Sharing Stories ... discover your community

Seniors Week - October 1 - 7, 2016

 

During the celebration of Canadian Library Month in October, Seniors Week is an opportunity for public libraries to focus on programming, services, books and materials for seniors provided by the nine public library regions in Nova Scotia. Throughout the year, library staff continue to welcome and serve older adults coming to the library.

 

Seniors Week is a provincial initiative to incorporate library promotion and engagement of seniors within our communities. Public libraries are encouraged to engage with our seniors and work together to provide for their needs. National Seniors Day will be celebrated on October 1, 2016. Provincially, Seniors Week will be celebrated from October 1 - October 7, 2016.

 

This year the theme is 'Sharing Stories ... discover your community'. Library branch staff have been creative in programming ideas this year. look for a presentation on Charles MacDonald and his Faerie Cottages, Positive Approaches for Dementia, Conversations About Death and Dying, Rug Hooking, Card Making, Celebrating the Harvest Season, a talk on the book 'Valley Child: A Memoir' or come to an Old-fashioned Kitchen Party. For a complete list of all programs go to the event page on our website: www.valleylibrary.ca/seniors-week. Registration may be required for some of the programs.

 

Browse our online catalogue for some interesting reading material and check out the creative displays of items chosen by staff at each of our branches. This may also be a good time to celebrate our senior library workers!

 

Submitted by Wendy Kearnes,

Bookmobile & Offsite Services Manager

Member of Service to Older Adults Working Group

 



Be a Community Ambassador

Have you ever attended a free program at your local library and were so excited by how awesome and fun it was for you or your kids?  Did you wish that more people had attended and joined in the fun? Or maybe you were the one who found out late about an author reading or reptile visit that took place at your local library. You can help to spread the word by becoming a Community Ambassador and sharing our programs and special events through social media and this blog. Below we show you how easy it is to share with your friends and family. 

Here is how you can help...

You can share local library events directly to Facebook and Twitter from our Calendar of Events. Just open up the specific program page, and click on the icons at the bottom. It’s a great way to share what is happening in your library. And it is easy!

Another great way is through our blog. Scroll down to the end of the story you wish to share where you will find a Recommend button tab that looks like this:

Just click on the method you wish to use to share with your friends and family. The most popular ones are Twitter and Facebook. That’s it! Happy sharing! 

Other ways to support your local library can be found here:

·         Donate

·         Sponsor a Program

·         Conduct a Program

·         Attend an Event

·         Get a Library Card

---Carin Cress, Community Engagement Team

Strings & things

Remember Cat’s Cradle? Anne Glover sure does. She makes strings come alive – with her special blend of stories and strings, you’ll never look at a shoelace the same way again. Professional storyteller Anne Glover, from Vancouver Island,  will tour the province during July and August, performing at 29 public libraries, from Digby to Windsor and all the way to Sydney. Her show is best for ages 4 and up. 

We are lucky to have Anne visit Nova Scotia. She’s been all over the world, but this is her first trip to our beautiful province and we can’t wait for you to meet her at six of our libraries. She will be in Hantsport on Monday, July 18 at 11 AM, in Kentville, Kingston, and Bridgetown on July 19, and in Middleton and Wolfville on July 20. Click on each town to find the exact time and location. 

Storytelling as an art form is both entertaining and acts as an educational tool. Historically, cultures have always told tales as a way of passing down beliefs, history and traditions. Storytelling stimulates children's imaginations and develops an appreciation of stories and reading. Anne's special style of storytelling will have your kids laughing and playing -- and you, too!

The tour is organized by the Council of Youth Services, which includes youth services staff from all nine public library regions in Nova Scotia, with funding provided by the Nova Scotia Provincial Library, the Department of Communities Culture and Heritage and the Nova Scotia Library Association. 

In Bridgetown we are partnering with the RCMP's Senior  Safety program to bring Anne Glover to children and their grown-ups, so kids, find a grandparent who wants to enjoy stories and bring them to the Legion Hall on Tuesday, July 19. In Kingston, the village is co-sponsoring the program, and in Middleton, the Friends of the Library are co-sponsoring the event on Wednesday July 20.  Thanks to all our sponsors and partners for helping to make this great program happen.

Find out more about Anne Glover on her website, and make your plans to see her when she is here in the Valley.

I Can’t Believe it! The Isabel & Roy Jodrey Memorial Library is One Year Old!

   It was on June 27^th 2015 that Hantsport’s new library opened its doors to the public. A lot has happened since then; some of it is as exciting as new shoots sprouting from the ground, some of it a little bit uncomfortable as growing pains often are.
  As our yearly statistics indicate many new people have come in to enjoy the new facility and to participate in a wide variety of programs. With the bigger space, we have been able to host visits from some crowd catching celebrities like Princess Hantsport, Santa Claus, and Scott Brison. The change in location from the school has allowed us to have open hours on Wednesday mornings which has developed into a popular time for families and caregivers of preschoolers to visit. In January, the renovations to the lower level were completed and as new furniture trickled in we were able to move the very popular Cozy Corner Storytime downstairs giving the children room to move about, listen to stories and create works of art.
  “Library Lab” is another program that has grown within the year and benefitted from the new program rooms. This is a group of chatty 10-14 year olds who come together every other Tuesday to explore craft techniques, art materials and science activities. They have had so much fun that many of them congregate here on non-program days.  Another lively creative group is the Wednesday afternoon crafters who get together to chat as they stitch, hook, knit or weave. The program room on the lower level enabled this group to change their meeting time to a time when the library is open, every Wednesday from 1-3pm. Anyone is welcome, just bring along your project!
  Having a kitchen downstairs is an asset and has allowed us to introduce a new program called “Lunch & Learn”.  This started in March and happens once per month when a speaker presents as participants munch on their lunch and sip their coffee or tea.  Stay tuned for the Fall 2016 speaker line-up!

 Other programs held throughout the year were tech help tutorials and  kids tech programs, senior’s week  programs,  a family literacy day event, winter carnival story walk & scavenger hunt, a March Break camp, Canada Reads event, and a monthly book club. If any of these pique your interest or you have an idea for something new, let us know and we will try to accommodate.
  We are now getting ready for year two!  It is looking good so far. May I suggest you Renew Your Curiosity and check out our Summer 2016 programs found on the calendar of events. And for heaven’s sake, if you haven’t already been into the Isabel and Roy Jodrey Memorial Library, please come see us!

Liz Gibson
Branch Manager,
Isabel and Roy Jodrey Memorial Library, Hantsport

Summer Reading is around the corner

  Summer. It is nearly here and at the library, that means one thing. The annual Summer Reading Club! This year we have a few extras that we think you will be excited about. As usual, we have the Summer Reading Club for kids and teens. Kids up to age 12 can sign up, read and do activities, and win cool prizes like pencils and a Fast Pass to Upper Clements Park! We are even giving away a bike this year, courtesy of Adopt-A-Library. Our teen readers, ages 12-16, can read and enter to win prizes. For every five hours, teens get a ballot to enter for prize draws. And they too can win a Fast Pass.

  This year, we've added a Summer Reading Club for adults! Readers, ages 17 -170 are invited to read and enter to win prizes. Each adult club member can enter twice-- we have one card at our libraries, and one that will be available out in the community.  Read, enjoy your summer, and you could win some really fun prizes. Because why should little kids have all the fun?

  We've got great programs lined up for you too. We are happy to host Anne Glover, a storyteller from BC who will be doing string stories in several of our branches. We are bringing back Little Ray's Reptiles and Mad Science for your educational entertainment. To celebrate our local farms, we are hosting Storytime with a Farmer in all our branches. We've partnered once again with Oaklawn Farm Zoo to bring you two free Zoo Days-- July 5 and August 9, where our friends ages 18 and under who have library cards can get in free to the zoo! We've planned some fun things like  PreSchool Disco, Musical Zoo, storytimes, tech programs, and more. There will even be  Pink Gorilla wandering around, looking for library lovers to give prizes to.

  Teens & adults, don't feel left out! We've put together a fund program just for you! Camp Overdue is a Summer Day Camp just like when you were a little kid, only made for more grown-up people. Play, make crafts, enjoy S'Mores, and write a letter home. But no little kids allowed.

  It all begins June 27. Visit your local library and find out what summer has in store for you!

March Break is just around the corner

Not heading to warmer climes for March Break? No worries, mate. We have you covered. Our libraries have all sorts of programs, from Magician Al Bernard to pizza parties. All our March Break events for kids and teens are gathered here in one handy link.

What are we most excited about this March Break? Our #SafeSelfie Campaign, in partnership with the Cops-n-Kids program in Annapolis County, for ages 11-17 will be hosting a Pizza Party on Monday, March 14.  Teens are invited to stop in, grab a slice, take a #SafeSelfie, hang out, play some board games, and check out some of the cool new tech toys we have.

You know you want to find our more about the Naked Mole Rat Whimsical Day in Berwick, which you can do right here. In Wolfville, the Tantalizing Tattoo Table will certainly be something to check out. From 10 - 2 on Thursday, you can decorate yourself, pain-free, in the library. There are lots of LEGO Robotics programs, you can create with 3-d pens, and play music on tablets.  We are celebrating Spring in Berwick, Bridgetown, and Middleton. And some of us can hardly wait for Family Fort Night in Bridgetown. (I think our staff are as excited as the kids.) And what about life-size Candyland? YES!

We are also hosting a contest on Facebook. Tell us which book you'd like to see turned into a movie, and you could win a $15 Cineplex gift card. You could go see a movie during March Break with that. Maybe even get some popcorn to go with it. Contest ends March 10 at 1 PM.

So, do not be sad that you are not sitting on a beach getting sunburned. Head to your local library and have some March Break FUN!!

You don’t have to be a kid to colour

Adult colouring. It kind of sounds like an oxymoron, right?  The adult colouring craze has taken off like wildfire. There’s even an adult coloring book publishing trend. With books like “Color your Own van Gogh”, “Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book”, and now even a Dr. Who colouring book, there are grown-up colouring books to appeal to everyone!

Adult colouring is said to relieve stress. It is a way to relax, and to sharpen fine motor skills in older adults. Many adults are gathering regularly to sit, chat, colour, and unwind. Some people like this activity as a way to meet others, and some find it can create a sense of community. One of our staff members says she likes to colour while she’s chatting on the phone. Whatever the reason, colouring is still fun, no matter what your age is.

If you want to try it at home, here are some coloring sheets you can download for free. Currently, at our Berwick, Bridgetown, Hantsport, Kentville, Lawrencetown, and Windsor branches you can find colouring sheets and pencil crayons, just for adults. Windsor even has a Wall of Fame where the left-behind coloured-in sheets go. So, stop in, have a seat, and relax. Just choose a page and start colouring. Everyone is doing it!

Picture Book Month

November is Picture Book Month, an international literacy initiative that celebrates the print picture book during the month of November. On the Picture Book Month website  they state, “In this digital age where people are predicting the coming death of print books, picture books (the print kind) need love. And the world needs picture books. There’s nothing like the physical page turn of a beautifully crafted picture book.”

I can’t agree more. Last year, I served on the Caldecott Committee, which awarded the best picture book published in the United States to The Adventures of Beekle, the Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat.  I spent the year completely immersed in picture books. I read over 500 books—and many of those I read over and over. I looked at the art, how it interpreted the story, how well it was done, how it appealed to a child audience. I spent many hours soaking up the beauty of children’s picture books.  This year I will be watching from the sidelines, making my own predictions and seeing what others think. One great place to visit is the Horn Book blog, Calling Caldecott. Check out their list of books they will be discussing. There are some great choices on that list!

Ask any child—picture books are fun! Even if you are an adult who has no children to share these fantastic works of art with, you can still enjoy picture books. I recommend picture books over on my blog, ValleyStorytime in case you are looking for a few good titles to while away the hours. And if you want to really get immersed in picture books, I have compiled some blogs & sites that celebrate the form on this Pinterest board.

We have a few programs scheduled this month where you can come and look at some of the books that I am loving this year. Picture Book Palooza will be held in Middleton, Annapolis Royal, and Bridgetown. We are also having a contest—take a picture, tag your favourite picture book with #AVRLpicturebook on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and you’ll be entered to win a bag of picture books! Contest ends November 30.

Tell us your favourite picture book in the comments. Read picture books to kids. Look at the art, share your favourite with others. The picture book is a portable art form that can be shared just about anywhere.  Find some of these wonders in your local library !

--Angela Reynolds, Community Engagement Coordinator