Crochet along with us to make a market bag

We love finding new ways to connect with our communities and we think we’ve come up with a good one!

If you’re at all crafty, or just mad about yarn, join our online Crochet Crazy group on Facebook as we crochet a market bag together. We’ll be posting our favourite tips for beginner crocheters as well as sharing our project progress.

What you’ll need:

• 100g of 8 ply cotton yarn
• 4.00mm crochet hook
• The Crochet Market Bag pattern (*)

“As good as therapy I reckon” — Lisa Harth, Librarian and Crazy Crochet-er

Beginners and Experienced crocheters welcome.

(*) The pattern was adapted from the French Market Bag pattern by Alexandra Tavel of Two of Wands. It’s full of row-by-row instructions and photos to help you as you follow along.

Sink your teeth into some of these great reads, available now through our library takeaway service!

For the cooks

Feed the family on a budget with the help of Jody Allen and her book The $50 weekly shop weekday dinners. Jody was made redundant from her job in 2009 while she was pregnant with her second child, and got good at shopping, cooking and freezing in bulk in order to feed her family of four on a tight budget. Find inspiration for nutritious and budget friendly week-night dinners that the whole family will love!

Smart Snacks is the brain child of renowned child psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg and foodie Flip Shelton. It’s full of recipes for whipping up quick and delicious snacks that will fuel your kids through the school years.

For the grown ups

Read the stories of some of the world’s most successful women in this inspiring book by Samantha Brett and Steph Adams. The Game Changers contains first hand essays designed to uplift and inspire women, and help us live our best lives!

Get lost in Liam Pieper’s second novel, Sweetness and Light. This is the intoxicating and unsettling story of the battle between light and dark, love and lust, morality and corruption.

For the kids

Keep the kids laughing with Bust A Move by Adrian Beck and illustrated by Scott Edgar.

Get stuck into the Super Sidekicks series by New York Times Bestselling, Australian author Gavin Aung Than.

You can find many more great titles like these on our catalogue.

• Jandowae Community and Cultural Centre will be closed and QGAP and Visitor Information services will be unavailable. Council rates payments can be paid at Australia Post Offices. For other payments please visit wdrc.qld.gov.au, call 1300 COUNCIL or email info@nullwdrc.qld.gov.au.
• Moonie Regional Transaction Centre will be closed however mail will still be sorted on Tuesdays and Fridays and will be available to collect.
• Wandoan Cultural Centre will be closed. Council rates payments can be paid at Australia Post Offices. For other payments please visit wdrc.qld.gov.au, call 1300 COUNCIL or email info@nullwdrc.qld.gov.au.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this closure, but our first priority is the health and wellbeing of the Western Downs community. We look forward to serving you in the future, and thank you for your patience and understanding during this unprecedented time.

WHAT DO I DO IF I HAVE ITEMS OUT ON LOAN?
Loan periods are still the same during this time. If you’d like to return your items, all our branches have an external after-hours returns chute.

You can extend your loan in just a few clicks! Simply login using your Library Card number and PIN and renew online, or phone 1300 COUNCIL and ask to be transferred to a Library Officer.

Western Downs Libraries has a no fines policy so if you are unable to renew or return your items you won’t incur any costs. It is okay to wait until we reopen.

CAN I STILL BORROW BOOKS AND OTHER ITEMS FROM MY LIBRARY?
Yes! Our Library Takeaway service is currently up and running. See overleaf for more.

CAN I ACCESS ANY LIBRARY SERVICES FROM HOME?
Yes, we have an extensive range of online library services and resources that you can access from the comfort of your own home.

You can watch movies, listen to music, read eBooks, flick through magazines, listen to audiobooks and more, all for free and without leaving the house. To find out more about accessing your library at home, visit westerndownslibraries.com/library-at-home/.

CAN I STILL BORROW BOOKS, AND OTHER ITEMS FROM MY LIBRARY?
We are exploring new ways to serve our library community during this time, please follow us on social media @westerndownslibraries for more updates.

I’M NOT A LIBRARY MEMBER, CAN I STILL ACCESS FREE ONLINE RESOURCES?
You will need a library membership number to access our online resources. You can join online for free by visiting westerndownslibraries.com/membership/ or by calling 1300 COUNCIL.

I USUALLY PAY MY RATES AND OTHER COUNCIL NOTICES AT A MULTIPURPOSE CENTRE. WHERE CAN I PAY MY RATES AND OTHER NOTICES?
You can pay your rates notice at your local Australia Post Office. For other Council payments visit wdrc.qld.gov.au, call 1300 COUNCIL or email info@nullwdrc.qld.gov.au.

I RECEIVE DELIVERIES OF BOOKS FROM THE HOME LIBRARY SERVICE. WILL I STILL RECEIVE MY BOOKS?
Yes, at this stage, we will continue to deliver books to members who are currently using our home library service.

CAN I STILL GET IN CONTACT WITH MY LOCAL LIBRARY BRANCH?
Library officers can receive calls or emails during business hours. If you have any questions or would like to speak with a Library Officer, please call 1300 COUNCIL and ask for your local library, or email library@nullwdrc.qld.gov.au.

BorrowBox is a fantastic way to access your favourite books and audiobooks online from the comfort of your own home. And the best part? It’s completely free to Western Downs Libraries Members.

BorrowBox has a large range of eBooks and eAudiobooks to choose from! Download your favourites and carry them with you to enjoy wherever you are.

Find out more about BorrowBox as well as our other great online resources here.

Make sure to check out one of our favourite online resources, Kanopy!

Kanopy is a platform that lets you watch movies and TV shows absolutely free with your Western Downs Libraries Card. Watch up to 10 movies a month, or unlimited content from Kanopy Kids. Choose from a huge range of award winning movies, tv shows, documentaries and kids content and watch online for free!

Not a Western Downs Libraries member? No worries! It’s free and you can join today.

Head to Kanopy now, or check out our other online resources. They’re all free and available from the comfort of your own home. All you need is your Library membership number.

Storytime at Home Free and Online

Story Box Library is an engaging educational resource that inspires reading in kids of all ages, improving language and literacy skills along the way.

Story Box Library was created to:

• Engage children with stories and voices to make personal connections
• develop vital language and literacy skills
• combat endless online searching for quality literacy resources; and
• get kids excited about reading and let imaginations fly!

Best of all, it’s free for families via participating public libraries (that’s us)!

See and hear your favourite stories come to life, read by Nick Cave, Justine Clarke, Eddie Perfect, Katie Ritchie, Andrew Hansen, Missy Higgins, Shane Jacobson and many more.

What is Story Box Library?

The best place to watch celebrated stories read aloud by your favourite storytellers.

How does Story Box Library work?

Story Box Library steams ad-free content directly into the library and homes of library patrons on any device with Internet connection.

Are stories added regularly?

Yes! 30–40 carefully curated, thought-provoking and engaging stories are added each year.

Who are the storytellers?

A range of actors, comedians, sports people, musicians, authors, illustrators, TV presenters, performers, students, grandparents, activist and educators – each sharing their unique voice.

Who is Story Box Library recommended for?

Story Box Library is a fantastic resource for pre-school through to upper primary years.

To access these great resources, visit storyboxlibrary.com/libraries and:

1. Select Western Downs Regional Council
2. Enter your library barcode
3. Enjoy stories, short films and at-home activities

Got Questions? Ask your librarian about Story Box Library today!

It’s official: people of the Western Downs love Audiobooks. Whether it’s farmers listening as they do endless hours of tractor work, people listening as they commute to work or students reading for school (or fun!), we are listening to our books more than ever.

To meet this demand, Western Downs Libraries have made accessing audible content easier than ever, thanks to the new RB Digital app. Now you can browse all of your eAudiobooks and eMagazines in one place! Use the app to flick through magazines or listen to audiobooks for free, anywhere, anytime.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I register for RBDigital? 

You can register for RBDigital online or on the app. Simply visit the RBDigital website and enter your details, or download the app and follow the prompts. If you register online you can log in to the app using your email or username, and password.

I am trying to login but keep getting an error message

Have you tried resetting your password?

If not, please click the “forgot password” link, reset your password and try to login again.

If you still can’t login, please let us know the name of your library authority, your name, email address and library card number so we can look into this for you.

Do we now have to return magazines?

No, the word “return” is used to be consistent with the rest of the app’s media types.  It’s just a simple way to quickly delete from your checked out titles.

Can I manage my account in the app?

No, you will still need to go to the library website via your browser to do this.

Is the RBdigital app available for all devices?

The RBdigital app is available for Apple, Android and Kindle Fire/Fire HD/X but not the Windows phone.  Library members would need to download titles manually through the website onto a Windows phone or stream online via the website.

What are research databases?

Can’t find the information you need from a book?

Are you getting millions of hits on Google and can’t decide which source to use?

As a library member, you can get FREE access to the research databases where you can find reliable sources from magazine articles, newspapers, and scholarly journals!

First time using our research databases?

Click here to create a new SLQ account

Then, follow these instructions:

1. Fill in the online form. Remember to note down your username and password for future reference.

2.Click Submit

3.Return to this page to click on one of the research databases below.

Once you have a SLQ account, click on a research database below.

Visit Access Science for all of your science and technology needs! You will find information from the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology.

Login with your SLQ username and password.

Visit EBSCO’s Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre  to research multiple subjects like history, philosophy, literature, and other humanities. You’ll find information from magazines, newspapers, scholarly journals, and reference books in EBSCO’s databases.

Login with your SLQ username and password.

Try the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography for great, reliable information on men and women starting from the Romans to the 21st century.

Login with your SLQ username and password.

Click on Trove Digitized Newspapers and More to search for just about any newspaper in Australia by state or newspaper title.

No login required.

Available online for free through BorrowBox or RB Digital

Audiobooks are immersive, educational, instructional, entertaining and they’re perfect for the time rich and the time poor. 

Audiobooks can also change the way we listen, read and learn, improving the literacy of young readers and those for whom English is a second language. 

There are plenty of benefits to regularly listening to audiobooks, including: 

• Increasing reading accuracy by 52%
• Increasing reading speed, expanding vocabulary and improving fluency
• Teaching pronunciation
• Improving comprehension by 76%; and
• Increasing test scores by 21% when engaged in multi-modal learning.

Not to mention:

• 27% of the Kindergarten to Year 12 population are auditory learners
• Students can listen and comprehend two grade levels above their reading level when regularly listening to audiobooks; and
• Combining print and audio increases recall by 40% over print alone.

Listening is the first language skill that we acquire and 85% of what we learn, we learn by listening. For those young learners who have difficulty reading, listening to Audiobooks can make learning a much easier process. It also makes it inclusive and fun! 

There are endless reasons why audiobooks are an essential part of learning – time to get the kids listening anywhere and everywhere! 

Need some inspiration? Check out the Western Downs Libraries apps BorrowBox  and RB Digital for a HUGE range of great titles, or browse our physical collection on the catalogue.

A one-stop, concise, authoritative, user-friendly source of reference materials is now at your personal disposal – all you need is your Western Downs Libraries membership card. Watch the video to get started.