No images? Click here Bringing the Library to youImage: Building being shifted by donkey team 14 miles from Malcolm to Gwalia c.1910│ 212079PD Dear Friends of the State Library The eerie silence of a continually closed SLWA is something I had never previously contemplated or thought I would ever witness in my library career. Hiding behind our closed facade though is a hive of activity as the brilliant and creative SLWA staff turn their energy to developing and delivering services to support the WA community during COVID-19. Our Mystery Box book service has been embraced by the community and we have utilised books returned from WA public libraries to surprise, delight and challenge readers with reading material they wouldn’t have picked for themselves. We continue to provide a scaled down internet service to those who have no other means to access information, use government services and stay connected in a world driven even further online during this pandemic. For researchers our Digitisation on Demand service enables access to SLWA’s rich and varied collections including to our unique Western Australian heritage materials even though we are closed. Better Beginnings at Home builds on our award-winning family literacy program providing activities and practical advice for parents with very young children to engage them in creative literacy and STEM-related activities. I can assure you SLWA will reopen physically as soon as we can, but in the meantime I hope you will continue to use our services and stay connected with us through our social media channels which we would love you to share with your friends and family. State Librarian, Margaret Allen PSM Image: Unloading boxes of gelignite, A Free Mystery Box of books to help pass the time in isolation. Each box contains 7–10 items. Choose between fiction, non-fiction, children’s books or a mixture of categories. Requests can be submitted online. Pick up is via a no-contact drive-through service at the State Library loading dock. When you have finished reading your books we would love it if you returned them to us at the same place you picked them up – we won’t be chasing you, and there is no time limit – we just ask you to #beKindWA and share the love by letting us share the books with others. Image: Reading a magazine in the garden, c.1900│ 012634PD RB Digital has generously given all State Library and public library members access to their entire catalogue of magazine titles! There are now more than 3,500 magazines to choose from, many of them in languages other than English. You can download free the guilty pleasure that is New Idea. Or perhaps a bit of fashion and Vogue. Or if current affairs is your flavour, we offer you Time Magazine and Newsweek – and yes all 3,500 are free. Of course you need to be a member of the State Library (or a local public library). Better Beginnings at Home is a free initiative created for parents and carers. Every day at 10:30am and 2:30pm the SLWA Better Beginnings team will be posting stories, songs and activities to help build children’s early literacy skills at home through sharing stories, songs and activities. Follow the Better Beginnings Facebook page. To watch 100’s of songs, rhymes and stories being read aloud visit the Better Beginnings YouTube page. Image: The Whittaker children, 1915│ 152932PD Image: Process camera at West Australian Newspapers c.1921│ 095861PD Digitisation on Demand: during our closure this service allows the community and researchers to request an item from the collection to be digitised and made available via our library catalogue or via email, copyright permitting. The State Library collection contains vast quantities of photographs, maps, diaries, archives and ephemera focused around Western Australian history. Many of these are already online but if the document you need isn’t digitised, you can now use the Digitisation on Demand service. ABC Radio Perth with Dr Kate Now you can listen to Battye Historian Dr Kate and Jess Strutt on ABC FOCUS every Tuesday at 10:45am, discussing WA stories and Library treasures. Listen live online, on the ABC listen app, on channel 25 on your television, on 720 AM on your radio, or ask your smart speaker to "play ABC Radio Perth". Hear past segments on the State Library SoundCloud. Image: Bridge over the Blackwood River at Bridgetown under construction, 1887│ 020822PDBridging the Digital Gap There are more than 2.5 million Australians who do not have access to the internet. In the current situation, the ability to stay connected, access government services and information is an essential service. The State Library of WA is offering free 20 minute computer and internet sessions to people who do not have access at home. This service is limited to thee people at a time. 25 Francis Street, Monday to Friday 9am–5pm. Image: Migrants arriving at Fremantle, 1953│ BA2817/2449 ‘Let’s Talk’ English online conversation sessions: The Library's ‘Let’s Talk’ sessions are moving online! If English is not your first language, and you would like to practice your speaking and listening skills, you can join our weekly Zoom sessions. Starting 29 April 2020, sessions will run each Wednesday from 1–2pm until the State Library re-opens to the public. Sessions are free, but you must register by 4pm the day before and places are limited to 10 people. Image: Family group with a motor car, c.1920│ 304890PD Ancestry Library Edition now you can uncover your family secrets from home. State Library of WA members now have free access to the Ancestry Library Edition from home. Previously this resource was only accessible within the Library. The Library Edition includes 1.5 billion names in over 4,000 databases. Including records from the Australian convict index, Australian electoral rolls, United Kingdom census records, British Army World War One pension records, United States census and military records, court, land and probate records, vital and church records, directories, passenger lists and more. Just use your State Library membership number when logging in. Image: Perth Fortress Silver Band, 1929│ 100381PD Music and information about music and musicians is accessible through a variety of platforms. The WA New Music Archive specifically represents and promotes local musicians. Classical music and related information can be found in the Naxos Music Library, while Grove Music Online and Oxford History of Western Music provide resources for music research. Video streaming is available for members. Kanopy offers a large collection of indie films, classic cinema, festival and educational documentaries and popular movies. Kanopy Kids offers content that helps children develop empathy, mindfulness, and self-esteem through entertaining and educational videos. Categories include TV series, learning languages, animated storybooks, Anime favourites, classic films and family movies. Image: The Grand Theatre building on Murray Street decorated for the film King Kong, Perth 1934│ BA3118/39 Image: Lottery ticket for Golden West Special No.1, 1966│ 114296PD Everyone's a winner with free State Library membership. We have welcomed 2,177 new members over the last month. Sign up online to enable you to:
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