Melbourne Athenaeum Library

A view from the shelves.
An autumn night a few Fridays ago with Tulliah🎶

Don't worry, we haven't got this challenge mixed up with something else, but we understand if you're a bit confused by it.
If you need a hint you might think about the workshops David Astle has run in the library about cryptic crosswords...

Mechanics Institutes’ Milestone💙

In 1827 Australia’s first mechanics’ institute opened in Hobart. In 2027, 200 years later, we will celebrate the bicentenary of the mechanics’ institute movement in Australia.

'Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future' will be a conference bringing together the mechanics’ institute community from across Australia. The conference will be held at the Melbourne Athenaeum on Saturday 13 March, followed by a bus tour of selected Melbourne and regional mechanics’ institutes on March 14.

A website has been launched for the celebration and a call has gone out for papers. For more information visit the website here: https://www.mechanicsinaus.org

It can be hard enough to remember the actual titles of books, let alone titles that were changed prior to publication. Well done if you worked this one out!

There's still spots left for True Adventurers this Friday in the library.

A couple of years ago Ash Davies put a band together to do a concert at the Athenaeum Library playing a selection of instrumental music from his previous albums and recordings he had put out over the years. It went so well that the True Adevnturers ended up doing some gigs at the Union in Brunswick…but then they all got busy and it slowly came to a halt. Given the constraints of keeping a permanent lineup together Ash realised that the True Adventurers are a fluid and floating combo, not just one band of permanent individuals but a band for a moment in time.

It will always have a True Adventurers feel, atmosphere and physicality to it but in different ways…sonically and dynamically. For this concert at the Athenaeum there is a new combo of artists featuring Jeb Cardwell on guitar, Rick Plant on bass and Adrian Whitehead on piano and they will be doing a set of instrumentals and a few songs from days gone by.

Friday 29 May
Doors open 5.40pm | Music 6pm
Free for members | $25 Non-Members
Bookings: https://www.trybooking.com/DLLHS

You'd be forgiven for feeling there's something a little uncanny about the challenge this week, but there's definitely a connection here to be found.

Have a bloody laugh with this month's display featuring accidental sleuths and deep belly laughs. Cook up a storm with Recipes for Love and Murder by Sally Andrew, rush out the door with No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay, and avoid bad luck with The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre.

Last week our library manager Fiona Malcolm caught up with Holly Fletcher head librarian from the Dunedin Athenaeum & Mechanic’s Institute, and Dr Debbie Challis the creative producer at The Portico Library in Manchester. Holly and Debbie were in town speaking at the International Literary Programmers Roundtable delivered by the Melbourne City of Literature and the Melbourne Writers Festival.

https://www.dunedinathenaeum.org.nz/
~
https://www.theportico.org.uk/

All of these are the opening lines of sonnets by William Shakespeare so congratulations if you worked out that connection.

We have another exciting presentation coming up, Jane Austen: Her Life and Works.

This illustrated talk by Susannah Fullerton will discuss the life of Jane Austen and will look at the enduring genius of her six novels.

Susannah Fullerton has been President of the Jane Austen Society of Australia for 30 years. She has published books about Jane Austen, taken tour groups to places connected with Jane Austen, and has often spoken at international Jane Austen conferences.

Thursday 28 May
Doors open 6.40pm | Talk from 7pm
Free for members and non-members
Bookings: https://www.trybooking.com/DKSFI