Posts from — January 2010

The last of our summer reading suggestions are great reads and the perfect way to escape over the holidays:

• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon
• The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell
• Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
• Everything is illuminated: a novel, by Jonathan Safran Foer

Maybe you already knew these books have been challenged or banned, but have you read them yourself yet? Summer break is the perfect time to find out what all the fuss was about!

• Lolita, by Vladmir Nabokov: banned in France, United Kingdom, Argentina, New Zealand & South Africa
• The well of loneliness, by Radclyffe Hall: banned in the United Kingdom
• The God of small things, by Arundhati Roy: banned in India
• Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury: challenged in the United States
• As I lay dying, by William Faulkner: banned and challenged in the United States
  
• Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut: banned and challenged in the United States
  
• Tropic of Cancer, by Henry Miller: banned in the United States & Turkey
  

Clearing of Level 1 has been swift – you can barely recognise the area as most of the empty shelving has also been dismantled. Plans are underway to relocate the study carrels on Level 1 to Levels 2 and 3 in the next few days.

As of yesterday and despite the heat, relocation contractors Movers and Shakers had packed up and relocated 100% of the Government publications to go to the Annexe and 70% of the Serials on the open shelves. By the end of the week all the older Serials, closed runs and electronic equivalent materials will be located in the Annexe.

Workstations from Level 1 have been relocated to Level 2 and some service desks and collections are now in their new places.

• The Audiovisual Desk and ICT Student Help are now located with the main Inquiry Desk.
• New books are now located in the foyer.
• New Journals are now located behind the Research Help Desk.
• Current Journals and Government Publications are now locate behind the Reference collection in the compactus on Level 2.
• Current Newspapers are located at the north end of the Library, near the AV collection.

Check the updated floorplans for other location changes.

(Click to enlarge)

More information about the renovations can be found on the Bundoora Library Redevelopment Project site.

These summer reading suggestions are a little more serious and thoughtful:

• How are we to live?: ethics in an age of self-interest, by Peter Singer

• Letters from Robben Island : a selection of Ahmed Kathrada’s prison correspondence, 1964-1989, foreword by Nelson Mandela, introduction by Walter Sisulu, edited by Robert D Vassen

• Elders: wisdom from Australia’s indigenous leaders, forewords by Mandawuy Yunupingu & Lowitja O’Donoghue, photographed and recorded by Peter McConchie

• Lucky Man: a memoir, by Michael J Fox