A library quote for a Friday...

"A library is both comfort food and inspiration, opportunity for growth, and the place where anyone can come for personal enrichment." Judy Strong, American author.

Nearly time to move...

We're on the final countdown to our library move! Our new home on the first floor of Swansea Business School is now complete. The carpet has been laid, all the painting and electrics are finished and the new offices have been built. Next comes the complicated bit...moving all the Business Faculty books and furniture! The move officially starts on Monday 9th July when Pickfords will arrive with their heavy duty trucks to spend 10 days with us, after which we will remain closed until both the Owen library at Mount Pleasant and the new library are sorted and ready for visitors. We don't know exactly how long this will take but we'll keep you posted!

So, don't forget that Friday of next week (6th July) is the last day we will be open in Mount Pleasant, so if you wish to borrow any books from us for the summer vacation that will be your final opportunity before we close for the move. All our online resources will continue to be available of course, as will Townhill library and the Griffith library at Dynevor.

RIP Lonesome George

We were sad to hear news today of the death of Lonesome George, an icon in the fight to save endangered species. George was thought to be about 100 years old, which is still quite young for a species which can live up to 200 years. It is not yet known how he died. For those of you who don’t know, this Pinta Island tortoise, became known as the rarest animal on Earth as he was the only known survivor of his sub-species. Sadly, with his death this weekend, that sub-species is now extinct.

If you’d like to find out more about Lonesome George, who lived in the Galapagos National Park in Ecuador, why not give our new Digital Library a go? Just follow the link from our homepage and do a search for “Lonesome George” (keep the inverted commas in and you’ll restrict your search to that phrase, rather than looking for any mention of a George or being lonesome!). The Digital Library searches through our online resources as well as looking for items on our shelves, so you’ll find lots of journal and newspaper articles to tell you more about this lonely icon.

If you’d like to find out more about endangered species and conservation, why not give our library catalogue a go? The library catalogue searches for books and other resources on our shelves, as well as looking for relevant e-books. Just click the catalogue link on the homepage!

A little reminder to all final year students!

Please remember to return all outstanding library items, and clear any library debts before you leave the University. And also we would like to wish you all the very best for your future as SMU graduates, from the Library & Learning Resources service!

Coming soon, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The musical!

 A new musical based on Roald Dahl’s classic, Charlie and the chocolate factory, will open in the West End next June. The BBC News website reports that Sam Mendes, he of American Beauty fame, will direct the show. Dahl is a firm favourite with children and adults alike and Charlie and the chocolate factory is one of his best known books. It has already been adapted for the big screen twice – once in 2005 starring Johnny Depp and before that Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory was released in 1971 and starred Gene Wilder. (The 2005 version is on telly this weekend if you fancy a look!)

The producers are sure to be hoping that Charlie can replicate some of the success of the RSC’s production of Matilda the musical, also based on one of Roald Dahl’s books. Matilda has not only proved popular with audiences, but also won a record breaking seven Laurence Olivier Awards this year.

As you’d expect, Matilda and Charlie and the chocolate factory are available, along with lots of other Roald Dahl books, from Townhill Library’s Teaching Practice collection. If you haven’t already read it (or if you have!), Dahl’s autobiography, Boy, is well worth a look. His preoccupation with the sweet shop and his boarding school’s location next to the Cadbury factory might offer clues as to his inspiration for Charlie and the chocolate factory!

And the 2012 CILIP Carnegie and Greenaway winners are...

Patrick Ness (CILIP Carnegie Medal) and Jim Kay (CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal) for A Monster Calls. This is the first time in the history of the awards that both prizes have been awarded for the same book (there was some speculation that this might happen in 2010 for The Graveyard Book, but in the end, although Neil Gaiman won the Carnegie, the Greenaway award went to Freya Blackwood for Harry and Hopper). A Monster Calls is a particularly poignant win as it is based on an idea conceived by author Siobhan Dowd, who sadly passed away before she could write the book herself. Dowd posthumously won the CILIP Carnegie Medal for Bog Child in 2009.

You can go to the official website to find out more about the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals. They are much respected awards in the field of children’s literature and are very close to the hearts of librarians as they are awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP). You’ll find previous winners and past nominees on the website as well as a brief history of the awards.

We’ve put an order in for A Monster Calls, so that should be winging its way to our shelves soon! In the meantime, come and visit the Teaching Practice section of Townhill Library to see a display of some of the previous winners. And please borrow any that take your fancy to share with your children or just to enjoy yourself!

A right royal read!

The bunting has come down (until the Olympics!), the Union Jack-inspired party food has been eaten and we’ve all raised a glass to the Queen in her 60^th year on the throne (or at least enjoyed the extra day’s holiday she’s given us!). Whether you’re a royalist, a republican or something in between, there’s no denying the history behind the royal family. If the Jubilee celebrations have got you thinking about the long line of kings and queens that came before Elizabeth II, why not come in and find out a bit more?

A quick glance at the history section in Townhill Library reveals The Jubilee Years 1887-1897, looking at the period between Queen Victoria’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees, at 942.081 HOW (plenty of other books about Victoria and the Victorians at this number too!), Elizabeth I at 942.055 NEA, William the Conqueror at 942.021 DOM and Alfred the Great at 942.02 BEC. Further afield, our old favourites, National Archives, have launched an online exhibition looking back at Queen Victoria’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees. It features 60 congratulatory messages from all over the world and links to other Diamond Jubilee resources.

Bank holiday closure

All three SMU Libraries will be closed this bank holiday Monday and Tuesday (4th and 5th June). If you need to stock up on books or other resources (maybe a DVD or two now that the weather has taken a turn for the worse!), all three libraries will be open tomorrow (Saturday) from 10am to 4pm. Owen Library at Mount Pleasant and Townhill Library will also be open from 12pm to 5pm on Sunday, though as usual this will be for self-service only. If you have any questions, you'll find contact details for your library by clicking the link on the library homepage.

Have a lovely bank holiday weekend everyone!