What do Russia, Canada, India, Singapore, the Philippines, the USA, Belgium, Burundi, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Ivory Coast, Serbia, South Africa and Tanzania have in common? They all finished behind Central West Libraries in the 6th International Federation of Library Associations and nstitutions International Marketing Award. Yes, we WON the international management and marketing award for the "Have you done your homework?" campaign. The award application was prepared by Technical Services Librarian, Ros (WooHoo! way to go Ros)and relates to the online classroom partnership and online homework help for school students. The yourtutor online delivery gave us the means to connect a student with an experienced tutor via the internet. As part of the prize Ros will receive airfare, lodging, and registration for the 2008 IFLA General Conference and Council to be held in August this year in Quebec City, Canada. The award will be officially presented at the conference. The IFLA International Marketing Awards aim to honour organisations that have implemented creative, results-oriented marketing projects or campaigns. This is a huge coup for Central West Libraries and Australian public libraries so let the celebrations begin!!!! Read the announcement on IFLA's website http://www.ifla.org/III/grants/marketing-award-winners.htm

Inspirational poet and educator Deb Westbury hosts a writing workshop at Orange in July: For beginner writers: Writing from the Senses The best writing is generous. To show readers what you saw, felt, touched, tasted and smelled is to enable them to enter into your original experience. To simply 'tell' them leaves your readers on the outside of your experience. It is not generous or interesting. Saturday 5 July, 10am to 1pm in the West Room, Orange Regional Gallery, Byng Street, Orange.

The cost for the workshop is $35.

To book your place, please call the Central West Writers' Centre on 6393 8125.

Deb has been a familiar and respected voice in Australia poetry since her work was first published in 1975. Her poetry has since been widely anthologised, including the Oxford Anthology of Women's Verse. She teaches courses in creative writing at university and high schools and now resides in the Blue Mountains. Her latest work is The View From Here.

* Please note the previously promoted poetry workshop: Making Metaphor has been postponed.

Central West Libraries, Central West Writer's Centre and Angus & Robertson present an author talk by Mike Keenan at Orange City Library on Friday 4 July at 6.30pm. Mike's first book, The Horses Too Are Gone, only told a small part of his personal story. Now, through his memoir The Shadows of Horses about growing up on the family property, Myall Plains, and later running it, he explores many aspects of the Australian bush and its way of life. Along the way he tells some terrific bush yarns as well as hair-raising anecdotes from his years on the bush racing circuit. Ultimately it is about his passion for - and despair over - life on the land, but he also speaks for every farmer who is doing it tough. Call Orange City Library on 6393 8132 to let us know you are coming along.

Last night the winner of the prestigious Miles Franklin Literary award was announced: Steven Carroll for his novel The Time We Have Taken. The Award celebrates Australian character and creativity and nurtures the continuing life of literature about Australia. It is awarded for the novel of the year which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases. Commenting on the winner's novel, the Judging Panel wrote: "Carroll's novel is a poised, philosophically profound exploration of the question, a stand-alone work that is moving and indelible in its evocation of the extraordinary in ordinary lives." His publisher said The Time We Have Taken "counterpoints the story of a family with that of a community – and a nation – also undergoing great change. It is rich, lyrical and profound". For more details go to http://www.trust.com.au/awards/miles_franklin/

Caroline Eisenhauer and Marion Mitchell Read at Cowra Library are counting their every step and asking patrons to sponsor them or donate funds to Cowra Rotary Club's Shelterbox project. ShelterBox helps in disaster zones and usually contains thermal blankets, a tent, tools and other survival equipment, light and heat and cooking aids. Rotary is trying to send more to Myanmar (Burma) since Cyclone Nargis destroyed large portions of the country. The pair are wearing pedometers to count steps. Caroline is averaging 8,000 a day while Marion is not far behind her averaging 5,000. Call in to the Library to see the Shelterbox display and show your support with a donation to this worthy cause. Caroline and Marion will feature in the Cowra Guardian and they are pictured here courtesy of Janine Finlayson of Rural Press Ltd.

Enjoy a BBQ on Tuesday 24 June from 11am – 2pm at the Art Gallery Forecourt, in front of Orange City Library, Byng Street, Orange. Come along and enjoy the sausage sizzle to mark Drug Action Week and drug info @ your library. Stay for the guest speaker Professor Sandra Jones, Director of the Centre for Health Behaviour and Communication Research at 2pm to 3.30pm talking about alcohol advertising and all the issues. Don't wait for the politicians to decide, hear from an expert and make up your own mind. Learn more about drug info @ your library: up to date information on alcohol and drugs, easy to read, accurate, in English and other languages, online and at your public library. There is also a quiz to try and be in the running for a prize. Drug info is a partnership between NSW Health and the State Library of NSW. Go to the website: www.druginfo.sl.nsw.gov.au.

The 2008 Banjo Paterson Writing Award Winners were announced today and they are:

Prose: Margaret Betts from VIC for Exposure, Greg McFarland of Orange for The Tractor, Neridah McMullin from VIC for Bart and the Underground Water Supply. Open Poetry: Jo Mills from WA for Walyunga, Jillian Pattinson from VIC for E H Holden and Pamela Sherpa from Jindabyne for Drought.

Bush Poetry: Ron Stevens of Dubbo for Distant Dialogue.

Children's Writing Awards: Thomas Whitehead, of Orange, for his poem My Favourite Holiday, Eleanor Delaney, of Orange, for her poem Winter and Holly Fredericksen, of Orange, for her short story Bushed.

The Yvonne Zola Encouragement Award goes to Sarah Stackman of Lewis Ponds, for her poetry.

Judging is almost complete for the 2008 Banjo Paterson Writing Awards. A total of 214 entries will be judged by a community panel including staff from Central West Libraries and Central West Writers' Centre with most of the entries received in the Prose/Short Story and Open Poetry Sections. The winners will be announced on Monday 16 June and you can read more about it in the Central Western Daily

Be entertained. Central West Libraries is proud to present a true blue Aussie performance by entertainer Geoffrey Graham. Titled As the Crow Flies, Geoffrey performs a celebration of larrikins, legends and fair dinkum entertainment combining music, comedy and verse. It is a salute to our identity and heritage. He will be appearing at Forbes Library on Thursday 12 June at 10.30am, and Orange City Library on Thursday 12 June at 2pm. Please contact the respective libraries to book your place: Forbes on 6852 1463 or Orange on 6393 8132. Everyone is welcome to attend, it is an event for all ages and free. Geoffrey even takes requests!

Emma aired on ABC 1 last night as the starter to a season of English novelist Jane Austen's works on Sunday nights at 8.30pm. For fans of British spy drama, Spooks keep an eye out for Rupert Penry-Jones appearing in the upcoming classic Persuasion as the dashing Captain Wentworth, screening on June 8 with Sally Hawkins as Anne Elliot. It is a story of second chance featuring a love letter to turn things around. Then it will be Northanger Abbey on June 15 and Mansfield Park on June 22. And for more on Austen tune into The Letters of Jane Austen as part of the Book Show on Radio National weekdays at 10.45am from 2 – 6 June. The first three episodes are devoted to letters to her sister Cassandra, episode four concentrates on letters to her brother James and in episode five hear her words of advice and affection to her niece Fanny. Austen remains one of the most widely read and popular of English novelists. Her books are noted for biting social commentary that highlights the situation of women in the nineteenth century. What a feast of Austen!