Story Time

We had a great time at Story Time last Thursday 23rd February. The crazy sheep story went down well, and the craft (making cottonwool sheep) was fun. But the best bit was when young Xavier recited our second story ("Dear Zoo" by Rod Campbell) with fabulous expression and his eyes shining.

Some moments are pure gold!

Story Time is held at the Library on the fourth Thursday of the month at 10.30am, and includes songs, stories, rhymes and general mischief. It is free of charge, but we ask that you book in, so we have enough materials ready.

Story Time returns! and an Australian poem a day!

Storytime this Thursday
Story Time returns this Thursday at the Library! Our first Story Time for 2012 will be held on Thursday , February 23. Come along and join us at 10.30am for stories, rhymes, activities and fun. Story Time is for babies, toddlers, under fives and their parents or carers. This week, we will be hearing about some crazy sheep, and someone who wants to sleep!

Story Time is free, but we ask that you book in so we have enough materials ready. You can book (even on Thursday morning) by phoning 68178877, or by emailing library@gilgandra.nsw.gov.au.

‘Readers’ available at the Library
Are your children learning to read? Did you know that the Library has 1071 ‘readers’? These are books that are designed for children just starting to read, with engaging stories and easy text. Our reader sets include: ABC Reading Eggs, Hopscotch, Fitzroy, Storylands, Targeting Maths Literacy, Gigglers, My first graphic novel, Tiddlers, I am reading, and many more. Our reader sets are at the best standard they have ever been; come in and take a look!

A poem a day
What better way to celebrate the National Year of Reading than by reading an Australian poem, every day? If this appeals to you, visit the website “An Australian Poem a Day” http://ozpoemaday.wordpress.com/author/ibbyaustralia/ . You can also subscribe to it, which means you will receive a poem a day on your email. What a great way to mark the National Year of Reading! So far this year, we’ve heard from Banjo Patterson, Mary Gilmore, Max Fatchen, Les Murray and many more. All the poems on this site come from “ The ABC Book of Australian Poetry: a treasury for young people” compiled by Libby Hathorn (ABC Books 2010).

We hope you enjoy your reading this week. To find more great reads, come in and browse the Library shelves, or visit http://nwls.spydus.com/ to search for a particular book.

National Year of Reading 2012

Next Tuesday, 14th February, the National Year of Reading will be launched all over Australia. Well, these days we seem to have a “Year-of” something every year, and often we have several at once. So why does the National Year of Reading matter?
The simple answer is that in the reading stakes, Australians don’t always do well. Here are the facts, from the National Year of Reading website (http://www.love2read.org.au ).
The literacy issue in Australia
According to the 2006 Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey, nearly half of all Australians (46%) don’t have the literacy skills they need to cope with the complex demands of everyday life and work in the emerging knowledge-based economy. (http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4228.0 )
A survey by the Australian Industry Group in May 2010 of major employers found that more than 75% felt their businesses were affected by low levels of literacy and numeracy in the workforce. (http://www.aigroup.com.au/portal/site/aig/education/workforceliteracy/ )
Families who read give their children the best start
The most active period of brain growth and development is from birth to three and it is widely recognised that sharing books with young children before they go to school greatly improves their chances of developing good literacy skills. http://www.bookstart.org.uk/professionals/aboutbookstart-and-the-packs/research/reviews-and-resources/sharies-stories/
Fixing the problem
The National Year of Reading is about turning Australia into a nation of readers. There are three goals:

• For all Australians to understand the benefits of reading as a life skill and a catalyst for well-being
  


• To promote a reading culture in every home


• To establish an aspirational goal for families, of parents and caregivers sharing books with their children every day

There will be lots of reading events this year, at a National level, and also here in Gilgandra. On Tuesday 14th February (aka Library Lovers Day), the major Launch will take place at the National Library in Canberra. Here in Gilgandra, we’ll have copies of “Good Reading” magazine to give away to the first 30 library customers, free tea and coffee, lots of great reading material, and chocolate! We’ll also be asking customers to nominate their most loved books and authors, and we’ll be using this information to create a list of Gilgandra’s top reads.

What would you like to read this week? To see what books the Library has, call in and browse the shelves, or check out the library catalogue at http://nwls.spydus.com .

Sea Eagles read!

Next Tuesday 7th February at 2pm, come to the Library to hear about what Sea Eagles read! Young players from Manly-Warringah are coming to the Library to meet people and promote reading.

The Sea Eagles have a great program called 'Sea Eagles Reads' http://www.seaeagles.com.au/default.aspx?s=community-sea-eagles-read where First Grade Rugby League players act as mentors and tutors in weekly reading sessions in primary Schools. Players are identified as Reading Captains and are matched to one class of students for a term where they bring a new surprise player each week and participate in reading sessions, reading activities, promote reading, set challenges and answer questions about their own reading habits.

We are very grateful for this wonderful opportunity to hear the Sea Eagles talk about the importance of reading. These young men are great role models for our community.