Welcome to the Zettabyte Era

2016 has been declared "The Year Of The Zettabyte" based on the fact that by the close of the year annual global IP traffic will pass the zettabyte threshold - it will reach about 1.3 ZB, actually.

But what is a zettabyte? A zettabyte is ten to the 21st power, which can be written as a one followed by twenty-one zeros: 

1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

So, what does that mean in terms of data?

Perhaps the infographic by Cisco below, taken from this 2011 article explains it better than words can:

Streaming the entire Netflix catalog 3,177 times. Wow!

So one thing is clear: a zettabyte represents a lot of data usage, and even more amazingly, this usage is predicted to double by 2019.

So why am I telling you this? The rise of the zettabyte reminds us that with such a huge amount of Internet traffic comes the challenge to turn unstructured data into meaningful information. It is imperative that citizens of the world be able to recognise and select credible material, master effective research skills, and know how to cite sources. These skills will help you after you leave school, long after the zettabyte becomes the yottabyte, and beyond. 

Here are some helpful guides on the Library pages:

Research Guide 

Senior Sceondary - Essay Writing

Citation Tools

Or drop by the library and speak to a real, live Librarian. We may be still trying to get our heads around the zettabyte, but we can help in the here and now!

Have you met Alice?

Alice is a stapler. Alice enjoys her job - stapling.  It's a simple life, but that's ok. Because that's what Alice was made to do.

Alice is the latest in a long line of staplers that have worked in the Arthur Holt Library. Over the years these walls have bore witness to countless multitudes arriving one after another - standard models from Officeworks, heavy-duty workers from Bunnings, lime-green toys from Smiggle. Nameless, mechanical helpers who gallantly gave their all to keep your stuff in order. Some couldn't handle the pressure, their springs giving up on the due day of that huge Year 10 Commerce assessment. Some were constantly jamming and had to endure multiple and often painful staple extractions. Some just quietly and without fanfare disappeared.

But now there is Alice. Things will be a little different. Alice will help us tally how many staplers we go through in a year. Like tropical cyclones, Alice's name denotes she is our first stapler for the year 2016. Successive staplers, should they be called upon, will alphabetically follow in her footsteps, so to speak.

We really, really hope to have Alice stick around all year. Please make her feel welcome (insert a round of applause here). 

And now, The Library Review.

So apparently, the Library used to have its very own magazine! These periodicals contained book reviews, reports on activities within the Library, poetry contributions, and advice on the Dewey Decimal System - a new "thing" for the Library in 1965! Sounds very much like what we now post on Instagram, Twitter and this very blog!


Hopefully you follow us on Instagram because over the next few weeks articles from this November 1965 edition, as well as others, will be hitting your screens. Times have certainly changed in the past fifty years - but as you'll see, some things have stayed the same!

February 14 is Library Lovers Day!

Love is in the air! The Arthur Holt Library is celebrating Library Lovers Day by offering staff and students a blind date with a book! Visit us this week to choose something from our pile of specially wrapped books.

Go on, take a chance! Imagine not needing to worry about outward appearances - no famous authors, no catchy titles, no intriguing blurbs, no attention-grabbing cover designs. It's just you and the story, and the thrill that this really could be the one...

Your Ultimate Reading List! Part 1

The literary/library/bookselling world abounds with lists. What you should read during the summer, what you should read on a road trip, what you should read before you die, what you should read in the event of a zombie apocalypse. (I thought I was being funny with the zombies, but it turns out someone has written a list for that. No, really.)

So we here at the AHL decided to make a list of each of our Top 5 Books To Read Before You Leave School. Books on this list are well-written and offer high levels of enjoyment whilst being read but they also offer a little extra. Call it what you will - wisdom, life-lessons, a unique perspective. Sometimes you just can't pinpoint what it is about a book, you just know everyone else must read it too.

So we hope you enjoy this first instalment of the list. Watch this space and get reading!

Ms Mileto's Top 5 Books To Read Before You Leave School

1) The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
2) The night circus by Erin Morgenstern
3) Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
4) Jaws by Peter Benchley
5) Perfume: The story of a murderer by Patrick Suskind

If you want to know more about a particular book and why Ms Mileto chose it, just ask! She will be happy to tell you!

National Recycling Week November 9-15

Recycling. It's something that is close to our hearts here in the Library. I mean why wouldn't it be? All those books full of paper!

But aside from all the useful, inside-of-books paper in the Library, the print zone is located here. Printing demands mean we can sometimes chomp through at least 5 reams of paper a day! But not all of this paper gets stapled or bound and submitted as assessments or other work. Some of it gets...

DISCARDED.

That's right, left behind. And it is this paper that we conveniently forget about in our quest for printed perfection which accounts for about a quarter of paper use in the Print Zone per day. 

What usually happens to it:

This: it gets left behind on any flat(ish) surface.

Or, um, this: it gets crumpled up and hidden behind books or on top of shelves or on the floor or under a beanbag.

What we would like to happen to it:

This: if it can be re-used as note paper - that is, it is B&W when you wanted colour or you've printed more copies than you needed - put it in the tray at the far end of the zone.

Or this: if it can't be re-used - that is, it is double-sided or hacked to bits by a printer malfunction  - then put it in the big blue recycling bin!

Being responsible with our unwanted paper is only the beginning though. Take it back a few steps: all this paper waste could be lessened with a bit of forethought. Try taking a few seconds to think before you print.

Does this need to be printed?

Could I save it to the Cloud instead? 

 Could it be printed double-sided to save on paper? 

What do I have to do to get my printing right the first time? 

Hooray for New Books!

What's better than getting new books? Not much really. Have you heard this old saying? 

"You can't buy happiness, 

but you can buy books which is kind of the same thing." 

Never a truer word was spoken (or in this case, written). Although, you could substitute the word "borrow" for the word "buy" and get pretty much the same outcome. So perhaps there is possibly one thing better than getting new books, and that is finding out your Library has got new books.

And look! Here they are!

Watch out for them - they'll be on the shelves soon.

Movember has hit the Library!

The world of literature has given us some truly great moustaches.  Observe the wondrous examples of hirsuteness sported by Orwell, Shakespeare, Kipling, Hemingway, Conan Doyle, and Twain. 

Why am I looking at these authors, you ask? Because Movember has hit the Library this week and the library team is celebrating! For 30 days we'll get hairy, get active and get talking to help men live happier, healthier and longer lives. 

There are a few surprises around the library, with moustachioed librarian Mo Sistas (and one MoBro) and book covers adorned with facial hair. Come to the library and help us support those members of staff who are growing a moustache to raise awareness and funds for men’s health. Cast your vote for the best moustache!

How to get involved? 

Gentlemen (Mo Bros)

• growing a mo? Reply or visit the Library so that we may snap your before, in-progress, and after pics

• think you are a moustache aficionado? A reminder there are rules! 

• join our team! Need help setting up a fundraising page? Reply or visit the Library and we will help you become a walking, talking billboard for men’s health

• no mo-tivation to grow a mo? Take the MOVE challenge instead! OR visit the Library to have your pic taken with one of our mock moustaches!

Ladies (Mo Sistas, do it for a Bro you know!) 

• take the MOVE challenge – do any kind of physical activity every day in November to show your support for men’s health

• join our team! Need help setting up a fundraising page? Reply or visit the Library and we will help you get mo-ving!

• jealous of our Mo Bros? Visit the Library to have your pic taken with one of our mock moustaches!

• care about men’s health? Start a conversation and inspire a male colleague to take an active role in their health.

As per last year – photos, best-mo prizes & lots of fun guaranteed!!!

The fun continues in the Library for the month of November!