Issue 6

Makor is the ONLY totally public access Jewish library in Australia.

We have a constant flow of books, videos, photocopies and slides travelling from the Library to many different locations. Overnight courier services ensure that schools and individuals in even the most remote towns will receive materials promptly, and phone, mail and fax enquires are part of the daily routine.

The objective of Makor Jewish Library is to provide a range of resources on Judaism, Jewish History and Culture, the Holocaust, Israel, the Middle East, and Australian-Jewish life.

All shades of political and religious opinion are represented and our selection policy is one of inclusion rather than exclusion. While Makor does not maintain a theological collection as such, the natural intertwining of Judaism with the historical and cultural development of the Jewish people means that we have a large range of materials on such subjects as the Jewish way of life, the various festivals and rituals, and Jewish attitudes to ethical issues ranging from the environment to death and mourning. Similarly, there is a wealth of material on the Holocaust -from histories and analyses to accounts written by survivors who are now Australian citizens. Resources dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict can also be provided as welf as ample information about Israel itself -its economy, geography, history, society and politics.

Because Makor Jewish Library is not part of an educational institution, it does not qualify for government funding on a regular basis. Therefore we must charge a membership fee which, in the case of schools, is $50.00 per year. This subscription covers the needs of ALL teachers in the school. For example, an English teacher may require help with a novel which has a Jewish theme, such as My Name is Asher Leu or The Fixer; a history teacher may use Makor to prepare a curriculum on World War II and the Holocaust; a home economics teacher may be covering a course in ethnic cookery, including Jewish or Israeli dishes (they are often quite different!). The one subscription would cover all these requests.

Student use of the Library falls into two categories. If in metropolitan Melbourne, the student is expected to visit the library in person and pay either $4 per visit for casual use or $15 (half price concession) for annual membership. For rural and interstate students, we prefer to deal on a library to library basis through the school librarian, and this service is included in the school's $50 annual subscription.

Makor runs on an automated system -Metamarc -and the catalogue and loans system have been operating most successfully since 1987 on this Australian- designed system. The features of Metamarc are many and varied and include facilities for building a thesaurus (which we have not yet done), a multi-subject screen which allows the use of Boolean operators, and a very user-friendly search program. Printed bibliographies are easily provided on request.

Our most recent acquisition is a modem which will enable users to search our catalogue 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (the only exception is between 4 and 5 pm when we back-up the system). We have not yet had enough time to explore all the possibilities of the modem, but it is up and running and available to all current subscribers.

It is not possible to cover all aspects of such a unique service in a short article. Topics of Jewish relevance may be part of just about any syllabus and I think it is important that teachers in Australian schools of all kinds should be aware that Makor Jewish Library -with its specialised collection and specialist staff (graduate teacher-librarians) is very pleases to provide individualised services.

As from July 1, our address will be
MAKOR JEWISH LIBRARY
306 Hawthorn Rd
Caulfield South
Victoria 3162
Tel (03) 272 5611
Fax (03) 272 5540

The modem number and instructions are given when borrowers take out membership.