Friends of Libraries Australia national public library awards for 2008

I am delighted to let you know that Blue Mountains have received a Highly Commended in these awards.

See below:


Friends of Libraries Australia national public library awards for 2008

Friends of Libraries Australia (FOLA) received a record number of entries in 2008 for its two annual awards. The awards recognise and encourage innovation and excellence in public library programs and services for children and young people (the Peter McInnes Award) and for older adults ( the Eric Flynn Award). Each award winner receives $1000 and a framed certificate.

The winner of the FOLA 2008 Peter McInnes Award for Library Services for Children and Young People is the Hurstville City Library, NSW, for its Dragon Tales Mandarin Storytime pilot lapsit program in Mandarin for 0-3 year olds. The judging panel for the award observed that
This pilot project, a part winner in the 2008 NSW Cultural Awards, was a lapsit storytime program in Mandarin for parents, grandparents and carers using story, rhyme and song to prepare children for preschool and to encourage meaningful interaction. Information on child development, preliteracy and numeracy and simple craft skills were also presented in Mandarin to develop an understanding of Australian culture and educational practices. It was innovative in that the Library joined with the St George Migrant Resource Centre and used a community resource to meet unusual circumstances and create a sense of community. It was well planned and specific in targeting an isolated group of preschool children, their parents and grandparents with measurable and positive results. After a review, the Hurstville City Library has complemented the pilot program to reach more children, and identified a need to provide a preschool session and school holiday program for school aged children. The Hurstville initiative could be replicable by other public libraries, using a similar methodology.

Receiving high commendations, in a particularly strong field of entries, were
• Friends of Wingecarribee Library Inc, NSW, for its support of the Wingecarribee Library’s Bilby Book Club for 0-5 year olds, a well thought out program using innovative incentives to encourage lifelong reading habits in very young children.
• Blue Mountains City Libraries, NSW, for its Books 4 Babies scheme. This goes a step beyond other ‘books for babies’ programs, and involves a community partnership between the Friends of Blue Mountain Libraries, the library service, the local hospital and the Megalong Book Company.
• Fairfield Library Service, NSW, for its exemplary broad and strategic approach to programs supporting children and young people, especially those promoting literacy and numeracy for the City of Fairfield’s culturally and linguistically diverse families.
• Macquarie Regional Library, Dubbo NSW, for using a strategic targeted approach to identifying major market segments, and responding to the needs of preschool to Year 12, and Indigenous groups in partnership with a range of community agencies.
• Ipswich Library and Information Service, Qld, for its best practice strategic approach to collaboration with its Friends of the Library group and a wide range of local networks and agencies in promoting literacy and reading development in children and young people.

For more information please see the FOLA website:

FOLA Website here for full press release