I mentioned last column that we were holding our Great Books Festival in May, taking national recognised illustrator Jules Faber and author Chris Collins to schools around the region.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This was hugely successful, with well over 1000 local children involved. We also had a win with our streamed event of the Sydney Writer’s Festival.
The audience was richly rewarded for their time (and it didn’t cost a cent to be to be in with the crowd). Definitely two great outcomes for MidCoast.
Speaking of positive outcomes, in May we relocated our Bulahdelah library service to the Rural Transaction Centre and it looks last month was our busiest lending month in Bulahdelah since 2014.
Now that’s a great result. I simply can’t do this column without telling you about the wonderful and extensive school holidays program we’ll be running.
It’s so impressive that there isn’t enough room to mention them all. So, I’ll give you a teaser. There are: Pirate parties, origami workshops, cooking workshops, bingo game, movie sessions, aboriginal storytelling, puzzles and games, scratch art, knitting classes and crafty science.
Sessions are either free or carry a small $7 charge per child (if we’ve had to pay a presenter). Want to book in, or find out more (like, what is scratch art?) then go to our website: www.midcoastlibraries.com.au, click on the events option and work your way through.
And, we’re rolling them out all over the place – Forster, Taree, Wingham, Tea Gardens, Hallidays Point and Harrington. Remember, numbers are limited, so make sure to book in as soon as possible.
Of course, during the holidays you can always just bring the children in to see everything else our libraries offer, especially if it’s wet. Or maybe you could leave them behind and escape (“Just going down the shops – might be gone a while”).
During June we’ll also give you the opportunity to be entertained by storyteller, songwriter, author and playwright, Bill ‘Swampy’ Marsh. Bill’s a bit of legend, so you can sit back, relax and enjoy Bill’s stories and songs.
Expect a touch of magic, a dollop of dry Australian humour and a good splash of fun. Bill will be performing at Harrington (July 3, 1.30-2.30pm), Wingham (July 5, 11-12pm), Taree (July 6, 6-7pm and Forster (July 7, 2-3 pm).
It’s totally free, but do book in if you don’t want to miss out.
A final and important note regarding Gloucester Library, which we are switching over into the MidCoast Libraries network. We had originally planned for 3 July, but we’ve decided to extend the time frame until more like the end of July to get things just right.
See you at the library.