Australians Celebrating Halloween

Will the practice of celebrating halloween take off in Australia? This week a group of adults protested for Halloween to become a public holiday in Australia. While it may never reach quite that level of enthusiasm in Australia, Halloween as a celebration has certainly gained some momentum. The retail giants would certainly like us to begin celebrating it, as the potential commercial benefits are enormous. Read More

So in the spirit of Halloween, try making some Halloween inspired recipes, or the kids might like to decorate the home with Halloween inspired crafts

The history of celebrating Halloween dates back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. During October 31, they celebrated Samhain believing that the line between this world and the next is at it's thinnest. As immigration increased in the USA, Americans began to dress up and eventually adapted the celtic tradition to include "trick or treating". For a more detailed history read more

Highlights of This Weeks New Titles

• A collective act : leading a small school - Includes practical and, at times, challenging images of leading learning in a small school. Check Availability

• Nerve cells and animal behaviour - The neuronal basis of animal behaviour – for zoology, biology and psychology undergraduate students. Check Availability

• AARNet : 20 Years of the Internet in Australia -1989-2009 Check Availability

• Emergency care and transportation of the sick and injured - Offers complete coverage of every competency statement with clarity and precision in a concise format that ensures student comprehension and encourages critical thinking. Check Availability

• Orthodontic and dentofacial orthopedic treatment - Provides a comprehensive discussion of the safest, fastest, and most efficient evidence-based orthodontic and dentofacial orthopedic treatments. Check Availability

• Assisted conception - Examines the science behind reproductive technologies and explores a range of concerns and opinions. Check Availability

• Animation - Lavishly showcases the most brilliant animation created. Check Availability

• Mortal remains (fiction) - Kathy Reichs. Check Availability

• Strange attractor (Australian drama) - Sue Smith. Check Availability

• Vietnam : the Australian war - Creates an equally powerful pictorial record of this epic story with some of the most memorable, shocking and rare images of the war. Check Availability

The complete list of new titles can be accessed here

Electronic information security

This report from the NSW Audit Office (Peter Achterstraat) concludes that the New South Wales government is not able to provide assurance that it is safeguarding its holdings of sensitive personal information because its policy has not been properly implemented.

The public sector legitimately gathers and uses personal information about citizens, and shares it within and outside government. But personal information can be misused with potentially serious consequences. If the wrong people get access to sensitive personal information an individual can suffer financial loss or damage to their credit rating, have their medical records compromised, or suffer from threats and harassment. Text adapted from AustralianPolicyOnline. Click here to read the full report.

Summer Bushfires

Extreme bushfires in NSW, the ACT and Victoria in the last couple of decades have resulted in a number of bushfire inquiries, along with a range of legislative and administrative changes.

This Parliament of New South Wales briefing paper summarises the bushfire management arrangements in NSW and examines the key findings from the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.

The article link can be found here.

Highlights of This Weeks New Titles

• IFLA public library service guidelines - These guidelines are framed to provide assistance to library and information professionals in most situations. Check Availability

• Dick Smith's population puzzle - DVD - Not only investigates Australia's long-term future, but is also a personal journey of discovery as Dick attempts to get a national debate started on the dangers of unplanned growth. Check Availability

• Wrongful death sentences : rethinking justice in capital cases - Explores wrongful capital sentencing to offer a sober yet searing critique of the criminal justice procedures and legal criteria involved. Check Availability

• Dancing on a shifting carpet - Reinventing traditional schooling for the 21st century. Check Availability

• Fitness through aerobics - Covers a broad array of issues that speak to a wide range of aerobics instructors. Check Availability

• Paramedics in Australia : contemporary challenges of practice - An invaluable resource for those seeking to learn and join the paramedic professionals of this country. Check Availability

• Mosby's pocketbook of mental health - Offers clear, concise guidance to students on clinical placements and practitioners. Check Availability

• Veterinary assisting fundamentals & applications - A well-rounded, complete approach to learning the skills required in the field of veterinary assisting. Check Availability

• Second Life, media, and the other society - Examines the convergence of media in the largest residential virtual community to date in the gaming world: Second Life. Check Availability

• Van Diemen's land - Shows how the convicts were changed by the natural world they encountered. Check Availability

The complete list of new titles can be accessed here

The Murray Darling Basin Draft Plan

The Murray Darling Basin Authority has released its much anticipated plan and, as expected, the plan calls for drastic cuts in water allocation to farmers.
This authority was set up in 2008 to take responsibility for the integrated management of the basin's water resources. The basin which covers 14% of Australia's land mass generates 40% of our income derived from agricultural production. It's home to more than 2 million people and a further 1.3 million people, including the population of Adelaide who are reliant on its water resources. Guests on this audio include -

Mick Keogh

Executive Director of the Australian Farm Institute http://www.farminstitute.org.au

Mike Young

Executive Director of the The Environment Institute, University of Adelaide and Member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists

http://www.myoung.net.au/water/

Text adapted from Australian PolicyOnline. Click here to listen to this ABC Radio National audio.

Highlights of This Weeks New Books

• Beginning iPhone games development - With this book, you’re going to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty with some hardcore coding. Check Availability

• Managing wine quality - A review of important developments. Check Availability

• Graphic design school - The principles and practices of graphic design. Check Availability

• Seeley's essentials of anatomy and physiology - Written to allow instructors the ability to accomplish one overall goal: to teach the basics of A&P while fostering the skill of problem solving. Check Availability

• The butterflies of Australia - Offers a unique guide to help identify the nearly 400 species to which our continent plays host. Check Availability

• Animal law in Australia and New Zealand - Written for university law students undertaking animal law, animal welfare law or animal rights courses. Check Availability

• Into the woods - The battle for Tasmania's forests. Check Availability

• Disability rights and awareness - Provides an overview of the major disability groups and their core activity restrictions. Check Availability

• Gaming in libraries - Gives you the practical tools you need to organize, implement, and market successful gaming events for users of all ages. Check Availability

The complete list of new titles can be accessed here

R U OK?

October 7, 2010 will see people all over Australia asking "R U OK?" - and for good reason! RUOK Day aims to help prevent suicide by 'encouraging Australians to connect with someone they care about and help stop little problems turning into big ones.'



Here's what the RUOK team has to say about this important initiative:

"Research shows that talking about suicide with someone at risk actually reduces the chance of them taking their own life. It is the one thing we can all do to make a real difference.

"Staying connected and ensuring your colleagues, friends and loved ones do so as well is as simple as having regular meaningful conversations. So every day can be RUOK? Day."

Things you can do:

• Visit the RUOK Day website
• Follow the RUOK Day Twitter stream
• Join in the conversation on the RUOK Day Facebook page
• Read some of these amazing journal articles about suicide prevention and treatment:

• Thinking about Suicide: Contemplating and Comprehending the Urge to Die
• Learning from Suicide
  
• The Challenge of Suicide Prevention: An Overview of National Strategies
• Child and Adolescent Suicide: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Approaches to Prevention
• Suicide on railway networks: epidemiology, risk factors and prevention
• Browse the Journal Databases for many more articles
  

• But most of all, if you or someone you know or love is doing it tough, ask "R U OK?" (the RUOK website has some great resources about reaching out and connecting with people) or if you are in need of some support, try some of the crisis intervention organisations assisting people supporting RUOK Day.
  

Highlights of This Weeks New Books

• Introducing RDA : a guide to the basics - The new cataloguing standard that will replace the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR). Check Availability

• The quants - How a small band of math wizards conquered Wall Street and nearly destroyed it. Check Availability

• Women and the law in Australia - Povides practical advice on dealing with issues in the practice of law that are of specific importance to women. Check Availability

• Criminal behavior : a psychological approach - Approaches the understanding of delinquent and criminal behavior from a psychological perspective. Check Availability

• "You're going to love this kid!" - Teaching students with autism in the inclusive classroom. Check Availability

• Emu dreaming - An introduction to Australian Aboriginal astronomy. Check Availability

• Clinical procedures manual for remote and rural practice : Australia and New Zealand - Supporting clinical practice in the bush. Check Availability

• Animal science biology & technology - Will take readers from the basics of physiology through production and on to evaluation. Check Availability

• How to write art history - Enables students to get the most from their art history course. Check Availability

• Steven Spielberg's America - Explains the complex relationship between film and politics through the prism of an iconic filmmaker. Check Availability

The complete list of new titles can be accessed here

The Connected Classrooms program in NSW

This article written by Sue Beveridge and included in the journal Curriculum Leadership discusses the benefits of The Connected Classrooms Program in NSW. This program provides staff and students in the state's public schools with new opportunities for collaborative learning. Using state-of-the-art technology available through the CCP, staff and students are gaining opportunities to obtain, create, collaborate and share knowledge in new ways. (Text adapted from AustralianPolicyOnline). Click here to read the full article.

World Teachers' Day: Recovery begins with teachers

"Be it a humanitarian crisis, such as the earthquake in Haiti and China, or the global economic crisis that has devastated many developed economies over the past year, the role of teachers and other education personnel is vital to social, economic and intellectual rebuilding.All those who are fighting to provide quality education to children of the world can join teachers and their representative organisations to celebrate the profession and show them their support! World Teachers’ Day, held annually on October 5th since 1994 - when it was created by UNESCO - celebrates teachers worldwide. Its aim is to mobilise support for teachers and to ensure that the needs of future generations will continue to be met by teachers." [Source: World Teachers' Day 2010]

Today, 5 October, is World Teachers' Day 2010, a time for taking the time to appreciate the contributions teachers make to the world. Here's what UNESCO has to say about this important day:

"Today, on World Teachers’ Day, we pay homage to all teachers for their pivotal role in shaping children’s lives and for their critical contribution to the social, economic and intellectual development of nations. Teachers are change agents, providing the impetus for the emergence of educated communities."

Simple ways you can mark World Teachers' Day

• Virtual exhibition 'Tribute to Teachers' - "Day after day, in classes across the world, teachers bring knowledge to life. This exhibition presents snapshots of teachers exercising their profession in difficult circumstances – in remote rural communities, in zones recovering from conflict, in areas struck by natural disasters. They show teachers working with migrants, refugees, with children from nomadic families or with special needs." [Source: UNESCO]

• Read the 1966 report that started it all - Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers

Looking for some great Education resources?

• Try our Education Subject Support page.

• Browse through our Education Journal Databases

• Read some amazing books and ebooks about this important profession:

• Why do I need a teacher when I've got Google? by Ian Gilbert. Check Availability

• The Herb Kohl reader : awakening the heart of teaching by Herbert Kohl. Check Availability

• The professional practice of teaching, edited by Clive McGee and Deborah Fraser. Check Availability

• The courage to teach : exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life by Parker J. Palmer. Check Availability

• The beginning teacher : everyday realities. [DVD] Check Availability

• The new lives of teachers by Chris Day and Qing Gu. Check Availability

• The pocket guide to Every Child Matters : an at-a-glance overview for the busy teacher by Rita Cheminais. Check Availability

• Teachers’ voices : storytelling and possibility by Freema Elbaz-Luwisch. Check Availability
  

Opening hours for October long weekend

Due to the NSW Labour Day public holiday, the Library's opening hours will be reduced for the period from Saturday the 2nd to Monday the 4th of October. Below are the opening hours for the various campus libraries during this period.

* To see the Library's opening hours beyond this weekend, be sure to check out our Opening Hours page.

Saturday 2 October
All CSU campuses (Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Ontario, Orange and Wagga) will be closed all day Saturday the 2nd of October.

Sunday 3 October
Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Orange and Wagga will be open on Sunday the 3rd from 1:30pm - 5:00pm. Dubbo and Ontario campuse libraries will be closed all day.

Monday 4 October
Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Orange and Wagga campuse libraries will be open from 1:30pm - 5:00pm. Dubbo and Ontario will be closed.