What's new?

In this term's mailout you will find:

• The new and updated Topic List 2004
• Infocus order form
• A variety of promotional materials

The 2004 Topic List contains a range of new items covering the following topics.

• The poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Items 2210 - 2211)
• Inner journeys in poetry (Item 2212)
• Aboriginal spirituality (Items 2213 - 2215)
• A Simple Plan (Items 2216 - 2217)
• Billy Elliot (Items 2218 - 2220)
• The adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Items 2221 - 2223)
• Citizen Kane (Item 2224)
• Continuity and change in Indonesia and Japan (Items 2225 - 2226)
• Teen Films (Item 2227)
• Stephen Herrick's A Simple Gift (Item 2228)
• Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard (Items 2229 - 2230)
• Dune (Item 2231)
• P.D. James of crime fiction novels (Items 2232 - 2233)
• Legal Studies

New Legal Studies items cover topics including terrorism, human rights, asylum seekers, family law, discrimination against women, children, homelessness, the stolen generation, cloning, juries in Australia, consumer protection and the right to privacy. The latest Hot Topics title is Water Law.

The Infocus Topic List has been completely reprinted following a cull of the collection. To mark the occasion, new artwork has been commissioned and is included in this mailout. You will find a new cover insert and spine label for your Topic List folder, a poster and bookmarks as well as instructions for the Topic List renovation.

About 10% of the Infocus collection has been removed because these items are no longer relevant to current New South Wales Stage 6 syllabuses and prescribed texts. Our culling criteria included currency and appropriateness of content as well as the relationship of items to other Infocus items on the same topic.

The review process highlighted a few gems that have been in the collection for some time but are still relevant to current syllabus. For example, Items 0613 - 0614 might be useful as supplementary material to Jesse Martin's Lionheart. Both items relate the experiences of lone sailors. Likewise, Items 0641, 0643 and 0644 discuss competitive ballroom dancing and dancers, similar to the plot of Baz Luhrmann's film Strictly Ballroom. While these items don't discuss the film, they have potential as supplementary material.

The following website includes links to three audio interviews between Don Swaim and crime fiction writer P.D. James: http://wiredforbooks.org/pdjames/

The interviews were recorded in 1986, 1990 and 1993. You will need RealPlayer version 5.0 or higher to listen but this can be downloaded free using the Don Swaim Interviews link.

www.cyberbee.com is a great website for teaching Copyright issues. This American site has an interactive activity on copyright basics as well as links to essays on other copyright issues. Have a look at the wealth of resources and learning activities on many other topics.

Save time looking for these sites by using the online edition of Close Up. Find it under 'What's new', on the Infocus home page or use the link below. Earlier editions have links to useful websites too.
http://infocus.sl.nsw.gov.au/res/whatsnew.cfm

We've also created a link under 'What's new' to 'The Journey' to make finding relevant items quicker and easier. The link will take you to the list of Infocus resources on this HSC English Area of Study. You may wish to bookmark this link for your students too, as the list of resources will continue to grow.
http://infocus.sl.nsw.gov.au/res/whatsnew.cfm

Now you can print an order from the Infocus website. Follow the link to Member's Order Form from 'What's new' to print as an MS Word 2000 document. See
http://infocus.sl.nsw.gov.au/docs/order_form_2004.doc

March 1 will see the opening of Miles Franklin: A brilliant career? Personal diaries, letters, literary papers, photo albums and personal belongings will be on display for the first time. The exhibition also highlights Franklin's career in Chicago with the Women's Trade Union League and as a cook in Macedonia during World War I.

This working life also opens on March 1. Rare photographs, showing employees at work, and company records give us a glimpse at the changing nature of work in New South Wales between 1824 and 1960.

The Nelson Meers Foundation Heritage Collection is an ongoing, changing exhibition of Library treasures. The personal writings of botanist Ludwig Leichhardt, including detailed field books from his 1844 - 1845 journey across the continent, are featured. You will also see some of Robert Louis Stevenson's stories among other unique items in the current display.

In the Picture Gallery until May 2004 Freeman Studio features photographs of 20th Century figures, including actress Nellie Stewart as Nell Gwynne in 1902. This selection of thirty portraits has been taken from Freeman's collection of glass negatives to mark 150 years of the Freeman studio.

Literature 2004 celebrates the Library's literary collections. Nobel prize winning author Patrick White's desk and chair are among the items on display. A special series of events is planned for young people, and will feature popular Australian writers talking candidly about their work in fiction, memoir, songwriting, journalism, comedy and script and screenwriting. For details, see http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/whatson/literature2004.cfm

Tracings: Fictional Newcastle architecture includes theoretical drawings, architectural models, digital images and some associated text. Originally displayed in the Lovett Gallery of the Newcastle Regional Library, Tracings is part of the Library's contribution to the Year of the Built Environment 2004.

In keeping with this theme, the Dalgety Walkway features an image display of the Mitchell Library from 1885 to the 1960's called Mr Mitchell's monument.

For a glimpse of these exhibitions, visit www.sl.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/

Infocus contact details

Infocus: linking people and information
State Library of New South Wales
Macquarie St, Sydney 2000
Tel: 02 9273 1519 Fax: 02 9273 1248
E-mail: infocus@sl.nsw.gov.au