilts she has made inspired by William Morris and the Arts and Craft era. Her book, William Morris in applique is available for loan from the Library – reserve it now to have a look at Michele’s gorgeous handiwork! 
Or to read more about the man himself, we also have his autobiography.
Michele is currently travelling overseas, and you can get to know her via her website, or follow her travels via her blog. She is in Lithuania at the moment!
Bookings are now open to meet Michele in person, just call 8397 7333. Places are limited, and there’s been a number of people really looking forward to this event, so book now!
The City of Tea Tree Gully Library aims to provide social, cultural and technological learning through a regular program of events, and through the provision and access to a wide range of physical and electronic resources for the whole community. This includes classes in Basic Computer Skills, Searching the Web, Local and Family History; practical seminars and workshops on health and wellbeing, finance, gardening and travel; author events and interactive reading workshops; access to multimedia items and computers every day of the week.
Adult Learners Week highlights to the City of Tea Tree Gully Library the importance of providing these opportunities. We aim to provide a series of opportunities for individuals to participate in learning and gather a deeper understanding of what our area has to offer on an ongoing basis.
Adult Learners Week is celebrated annually from the 1-8 September. The theme of this Adult Learners Week is, “Your Learning Journey: Take the next step.”
Participants learned about environmental and cultural literacy options in their local community where they can continue to grow and develop: learning more about the environment in which they live and play, and how they can contribute back to the environment through more sustainable living and best practices. The other half of the learning was focused on the importance of local and family history: the impact that our stories have on bringing us to where we are today and where we will be in the future.
The Tea Tree Gully Walk of Environmental Literacy began with an enthusiastic introduction to the environment of the City of Tea Tree Gully, and then headed out to the Wynn Vale Community Garden. Participants also learned about the Gully Wetlands and various environmental initiatives of Council, as well as experience the beauty of nature. Morning tea was served with guest speaker, Penelope from the City of Tea Tree Gully Council, and then the group headed back to the Civic Centre through the Kingfisher Reserve.
The Cultural Literacy Bus Tour took participants on a journey through the streets as they took in our local history. Participants learned about our history with a tour of Houghton Cemetery, had morning tea and a tour of Highercombe Museum, then headed through the Wynn Vale Community Garden as they explored the impact and importance of our flora and fauna on the development of the character and culture of the City of Tea Tree Gully.
Get involved and discover the contribution that learning makes to the prosperity, health and wellbeing of individuals, communities and organisations.
While we are holding a two day event about the love of reading, the Readers’ Festival has a visual element as well. As part of the Readers’ Festival we ran a graphic design competition. Children, youth and class groups were invited to redesign a book cover and go in the running for book and art vouchers and other prizes.
Winners in each age category will be presented with their prizes tonight, Friday 6 August, by Mayor Miriam Smith, at the official launch of the Readers’ Festival. Anyone is welcome to attend the launch, with booksellers and publishers here from 5pm and official proceedings from 6 – 6.30pm.
All entries into the book cover redesign competition are now on display, and will be available for viewing until Thursday 12 August. Including new covers for Possum Magic, The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe and Tomorrow When the War Began, among other titles, there are some great skills and creativity on show.
Winning designs on display in the Relaxed Reading Area
Off the Shelf 