Information on the Go

Library members can now access selected databases 24/7 at their fingertips by using a new iPhone application. The app searches all of the EBSCO databases in one go. Members can access Australian and international journal and newspaper articles for basic, intermediate and advanced levels of research. It is particularly useful for secondary and tertiary students or for avid readers of specific topics e.g. health, current affairs, literature, science, history and environment. This app is free to download to iPhones and only needs to be set up once using the instructions below. Setup only takes a few minutes and you’ll be searching in no time!

1. Open the App Store, then search “ebsco” and download the application.

2. Open Safari and go to www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au and click on ‘Library’, then ‘e-Resources’ (TIP: Bookmark this page for future use!)
3. Let’s use ANZRC (Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre) found under the topic heading of ‘Newspapers & Journal Articles’. Click the access button.
4. Enter your library barcode number.
5. Scroll to the bottom of the database page and click

6. Enter an email address that you can access on your iPhone, then check your email and click the activation link provided.

Now you can open your EBSCOhost app and get searching!

For assistance call the friendly staff at the Information and Research Centre on 02 4974 5340.

Feathers for Phoebe

Author: Rod Clement

Publication Date: 2010

Category: Picture book

Who'll want to read it? Kids, parents, anyone with a love of colour, style, and poetic justice.

Point of no return: For me, it was the attitude that drew me in, from the first page: "Phoebe was small and grey and she didn't like it. Not one little bit."

Classic line: " 'I like to puff out my chest, fan out my tail, wiggle my rump and sing... Ging gang gooley gooley wash wash...' "

What's it all about? Little, grey Phoebe wants to be noticed, so she turns to Zelda, the beautiful, talented, famous beautician, to help her. Zelda (who I always imagine speaking with a Russian accent, dahlink) fits Phoebe out in a pretty amazing new costume, and the results are not quite what she expects.

Feathers for Phoebe is ALIA's National Simultaneous Storytime book this year. Check to see if your local library is joining in the fun, from 10:30am on Wednesday 25 May 2011.

Publisher: Angus & Robertson - an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

Visit Newcastle Region Library's Catalogue and Website.

eBooks for Newcastle Region Library Members

Search here:

Newcastle Region Library members can read a variety of eBooks at home or elsewhere 24 hours a day.

You just need internet access and your library card - library membership is free.

Use the widget above to search dinosaurs, aptitude & psychometric tests, climate change, recipes, fashion, body adornment, Ancient Greece and pop art (just to name a few subjects we cover).

You will need to type your library card number in when prompted.

Many titles are suitable for children as well as adults.

For assistance, phone the reference staff at Information & Research Centre on 4974 5340

or send a question via:

ASK a Librarian: http://nrl.altarama.com/reft120.aspx 

Visit Newcastle Region Library's Catalogue and Website.

Inside WikiLeaks: my time with Julian Assange at the World's Most Dangerous Website

Author: Daniel Domscheit-Berg (translated from German by Jefferson Chase)

Publication Date: 2011

Category: Adult non-fiction

Who'll want to read it? Anyone interested in Julian Assange and the WikiLeaks phenomenon.

Classic line: "Never in my life have I known such an extreme person as Julian Assange. So imaginative. So energetic. So brilliant. So paranoid, so power-hungy, so megalomanic." pg 3.

What's it all about? In the Prologue the author relates that Julian Assange wrote an introduction to a recent set of leaks named "Cablegate". The leak "illustrated the contradictions between public appearances and what goes on behind closed doors. People, he asserted, have a right to know what happens behind the scenes."  In response, Daniel Domscheit-Berg states "You can't put it any better than that. And it's high time to look behind the curtains of WikiLeaks itself." You might like to read this before Julian's biography comes out later this year. Newcastle Region Library holds several copies. If you would like to reserve a copy visit or phone one of our branches.

Publisher: Crown Publishers

Visit Newcastle Region Library's Catalogue and Website.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 1: The Mysterious Howling

Author: Maryrose Wood  
                  
Illustrator: Jon Klassen

Publication Date: 2010                     
Category: Children's book

Who'll want to read it? Primary school girls & grown up girls who think it might have been fun to attend the well regarded "Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females". Also if you enjoyed Jen Storer's Tensy Farlow and the Home for Mislaid Children or Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Point of no return: I admired 15 year old Miss Penelope Lumley's pluckiness from the very start and wanted to stay with her on her journey: "... Miss Lumley was far more awake than she wished to be. Had she really said something about bandits? She had seen cats fall clumsily from windowsills and then walk off as if nothing had happened; this, Miss Lumley realized, was her wisest course of action. Best not to mention the bandits, ever again." Pg 3.

Classic Line: ' "If I can provide them with a fraction of the steady care that Swanburne and Miss Mortimer have given me, then all will be well," she thought, before blurting: "Dear me, Cassiopeia, mind your dress! I realize it may be faster to go on all fours, but I think you will find your stockings will last longer at the knee if you walk upright. Here, allow me to demonstrate." ' Pg 65.


What's it all about? The very proper and determined Miss Penelope Lumley arrives at Ashton Place for her first job as a governess. An air of mystery surrounds both Miss Lumley's past as well as the origin of her three charges. Alexander, Beowulf and Cassiopeia appear to have been raised by wolves and delight in nipping, barking, howling and chasing squirrels. It is the job of Miss Lumley (or Lumawoo as the children take to calling her) to convert the children into socially acceptable people. The children are of course adorable and I found myself wanting to reach into the book to give "Cassawoof" a big hug. There is lots of lovely irony concerning the display of "civilised" behaviour within the walls of Ashton Place, especially at the Christmas Day party. I have found myself craving cinnamon scented Plum Cakes since I read this book, so I'm off now to find a suitable recipe.

Publisher: Balzer + Bray (An imprint of HarperCollins)

Visit Newcastle Region Library's Catalogue and Website.