Bankstown Library

Bankstown Library and Knowledge Centre reopened earlier this year, moving across the street to prime real estate in the middle of Paul Keating Park. As a result, they have hugely updated their services, and have succeeded where a lot of libraries fail.
Many upgrade their stacks without upgrading their general seating and desk space, but Bankstown has not fallen into that trap. There is always plenty of room to sit, no matter what the time of day. Not to mention that they all have a great view, and are extremely comfortable.
My favourite feature is the large wall of plants that lines the staircase. It is absolutely beautiful!

Burwood Library & Ultimo TAFE Library

Burwood Library re-opened last week, and I finally got to check it out on Tuesday. It looks pretty fantastic, if still a little loud due to the large amount of students, who often socialise more than they seem to study. I wish they'd gotten a room in the same way as the children did.

Regardless of my personal complaint, they have used to the space really well. Everything has room to breathe compared to the cluttered old library. They seem to have more books than before, which is absolutely amazing! (Or maybe everyone suddenly returned books I haven't come across).

The view from the second floor, which is mainly for adult fiction, is my favourite. You can see the bridge that goes over the train tracks, where we park just right on the other side.

I found some great books to borrow, and I also managed to lengthen my to-read list.

 

This is another post about Ultimo Library. Picture 1 is their amazing science section, which I was drooling over a little (erm, again). Pictures 2 & 3 are purely about computers and programming, and what is pictured here only goes up to 5.7, as the collection continues onto the other side. I am amazed. This is the biggest programming section I have seen in my life.

There are so many library books (books about libraries, I should say), that I want to check out, and I pictured a few of them below, including the stack that I ended up borrowing.

I also want to comment on the puzzle that they have set up. A communal puzzle in an adult environment is amazing, and I think they are awesome for making this available.

 

Burwood Library Is About To Re-Open

Burwood has become a bit of a dull place since the library closed down. It's left me feeling rather empty and limited in my choice of books.
Despite being small previously, they were jam-packed with interesting reads that I hadn't come across anywhere else. Often World Cat will tell me I can pick up that book at 1) Burwood, and 2) Melbourne or possibly London. I love World Cat.
However, I am very pleased to announce that they are opening up again tomorrow at the crack of dawn (I wish). 9am.
Here's a sneak peak of the glorious outside. Isn't it big?! I am glad they are working with a bigger premises.
Burwood Library previously had the problem of limited seating. During busy months, like the lead up to the HSC, it is impossible to get a seat. Half the time I could sit on an inobtrusive part of the floor, but stusents usually clsim these places too.
It looks like that has been solved, and then-some.
I eagerly await to visit sometime soon for a nice look-around.

Posters

For great bookish posters, head over to Scholastic here. I also found some interesting other blogs through poster searching, including Forbidden Planet and Lost & Found Books.

Library Studies Update

One week until school starts!

To prepare, I am finishing off my little Dewey Decimal study notes (as of writing this, I am up to 710, which is Civic & Landscape Art. I am learning something new every single day!) I've been using a mixture of Wikipedia, the page here, and this site, as reference.

Our printer has a little bit of a temperment... It will print 100 pages fine for me, as long as I don't ask for colour or anything fancy, and for Peter, it will print barely half. I think it is a little bit spiteful. I am full of praise for it, and Pete prints something expecting it to fail. I think it is a living thing that doesn't want to be disrespected. (Magic Toaster, anyone?)

I was also browsing library books (that is, books ON libraries) on the web, somewhat disappointed that we don't actually have textbooks for this course. Don't worry though. I found something to amuse myself. Added to my order were these two books, links in order here and here. And I added this one to my wishlist.

 

Orientation

Today was finally orientation for the diploma course. I got there exactly one hour early, and hung around the library.

Orientation took quite a while, as we got a basic introduction to the course and its units before being divided up into groups based on type of study and timetables. There was some flexibility to the timetabling, but they were all pretty early starts, regardless, so I just took whatever was available. I'm in the Yellow group!

I was "last but not least" again, but all the time in the world makes up for the sight that greeted me when I left the elevator.

FREE BOOKS(!)(!!!!!!!)

I grabbed a stack of them, everything concerning the opera, economics, poetry, and interesting sounding fiction.

With my newly acquired books, I headed off to Student Association, were I signed up for a whole year at the gym, which works out amazingly cheap. It'll be the perfect thing to fill up one hour breaks, and early finishes. 

I am so excited for this school year!

 

My New (And Last) School

Ulitmo TAFE has the biggest library I have been to yet. Every subject possible has been fleshed out and explored. They have a dozen bookshelves (not just shelves) on programming and computers alone. Their section on libraries is comprehensive, to say the least. They also have more books on graphic design and illustration than I knew existed.

I settled down with an illustration book I'd never seen before, and thought about how I can expand my current portfolio (my deadline is the first day of school). I also checked out books on character design, Japanese patterns, and a set of massive graphic design textbooks.

When I needed a breather and a drink, I wandered aimlessly around the school. I discovered that there are two cafeterias, loads of fancy bathrooms, a really cool light, Student Association, and, to my huge delight, a gym!

Classes start in two weeks, and I can't wait. The atmosphere is positively lovely.

New School

I always take the wrong entrance when I get out of Central. I always head to Eddy Avenue, so finally I made myself find the right entrance to the Western Forecourt.

The view was certainly worth it... a large Christmas tree, glistening decorations hanging from the roof, the old clock and the railway galleries.


It was the most beautiful day, too! Look at those blue skies!


After paying for my course fees, I had to check out the library (and I had to sneak in!) My gosh. It is almost as big as Liverpool!

They have a pretty large collection under 153, which is my current favourite. They have de Bono books I haven't been able to find anywhere else, along with casette tapes!

20 sleeps until this library is mine!

Bright Future

I only did two units from the Certificate III of Cultural & Information Studies, before I got bored. It is mainly about researching and citations, which I am quite adept at - regardless of what a certain coordinator implied. To do the Diploma, regardless of your previous courses, you had to take a general aptitude test at your selected college, which was Ultimo for me.

Pete had to go into the Conservatorium, so we caught the train into the city together. I got a bit lost from Central, as I am more used to the Market City-side, and it took me a while to realise I wasn't getting an accurate map as GPS was disabled on my mobile.

As soon as I got to the right building, I snapped a picture of the smart cobblestone path.

As you can see by my photos, I was a little over-excited. I was really happy to find out that library studies has its own level. It means I should be able to chat to anyone there, and have a common interest... (at least in theory!)

 

As I rode up in the elevator and the doors opened, this is the first thing I saw. My heart lit up instantly.

 

There are a lot of these all around the place. I wish I could have taken a photo of every single one, but I was trying not to make a scene since everyone was lined up in single file outside the meeting room.

There were a lot of applicants compared to the amount of places, so I was really nervous. This was intensified as we were divided into our previous completion of library studies: Cert IV completionists, Cert III completitionists, and those of us who hadn't completed either. I thought things were over at this point in time.

There were only four teachers conducting interviews, and dozens of students, so it was a pretty slow process. They asked if there was anyone who needed to hurry up and get going (it was around 2pm, so a lot of mothers were anxious about the school pick-ups). I volunteered to go last, with the opinion that I would only be reading at home, so indulging in my book while I waited wasn't that harsh a punishment for me (hehe).

"Patience is a virtue," I was told, so I patiently waited and was last to go in for both interviews. 

I was only a little nervous, and incredibly sleepy, but I did my best to remain calm and imply confidence during my interview.  They were impressed by my technology credentials and my history of working in childcare, so I think I charmed them enough to make up for my lack of library-related studies.

After that, I was sent into the computer room. Despite being the last in, I was one of the first out. It was just a simple comprehension test in a word-file, that you then had to email as an attachment with the appropriate name, as well as the stated body and subject text.

With that successfully completed, I was sent into the second waiting room, where I volunteered to be the last in line again. I read my book, and occasionally chatted with the fellow applicants about history, pub trivia, music, and, of course, books.

When my name was finally called, it was by the lovely lady who had interviewed me in the first place. As I stood up, she said that there was no need for a second interview, since she had done the first one, and everything looked fine.

Before I left, I had the audacity to ask about the posters all over the wall, and got the name Southern Scene at this address. I want them so badly! I am thinking of adding a few to the Christmas list.

As I walked away, I felt less and less confident. Maybe they weren't giving me an interview because I was so terrible in the first one!

All my fears went away the next day as I found out that I was in! I am so excited to start a new semester. I feel like saying something lame like, "Bring it on!"