On the Shelf - Thunder Bay Public Library’s Barbara Philp
Barbara Philp is Head of Adult Services Thunder Bay Public Library 285 Red River Road Thunder Bay, ON P7B 1A9
Barbara Philp is Head of Adult Services Thunder Bay Public Library
Barbara Philp is Head of Adult Services Thunder Bay Public Library
June 2010
June is Senior’s month and we have programs targeted for those a little older this month. It would be a great time to visit and get your new library card. The new cards all come with a key-tag so you will never be without access. The library launched its new logo in May. What a refreshing change. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the old logo. I’ve been with the library long enough to remember the launch of that logo and at the time, it too was refreshing. The new logo far better reflects today’s library – colourful, airy, cheerful and a sense of the unknown – you never know what you will discover when you enter the library! Attend a program and see what the buzz is all about!
On June 2 at 1:30 visit the Waverley Library Auditorium for A Magical Mystery Tour of Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and More. Heard about all these Internet sites but don’t know a thing about what they are? Then sit back and enjoy a guided tour of the social Web – the magical, mysterious place where cool things are happening.
On June 10 at 2:30 join us in the Waverley Auditorium for What’s Wii all About? Heard all about Wii but don’t really know what all the hype is about? Here is your chance to try out a Wii game and see first hand this new generation of video gaming. Join us for a myriad of games including Bowling or golf, Tennis or Dancing.
If none of these offerings appeal to you, then come and check out the newest in portable audio books. Listening to a book is growing in popularity again and the library has a new collection to appeal to you listeners. They are called Playaways and the collection is now available at all branches. These small portable devices – they are no larger than a deck of cards – have an audiobook pre-loaded onto them. All you need is a AAA battery and set of ear phones (both of which you can purchase at the library, or supply your own) and you are on your way. If you have the right cords, you can even plug them into your car stereo. No more switching tapes or discs!! Here are some of the titles you will find in the collection: Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova, 204 Rosewood Lane by Deb Macomber, and The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan.
Of course, the library still has books – physical, touchable, paper books!! Watch for these new titles to hit not only bookstore shelves, but library shelves as well in June – Janet Evanovich’s Sizzling Sixteen and Meg Cabot’s Insatiable.
The library is the place to be in June or any month of the year.
May 2010
Play Ball!!! We will hear this being yelled at the Port Arthur Stadium more frequently this summer as the city plays Host to the World! The 2010 IBAF World Junior Baseball Championships are being held here for the first time. Former Canadian host cities include Windsor, Edmonton, Brandon, and Trois Rivieres. Thunder Bay is not new to this role in the baseball world having hosted the Three Nations Cup (US, Australia, Canada) in 2000. Through the hard work of a very committed group of baseball aficionados – Thunder Bay International Baseball Association –the city was successful in their third bid to host these games! Like the World Nordics in 1995, this is the city’s chance to shine on a world stage as teams from 12 countries including Cuba, Korea, Taiwan, Venezuela, Panama and Italy descend on the city. For more information check out www.worldbaseball2010.com.
Come and learn more about the championship and the sport of baseball by attending the
“Take me Out to the Ball Game” Film Fest.
Popcorn is on the house!!
Waverley Auditorium 7 pm
May 11 Signs of the Time. (Crystal Pix, 2009) This film was first shown at the 2009 Bay Street Film Festival. Where did baseball hand signals come from? This film, narrated by Richard Dreyfuss, will give you a fascinating look at “the myth, the mystery, the legend of Baseball’s greatest innovation”!
May 18 Sleeping Tigers: the Asahi Baseball story. (NFB, 2003) In pre-World War II Vancouver, the team was unbeatable, winning the Pacific Northwest Championship for five straight years. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, all persons of Japanese descent in Canada were sent to internment camps. The former Asahi members survived by playing ball. Their passion was contagious and soon other players joined in, among them RCMP officials and local townspeople. As a result, the games helped break down racial and cultural barriers. This remarkable story is told with a combination of archival footage, interviews and dramatic re-enactments.
May 25 Baseball Girls. (NFB, 1995) Forget everything you think you know about baseball. From the early days of the Bloomer Girls to today’s Colorado Silver Bullets, Baseball Girls features something new and different about women who love the sport. You’ll see seven-year-olds learning the rules and skills of the game, and fifty-year-olds hitting home runs. This zany and affectionate feature documentary uses animation, archival stills, and live-action footage to detail the history of women’s participation in the largely male-dominated world of baseball and softball.
To help you keep in the Baseball spirit, here are some fiction titles that you may want to check out:
Iowa Baseball Confederacy by W.P. Kinsella
Slider by Patrick Robinson
Waiting for Teddy Williams by Howard Frank Mosher
Double Play by Robert Parker
If I don’t see you at the library, I’ll see you at the Park!
April 2010
Spring is in the air and we all tend to emerge from our winter dens!! Not that this winter was bad – I believe they are calling it an El Nina winter. Nonetheless, as you venture out into your yard or take a leisurelystroll in your neighbourhood, don’t forget to visit your library. We are a “happening” place and you will want to be a part of the action. April is shaping up to be a very busy month if you are a “person who is a little older”! Here are some programs that may interest you.
April 6 Join us at 10:30 am at the Brodie Library OR April 7 at 2 pm at the Mary JL Black library for 30 Minutes to Better Walking. Is it time to give your walking workout a spring tune up? Join Nancy Angus, Community Program Developer for Older Adults with the City of Thunder Bay, for this new look at the old sport of walking. Thirty minutes to better walking will help put a spring in your step and smile on your face. Contact Nancy - 684-2403 – for more information. Library Pedometers will be available for loan.
Here are some titles to help prepare and entertain you prior to attending these walking sessions: The Wildwater Walking Club by Claire Cook (fiction), or Walking for Fitness: the beginner’s handbook by Marnie Caron.
April 20th is Customer Appreciation Day at all branches. Please join us for refreshments, draws and chatting with your neighbourhood branch staff. In the evening at 7 pm join us at the Waverley Library auditorium for the NFB film Finding Farley. “When Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison (Being Caribou), along with their son, set out to retrace the literary footsteps of Farley Mowat they meant it literally. Their 5000KM trip –trekking, sailing, portaging and paddling from the Prairies to the Maritimes – is captured in the documentary. The geography of Born Naked and Owls in the Family as well as Never Cry Wolf, and People of the Deer are all traversed.” Join conservationist Sue Hamel in a post-film discussion.
April 21: Join us in the Waverley Library auditorium at 7 pm for “Margaret and Me: Where There’s Humour, There’s Always Hope”. Author and Humourist William Thomas reads from his memoir about his mother. Anyone dealing with a loved one with Alzheimers will want to attend this evening.
Here is an additional title you may want to check out: Voices of Alzheimer’s : the healing companion ; stories for courage, comfort and strength by The Healing Project. “Written by those touched by the disease, this collection of more than 50 stories recounted by the spouses, victims, caregivers, friends, and family members provides a look at their journeys and serve as a companion to those currently struggling to cope with Alzheimer’s.”
Hope to see you @ Your Library!
March 2010
The Tax Man Cometh!! Yes, it is that dreaded time of year when we begin to gather our receipts and try to minimize the damage. For many SnowBirds it is the time of year when they have to return to Canadian soil when it hasn’t even thawed yet!! We can’t stop it from coming, the best we can do is be well prepared and the library has a role to play in achieving that. The Canada Revenue Agency is holding Tax Seminars at the library in March. Choose the one that is right for you: General Tax Preparation March 9 at 7 pm at the Waverley Library Auditorium or Tax Information for Seniors March 11 at 10:30 am at the Brodie Library Fireside Reading Room. Call Julie at the CRA – 625-7029 – to learn more and to register.
Here are some new titles ordered for the 2009 tax year that you may also find useful. At the time of writing this column, the first two titles had not arrived yet, but you can place a hold on them for when they do arrive and get processed for our collection.
78 tax tips for Canadians for Dummies by Christie Henderson. (2010) “Compiled by an expert team of accountants, this title offers practical tax planning strategies. These individual tips offer straightforward advice and insight that will save readers aggravation and money.”
101 tax secrets for Canadians 2010 by Tim Cestnick. “Nothing can better protect hard-earned income and help to accumulate wealth than savvy tax strategies. In this comprehensive guide, Canada’s foremost tax expert, Tim Cestnick, offers 101 tips for year-round tax planning that can save Canadians from all walks of life thousands of dollars on their tax bill. It shows readers how they can best build a successful game plan that will reduce their taxes and maximize after-tax investment returns. Cestnick’s simple and proven advice makes this an essential tool for all Canadians seeking to accumulate wealth and protect their income.”
Smart tax tips: winning strategies to reduce your taxes by Grant Thornton, 2009. “Now in its eleventh year, Smart Tax Tips is the annual must-have for all Canadians interested in tax-reducing strategies. With more than 150 practical tax tips on everything from alimony and asset transfers to RRSPs and charitable donations, this book will help you design a strategy to maximize your return. From business owners, to corporate managers, to individuals of all income levels, Grant Thornton advisers have been providing smart, effective tax strategies to Canadians for more than 60 years. Smart Tax Tips will help minimize the time you spend planning, so you can maximize the time-and money-saved for your future investments.”
Your smartest tax move may be a visit to Your Library!
February 2010
We live on the largest of the great lakes and the largest fresh water lake in the world – Lake Superior. To my mind, there is no image more beautiful than the image seen from the corner of Red River Road and High Street on an early, clear June morning. You make the turn from High onto Red River – whether on foot or in a car – and you are immediately taken by the water and the sun and our beloved Giant. I think we often take our lake for granted and feel that it will always be there no matter what we do to it. We think that it can clean itself because it is so large. If you are passionate about our great lakes, then you will want to attend the Mother Earth WaterWalk presentation at the Brodie Fireside Reading Room on February 24 at 7 pm. An Anishinabe prophesied that “In about 30 years, if we humans continue with our negligence, an ounce of drinking water will cost the same as an ounce of gold.” The 1st Annual Women’s Water Walk took place April 2003. Several women from different clans came together to raise awareness that our clean and clear water is being polluted by chemicals, vehicle emissions, motor boats, sewage disposal, agricultural pollution, leaking landfill sites, and residential usage. It is taking a toll on our water quality. Water is precious and sacred…it is one of the basic elements needed for all life to exist. The group walked around Lake Superior in 2003, Lake Michigan in 2004, Lake Huron in 2005, Lake Ontario in 2006 and Lake Erie in 2007, Lake Michigan in 2008 and the St. Lawrence River 2009. Through out each walk an 8 litre copper bucket is carried. Come and learn about this fascinating awareness project: www.motherearthwaterwalk.com.
To see images of and learn more about our Great Lakes, check out these two titles by Gary and Joanie McGuffin - strong advocates of our Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Journey: Exploring the Heritage Coast. “For three months in the summer of 2002, the McGuffins with their three-year-old daughter and Alaskan Malamute paddled the heritage coast. The 3,000-km trip from Thunder Bay to Port Severn took them into some of the most breathtaking wilderness Canada has to offer. Through their written narrative and more than a hundred vibrant full-colour photographs, the McGuffins share with readers the things that make this trip unforgettable: the awe-inspiring star-filled skies, the rich variety of flora and fauna, the warmth of campfires on cool nights, the morning sun reflecting off pristine lakes, and the majestic ancient trees that abound in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest. This book is a tribute to that beauty.”
Superior: Journeys on an Inland Sea. “This is the story of the McGuffins’ incredible 80-day, 2,000-mile circumnavigation of Lake Superior, the largest expanse of fresh water on Earth. It is a story of spirited adventure and physical triumphs, of breathtaking natural beauty and environmental sensibility. This book conveys the vastness and mystery of the lake and its shores like no other.”
January 2010
Happy New Year to one and all!! I’ve decided to forego resolutions as a topic for my column this month. You’ll be reading all about resolutions elsewhere – seems you can’t escape it in January. So, instead, I thought I would bring to your attention an often overlooked section of our collection. Operas!! My understanding is that the Met Operas that are screened at the local SilverCity Theatre are often sold-out affairs. I would not have thought that opera would have such a following , but apparently it does. So, if you have been one of the unfortunate ones that didn’t get into the screening, come and check out the library collection. We have some of the great composers – Puccini, Verdi, Donizetti, Offenbach, Bizet, Rossini and Mozart. Titles include La Boheme, La Traviata, Carmen, Don Giovanni, Marriage of Figaro, Barber of Seville as well as some ballets – Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. These are all dvd formats, but we have many of the sound recordings in our CD collection as well. For those of you more internet savvy, the online Music Library to which we subscribe called NAXOS, carries many opera sound tracks. Watch for the release of their video opera library some time in 2010. To access the NAXOS library, go to www.tbpl.ca and click on Virtual resources and then on the Sleeping Giant. You will need your library card and your PIN. If you forgot your PIN you can change it online.
If you are a “Newbie” to the operatic world, here are some resources that can help you develop your appreciation for this art form.Pocket Guide to Opera by Rupert Christiansen. “One of Faber’s highly successful Pocket Guide series, this is an essential work of reference for all opera lovers, whether first-timers or hardened fans. Here is a handy, readable and easy-to-use opera guide, containing entries for over a hundred works, both familiar and unfamiliar. Features include snapshot plot summaries, straightforward pointers to help your appreciation of the music and production, recommended recordings on CD, video and DVD and a brief over-view of the history of opera.”
Who’s Who in Opera: a guide to opera characters by Joyce Bourne. “Containing over 2,500 operatic characters from Arabella to Wozzeck, this guide to opera provides both an invaluable source of reference and an absorbing read. A special feature is the articles written by well-known personalities from the world of opera including Janet Baker, Placido Domingo,and Jonathan Miller. Synopses for over 270 operas and operettas ; Information on each operatic role, including its creator and notable performances; Important arias and ensembles mentioned, with English translations; Illustrated with photographs of performances. A reference book for operaphiles and the answer to a prayer for those who attend operas without doing their homework properly.”Let your library cultivate your musical mind!!
December 2009
We’re renovating!! If you have visited the Waverley library in the last few months – and I sure hope we see you more often than monthly!! – you will have seen some significant changes. Walls painted and a new circulation desk has been installed.
The desk is a great improvement particularly for wheelchair users and children. We now have a lower counter which provides the option to serve users in a seated position.
If you have ventured to the lower level you will see another construction zone! A big orange tarp is in the children’s area. This is the work area for the new family and handicapped accessible washroom. The changes so far were done with relatively little impact on you our user. Of course, we always try to minimize the impact on our users as we strive to improve our but that is not always possible.
Beginning of December will see further changes that will have more of an impact on you. We will be re-carpeting our main floor at Waverley. If you saw the re-carpeting of 2007 when we worked on the lower level, you will have an idea of how monumental the task is. Moving a few thousand books is not easy!! We will be moving some of our popular collections to the lower level but much of the collection upstairs will be unavailable for periods of time. If you are an internet user, you will be pleased to know that we will relocate the internet stations – fewer of them, though – in the auditorium on the lower level. The Reference department will be operating from there for the duration of the re-carpeting. The elevator and the circulation desk will continue to operate as is. We hope to have everything back to normal by mid December and hope that you will like the transformation!
Speaking of renovations….Many people are taking advantage of the tax credit for home renovations. If you need some help with that, here are some titles worth looking at.
Make it Right: inside home renovation with Canada’s most trusted contractor, by Mike Holmes. “Make It Right walks readers through a renovation from start to finish, from the process of finding a reliable contractor to understanding the legalities of renovation. Mike explains the inner workings of a house, covers the most popular reno projects and describes the most common pitfalls. Packed with informative sidebars, checklists, diagrams and photographs, all showing what to expect from contractors and tradespeople, and how to keep every reno running on time and on budget, Make It Right is the book you need to read before you plan a renovation.”
Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Building and remodeling, by John Barrows and Lisa Iannucci. “This guide helps environmentally conscious people make real-world decisions about building or remodeling a home. Readers will find information on how to save money by going green when building or remodeling, how to find the right green integrated system design, how to choose heating and cooling equipment, and how to save money on water.”
Don’t let our renos stop you from visiting – we’ll be done before Christmas. All the best to you and yours this Holiday Season!!
November 2009
Do you think of the library as a place to borrow books? Borrow music? Borrow movies? Well, let me expand your horizons. We are much more than a repository of items to borrow. Programs form a large part of the service we provide to our community, and over the years we have added many new programs of interest to people of all ages. Throughout November, Thunder Bay Hydro will be conducting sessions throughout the library system on Phantom Load. What is Phantom Load you ask? Phantom Load is also known as standby power and refers to the electric power consumed by electronic appliances while they are switched off or in a standby mode. At these sessions you will learn how it adds to your electricity bill and how Thunder Bay Hydro exorcized one local household and helped them save money. These free one hour workshops will provide practical tools to cut your electricity bill. Bring your Thunder Bay Hydro bill and receive (one per household) a free timed powerbar to get you started. Choose from the following dates and pre-register by calling 345-TBPL (8275) or online at www.tbpl.ca: Waverley - Thu. Nov. 12 at 7 p.m; Sat. Nov. 14 at 1:00 pm, Fri. Nov 27 at 10:30 a.m; Brodie Wed. Nov. 18 at 7 pm.; Mary J.L. Black Tues. Nov. 24 at 7 pm; Sat. Nov. 28 at 1:00 pm, Mon. Nov. 30 at 10:30 am.
Here is a title in the collection that can also help you reduce your energy use - The Environment Equation : 100 factors that can add to or subtract from your total carbon footprint by Alex Shimo-Barry with Christopher J. Maron. Can one person-you-really make a difference? The answer is YES, you just need to know how. In this interactive guide, you’ll learn which of your actions make a positive impact on the environment, as well as those that have negative consequences. Find out precisely how your carbon footprint (measured in CO lbs) changes when you: Take shorter showers -340 lbs per year, Use fluorescent light bulbs -300 lbs per year, Unplug your appliances -800 lbs per year, Fail to patch air leaks -800 lbs per year.
Another program that will be of interest in the month of Remembrance - November - is the screening of the NFB film Paris 1919. Paul Cowans feature-length documentary is based on Margaret MacMillans bestselling book of the same name and has won numerous awards including the Banff World Television award for best history/biography program. Paris 1919 skillfully merges remarkable archival footage with riveting re-enactments to depict the world-changing events of the Paris Peace Conference, which led to the Treaty of Versailles, the League of Nations and, as some historians claim, the Second World War. See this film at the Waverley Library auditorium on November 10 at 7 pm.
Hope to see you @ your library!
October 2009
October is Canadian Library Month – a time when across this nation we celebrate libraries. Public Libraries are specifically celebrated during Public Library Week October 18 – 24.
At the Thunder Bay Public Library we celebrate by thanking you our users on our customer appreciation day October 20. Stop by the library have some refreshments and fill out a ballot to win prizes. While you are here check out our newest collections. In September we introduced 2 new collections. If you are a fan of audio books – books you listen to instead of read – you will want to try out the new Playaways. These compact units – about the size of a deck of cards – hold an entire pre-loaded book – no tapes or CDS! All you need are earphones/buds and a AAA battery! You can even plug it in to your home or car stereo with an AUX port. This pilot collection is housed at the Waverley and Brodie libraries.
FastLane books is the second collection we introduced. This is a collection of bestselling titles and is based on a “first come, first serve” browsing basis – there are no holds and no renewals. As its title suggests, you have only 1 week to read the book and if you return it late, there are $1 a day fines! The idea behind this collection is to get bestselling titles into the hands of readers as quickly as possible – no waiting in line. Now if you stop by the library you may be able to leave with a bestseller!! Here are some of the titles you might be able to find: Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, Lawrence Hill’s Book of Negroes or even Sophie Kinsella’s latest Twenties Girl . These collections are available at all branches, but I suggest you come by the library early in the day for the best selection – if you wait too long, the titles will be gone!
What else can you do during Public Library Week? Plan on attending a program! Join Teresa Magiskan on Oct 22 at 7 pm at the Waverley Library Auditorium and learn about “The Medicine Wheel and Sacred Medicines”. On October 23 at 2 pm at the Brodie Fireside Reading Room, join the 55+ Creative Sampler group and learn about Watercolours (this group is meeting weekly commencing Oct 8 and trying out a variety of crafts), Oct 20th at 7 pm at the Brodie Fireside Reading Room, join the NOWW (writer’s workshop) for The Poetry Garden, and on Oct 21 same time same place, join Cambrian Players for a play reading – Cloud Nine by Caryl Churchill. At the Mary J.L. Black branch, join the Novel Lunch Bunch book club at 1 pm – bring your own lunch!
There’s lots to read and do @ Your Library! Hope you can join us in celebrating Public Libraries.
September 2009
Recently I had the opportunity to talk books – Canadian fiction to be precise. You may have heard the discussion as it was on CBC radio. As Canadians we tend to sell ourselves short. Don’t draw attention to ourselves – it’s what makes us Canadian. Well, Canadian Fiction is one thing that we CAN celebrate and even brag about. In the last 20 years we have come into our own in terms of a writing force to be reckoned with. We are viewed as a “power house” in the international literary field. We are home to some of the finest writers in the world having won prestigious and lucrative international awards like the Man-Booker (50,000 pounds) - 1992 Michael Ondaatje became the first Canadian to win this prize for The English Patient, followed by Margaret Atwood in 2000 for Blind Assassin and Yann Martel in 2002 for Life of Pi - and the Dublin IMPAC award (100,000 euros) - won by Alistair MacLeod in 2001 for No Great Mischief and Rawi Hage last year for De Niro’s Game - not to mention the Pulitzer – Carol Shield’s won in 1995 for The Stone Diaries. The success of Canadian literature is also credited to the large and lucrative home market. Canadian readers like to read Canadian Lit!
I thought instead of highlighting already published and perhaps already read Canadian titles, I would draw your attention to some upcoming titles. One of the many joys of being a librarian is we get to order titles well in advance of release. The summer has in large part been spent pouring through catalogues and ordering titles being released from Sept to Dec. Here are just few titles that I thought people may be interested in.
Lori Lansens: A Wife’s Tale – released Aug 18. Lori’s two previous titles – Rush Home Road and The Girls received nominations for Commonwealth Prizes and Rogers Writers Trust. “When Mary Gooch’s husband doesn’t come home on the eve of their 25th wedding anniversary, Mary sets out on a truly remarkable journey of self-discovery”.
Louise Penny: The Brutal Telling – release October. Louise is a former Thunder Bay CBC radio personality and has gone on to become a mystery writer. “When the body of an unidentified man is discovered on the floor of a bistro, shockwaves ripple through the tight-knit community”
Catherine Gildiner: After the Falls – release October. Catherine visited Thunder Bay 10 years ago for a reading of her first book, the memoir Too Close to the Falls. She “recounts her remarkable coming-of-age in the 1960’s with the same wit, candour and exhilarating storytelling” as her first book.
Alice Munro: Too much Happiness – release August. The name speaks for itself – one of the best short story writers ever!
Margaret Atwood: Year of the Flood – release September. A prequel to “Oryx and Crake” and part of a planned trilogy.
All titles will be in our collection. You can place holds once you see the title in our catalogue. Enjoy!
June 2009
Do you consider yourself a ’senior’, or are you an ‘older adult’?
What is the correct term or, to be even more direct, when do you become ’senior’, or ‘older’? Some establishments offer discounts for people aged 50 and over, but you have to be aged 55 and over to use the 55+ Centre. 65 seems to be another age limit for certain services. Then I saw the new, or should I say, renamed ‘CARP ‘ Canadian Association for Retired Persons -magazine called ZOOMER. It states that it is for people 45 and over!!
That really got me confused as I know I don’t consider myself ’senior’, but then again people are retiring earlier and earlier.
Actually, people are retiring from one job and going on to a second career! Now I?m really confused!!
At the library it doesn’t matter how you define yourself just come in and enjoy our services! June is Seniors month, or shall we say, Older Adult Month! And here is a sampling of what we have going on.
If you are having trouble with Hotmail, or just want to learn more about what email is, call the Brodie (624-4200) or the Waverley(684-6815) library and book your personal 30 minute appointment with the reference staff and they will help you set up a free Hotmail account and show you how to make the most of this free e-mail service.
Once you have had that ‘training’, drop in to the Waverley Library Computer Training Lab anytime in June Mon to Thurs 10 am to 8:30 pm, or 10 am to 4:30 pm Fri and Sat, to practice your skills with self-directed computer time.
Want to learn more about CARP, a national organization committed to enhancing the quality of life for all Canadians as they age? Join members from the local chapter June 11 at 7 pm at the Waverley Library or June 17 at 2 pm at the Mary J.L. Black Library and learn how you can become involved.
Here are a couple of new titles that you may want to check out this month.
Unbelievably Good Deals and Great Adventures that you Absolutely can?t Get Unless you’re Over 50, by Heilman, Joan Rattner. McGraw-Hill, 2009. If you’re over 50, you’re entitled to the BIGGEST bargains, BEST deals, and BOLDEST vacations of your life. In fact, there are hundreds of amazing discounts that can save you a fortune on everything from golfing to globetrotting. And you don’t have to access the Internet to get them-they are all here at your fingertips.
Digital Photography for Seniors for Dummies, 2008. Take the mystery out of digital photography and join the fun! You don’t need to be a professional photographer or a technology expert to take great digital photos! This down-to-basics guide makes it easy to choose the right camera, understand all its dials and controls, take good pictures, make them look even better with your computer, and print them or share them online for friends and family to enjoy.
May 2009
I’m a knitter. Not an avid one; I go in spurts; nor an accomplished one, but I can hold my own. I just discovered the felting method, and have produced a good number of mitts for friends and family. I find knitting quite relaxing yet very productive. There has been quite a resurgence in needlecrafts recently. I hear that the university crowd — the twentysomethings - is ‘into’ knitting and I can’t help but think that this current economic recession, dare I say “depression” only helps to foster the art of handcrafts. As usual, the library can help play a big role not only for the beginner knitter, but also for the accomplished master of the needles! Here are some of the recent titles you may want to check out. You also may not be aware that we carry knitting magazines and dvds which you can borrow such as Creative Knitting, and Knit Simple and dvds Knit Stitches in Motion, Knitting Workshops with Elizabeth Zimmerman, and Double Knitting Delight.Knitting for Good: a guide to creating personal, social, political change step by step. by Betsy Greer, 2009. ‘Every time we knit, we have the opportunity to create positive change in ourselves, our community, and in the world. That’s Betsy Greer’s fervent belief, and in this book she shows us how. Betsy explores the ways we can use knitting to slow down in a fast-paced culture, while using the craft to benefit charities in our communities, to advocate for worthwhile causes, and to support individuals and communities across the globe. Filled with insights from knitters and crafters on how they use craft to benefit others, Knitting for Good! will get you thinking about knitting in a whole new way.Knitting for Dummies. by Pam Allen (large print) “Now is a great time to learn to knit. Never before have you had so many lovely and imaginative yarns from which to choose and so many stylish and sophisticated patterns to work with. Sure, grandmothers knit, but so do movie stars, football players, doctors, and lawyers. They know what our grandmothers do: Knitting does more than just provide you with warm and cozy things to wear. Knitting also stirs your creativity, gives you an ongoing sense of purpose, teaches patience, and soothes the soul from the stresses of everyday life. “
The true test of how deeply knitting has permeated the social fabric is the number of fiction series based on knitting. I just finished reading the bestseller ‘Friday Night Knitting Club’ and plan to read (I’ve added it to my reading resolution list!) the sequel Knit Two.
If you think you would enjoy reading a novel with knitting as a theme try titles by Monica Ferris, and the Blossom Street books by Debbie Macomber or Anne Bartlett’s Knitting or Ann Hood’s The Knitting Circle.
There is a whole world of knitting just waiting for you! Let your library help you discover the possibilities of the entire family of needlecrafts!
April 2009
Spring has sprung and thoughts turn to longer days, warm sunshine, and for some, gardening! With the economic downturn, and with the growing popularity of the Slow Food Movement, more and more people are turning to backyard gardening. It is said that gardening is as much spiritual as physical, that the act of working the soil is cathartic and soul-cleansing. I would think that in these times of food recalls, and e-coli or salmonella outbreaks, growing food in your own soil would also lift a huge worry especially if you have been one who has been touched by these recent food contaminations. Of course, as always, the library can help you out with your gardening and your Slow Food needs!! All you need is a library card, and lots of elbow grease — gardening gloves optional!
Here are some titles that you may want to look at:
Gardening basics for Canadians for dummies, by Liz Primeau, the editors of Canadian gardening. (2008) ‘Your green-thumb guide to gardening in Canada, this handy guide gives beginning gardeners tips, plans, and insider know-how for getting started with flower beds, herbs, vegetables, trees, shrubs, lawns, and more. Complete with step-by-step advice, and suggested plantings, this friendly guide covers everything you need to get you gardening.’
The complete compost gardening guide: banner batches, grow heaps, comforter compost, and other amazing techniques for saving time and money, and producing the most flavorful, nutritious vegetables ever by Barbara Pleasant & Deborah L. Martin. (2008). Pleasant and Martin bring readers on a thorough, informative tour of materials and innovative techniques, leading the way to an efficient and rewarding home gardening system. Their methods are sure to help gardeners turn average vegetable plots into rich incubators of healthy produce, bursting with fresh flavor, and flower beds into rich tapestries of bountiful blooms all season long.?
If you’ve tuned into the Slow Food Movement, then you will want to know about Slow Food Superior – a local group that promotes local food and slower living. You can check out their website from the library website under Community/library partnerships and see the list of titles that they have donated to the library. Titles such as:
Renewing America’s Food Traditions: saving and savoring the continent’s most endangered foods; edited and introduced by Gary Paul Nabhan(2008)
Red, White, and Drunk All Over: a wine-soaked journey from grape to glass. Natalie MacLean. (2006) So Happy Spring, from all of us to all of you! Hope to see you planting seeds in one hand, while referring to your library resource with the other!
Reading Resolution List update: Don’t Ask!!
March 09
Tough economic times! What a way to start the year and approach the end of the decade. I?ve always considered myself to be a frugal, practical person! I’ve got Scottish blood and I’m sure that my thrifty ways will come in handy. If you read almost any magazine these days, you’ll find some mention of libraries and how they can help you manage this economic downturn. And it’s true! For those of you who read the weekly Library Detective column in the local daily, you may have seen my column on the 10 best reasons to use the library through these tough times. If you didn’t see it, check out http://libdetective.blogspot.com/. Meanwhile, here are some highlights of that column:
1. Register for one of the Thunder Bay Hydro: How to Lower your Electricity Bill programs at the library and learn how to save money on your hydro bill. Programs are offered March 21 10:30 am at Brodie, Mar 24 7 pm at Waverley ; April 22 7 pm at Brodie and April 25 10:30 am at Waverley. Pre-register by calling 345-8275 or visiting www.tbpl. While you are at the library, sign out one of our Energy Meters and see how much electricity your appliances are using up.
2. Attend the May 28th (I know that’s a long way off, but the earlier program was Feb 26th!) EarthWise Thunder Bay program at the Waverley library presented by DriveWise. There you will learn how to HyperMile. What is that, you ask? That?s learning how to drive your vehicle so as to maximize its fuel consumption.
3. Borrow a dvd instead of renting it. Sure, you may have to wait for the recent release, but check out all the titles that you can’t get from retail stores! We’re the place to be if you missed any of the titles at last year’s NOSFA Film Festival.
4. Borrow the bestselling fiction title instead of buying it. Yes, you may have to wait a bit for it, and you may only have it for a week because others are waiting for it as well, but don’t let that deter you. If you can’t read it in a week, keep it longer and pay the small fine. A few dollars is cheaper than $40 to buy it!
Barb’s Reading Resolution Update: Just like those fitness resolutions, I’m beginning to waver. I only read one book and it wasn’t on my list!! The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. It was a quick read and I hope the movie is better than the book! Kate Winslet won best actress for her role in the movie version of The Reader. I’ll have to put that movie on my movie resolution list!!!
February 09
February 9th to 14th is First Nations Public Library Week in Ontario. The theme this year is Knowledge Keepers: Speak Up for First Nations Public Libraries! First Nations Communities highlight and celebrate the public libraries located in their communities. Thunder Bay Public Library likes to celebrate along with them recognizing both the fact that many First Nations communities in Northwestern Ontario do not have their own public libraries as well as the fact that many First Nations individuals are choosing to make the city of Thunder Bay their home.
This year please join us for a presentation on Traditional Native Healing Thursday February 12th at 7 pm in the Waverley Library Auditorium. Teresa Magiskan from Anishnabwe-Mushkiki Healing Centre will share her knowledge of natural healing remedies and health practices that can benefit everyone.
While you are here, check out our collection of Aboriginal music.
The collection ranges from Fiddle music to Pow Wow celebrations, flute relaxation music to Jingle Dance music. In terms of print material, we carry many titles in our collection both fiction and Non-fiction.
This year’s Giller Prize for Fiction went to Metis author Joseph Boyden for his second novel Through Black Spruce. Boyden also won awards for his first novel Three Day Road. Three Day Road was an excellent read which I would highly recommend. Through Black Spruce is on my 2009 Reading Resolution List. Other First Nations authors to look for in our collection are Drew Hayden Taylor (you may have seen his plays at Magnus or heard him speak at the 2007 Sleeping Giant Writer?s Festival ),and Tomson Highway ( he spoke at the Mary J.L. Black library last fall.)
The Thunder Bay Public Library has chosen to foster sharing and learning across cultures and to create Library space which reflects our community. To this end, a painting was commissioned in 2007.
Visit the Fireside Reading Room at the Brodie library to see the John Ferris painting The Storyteller. This painting honours Aboriginal Peoples and their tradition of oral history and storytelling. It depicts a respected and influential member of the Aboriginal community, Dr. Richard Charles Lyons, with a group of young children who are listening while he speaks to them about Aboriginal legends.
At Waverley, check out the Moses Beaver painting ?Proud Past, Proud Future? located on the lower lever of the Waverley Library. This painting was the culminating result of the 2005 First Nations Public Library program in which the participants actively contributed to the creation of this work. If you look closely, you can see their names painted into the picture.
Come to the library, and explore the cultures of First Nations People.
Miigwitch!
Reading Resolution List Update: I have read 2 books: one from my list (Water for Elephants) and one I added to my list post-publication. I added ?Half of a Yellow Sun? by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It was a title on the Globe and Mail?s top reads of 2008 and came highly recommended by the two most voracious readers I know– my sister-in-law and niece. If you would like to suggest an addition to my reading list email me at bphilp@tbpl.ca or call me at 684-6811.
Jan. 09
The start of a new year is always a time of reflection and a time of plans: what did we achieve in the past year and what do we want to achieve in the upcoming year? As a librarian, I am afforded opportunities to ‘talk books’ more than your average person. And so recently I have spent time perusing lists of books from 2008 and making recommendations for people. Of course, I can’t help but to compile a list for myself as well. So I have come up with my READING RESOLUTION LIST. It’s a whole lot more fun than your average run-of-mill list of resolutions and far likelier that you will achieve your resolutions too! I resolve to read the following:
Three Cups of Tea: one man’s mission to fight terrorism and build nations, one school at a time by Greg Mortenson. One man’s campaign to build schools in the most dangerous, remote, and anti-American reaches of Asia. In 1993 Greg Mortenson was an American mountain-climbing bum wandering emaciated and lost through Pakistan’s Karakoram. After he was taken in and nursed back to health by the people of a Pakistani village, he promised to return one day and build them a school. From that rash, earnest promise grew one of the most incredible humanitarian campaigns of our time–Mortenson’s one-man mission to counteract extremism by building schools, especially for girls, throughout the breeding ground of the Taliban. In a region where Americans are often feared and hated, he has survived kidnapping, fatwas issued by enraged mullahs, death threats, and wrenching separations from his wife and children. But his success speaks for itself–at last count, his Central Asia Institute had built fifty-five schools.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Orphaned and penniless at the height of the Depression, Jacob Jankowski escapes everything he knows by jumping on a passing train and inadvertently runs away with the circus. So begins Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen’s darkly beautiful tale about the characters who inhabit the less-than-greatest show on earth.
Jacob finds a place tending the circus animals, including a seemingly untrainable elephant named Rosie. He also comes to know Marlena, the star of the equestrian act and wife of August, a charismatic but cruel animal trainer. Caught between his love for Marlena and his need to belong in the crazy family of travelling performers, Jacob is freed only by a murderous secret that will bring the big top down. Water for Elephants is an enchanting page-turner, the kind of book that creates a world that engulfs you from the first page to the last. A national bestseller in Canada and a New York Times bestseller in the United States, this is a book destined to become a beloved fiction classic.
Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden. From internationally acclaimed author Joseph Boyden comes an astonishingly powerful novel of contemporary aboriginal life, full of the dangers and harsh beauty of both forest and city. When beautiful Suzanne Bird disappears, her sister Annie, a loner and hunter, is compelled to search for her, leaving behind their uncle Will, a man haunted by loss. While Annie travels from Toronto to New York, from modeling studios to A-list parties, Will encounters dire troubles at home. Both eventually come to painful discoveries about the inescapable ties of family.
Winner of the 2008 Giller Prize The Zoo keeper?s Wife: a war story by Diane Ackerman. The “New York Times” bestseller: a true story in which the keepers of the Warsaw zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands. When Germany invaded Poland, stuka bombers devastated Warsaw–and the city’s zoo along with it.
With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into empty cages. Another dozen “guests” hid inside the Zabinskis’ villa, emerging after dark for dinner, socializing, and, during rare moments of calm, piano concerts. Jan, active in the Polish resistance, kept ammunition buried in the elephant enclosure and stashed explosives in the animal hospital.
One Native Life by Richard Wagamese. A wise and warm-hearted chronicle of one Ojibway man and his journey back to himself. In 2005, award-winning writer Richard Wagamese moved with his partner to a cabin outside Kamloops, B.C. In the crisp mountain air Wagamese felt a peace he’d seldom known before. Abused and abandoned as a kid, he’d grown up feeling there was nowhere he belonged. For years, only alcohol and moves from town seemed to ease the pain. In One Native Life, Wagamese looks back down the road he has travelled in reclaiming his identity and talks about the things he has learned as a human being, a man and an Ojibway in his fifty-two years.
Hopefully, you have found something in my list to tweak your interest. If not, check out our New and Upcoming lists found on our website, www.tbpl.ca under Find Books. There, we give you a heads up on upcoming releases which you can then place holds on. Keep the library in your reading plans and Happy reading in 2009!
December Issue
In the spirit of the season, I thought I would pull together some fiction titles that reflect the holiday season. Whether the story is set at Christmas time, or whether Christmas is the central theme in the story, these novels will help foster the Christmas season.
A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg. New York Times bestselling author Fannie Flagg has written an enchanting Christmas story of faith and hope for all ages that is sure to become a classic. Deep in the southernmost part of Alabama, along the banks of a lazy winding river, lies the sleepy little community known as Lost River, a place that time itself seems to have forgotten. After a startling diagnosis from his doctor, Oswald T. Campbell leaves behind the cold and damp of the oncoming Chicago winter to spend what he believes will be his last Christmas in the warm and welcoming town of Lost River. There he meets the postman who delivers mail by boat, the store owner who nurses a broken heart, the ladies of the Mystic Order of the Royal Polka Dots Secret Society, who do clandestine good works. And he meets a little redbird named Jack, who is at the center of this tale of a magical Christmas when something so amazing happened that those who witnessed it have never forgotten it. Available in audiobook and Large Print.
Christmas Angel by Thomas Kinkade. As the spirit of the season is spreading through the rustic seaside hamlet of Cape Light, town mayor Emily receives an unexpected and precious Christmas gift: a baby girl tucked away in a decorative cradle set up outside the church, with a note begging whoever discovers the child to take care of her. Emily is granted temporary custody-and realizes that if the mother is not found, she desperately wants to keep baby Jane as her own. Now, in the midst of the year’s most joyous season, Emily must come to terms with her duty to her family, her own feelings of regret and loss-and what her heart truly desires.
Christmas Shoes by Donna Vanliere. Sometimes, the things that can change your life will cross your path in one instant-and then, in a fleeting moment, they’re gone. Robert is a successful attorney who has everything in life-and nothing at all. Focused on professional achievement and material rewards, Robert is on the brink of losing his marriage, and ultimately himself. Eight year old Nathan has a beloved mother, Maggie, whom he is losing to cancer. But Nathan and his family are building a simple yet full life, and struggling to hold onto every moment they have together. A chance meeting on Christmas Eve brings Robert and Nathan together. In this one encounter, their lives are forever altered as Robert learns an important lesson . Also available in Large Print and in DVD starring Rob Lowe.
Tis the Season by Lorna Landvik. A delightful holiday novel of redemption and forgiveness. Heiress Caroline Dixon has managed to alienate nearly everyone with her alcohol-fueled antics, which have also provided near-constant fodder for the poison-pen tabloids and their gossip-hungry readers. But like so many girls-behaving-badly, the twenty-six-year-old socialite gets her comeuppance. But the holiday brings unexpected revelations that change the way everyone sees themselves and one another. At once heartfelt and witty, Tis the Season bears good tidings of great joy about the human condition?that down and out doesn’t mean over and done, that the things we need most are closer than we know, and that the true measure of one’s worth rests in the boundless depths of the soul.
However you celebrate the season - Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Eid-al-Adha - the library extends its warmest wishes and invites you to use the library to help prepare for your celebration.
Nov. issue
Energy Conservation begins @ your library!! Given the high cost of gasoline and heating fuel, it is not surprising to see so many people beginning to make the necessary lifestyle changes to reduce our energy consumption. The little SMART car is appearing more frequently on our roads. People are biking and walking more often. It is great to see - not only is it saving money and improving your health, it is also saving our planet.
The library can help you achieve your energy conservation goals in many ways. We are not just books anymore. We have pedometers you can borrow to help keep track of all the kilometers you are walking. We have Energy Meters you can borrow to calculate the kilowatts that your electrical appliances are using. We have programs such as Powering Down: Learn more about energy conservation initiatives going on within our community and what you can do at home to save energy. This is a presentation of Earthwise Thunder Bay and is happening on Nov 6 at 7 pm in the Waverley library Auditorium.We also have a fun contest going on ‘KEEN ON GREEN’. Every time you borrow from the library you are Reusing , the second mantra of the 3 Rs!! So we thought we would have some fun by trying to encourage library use and thus contribute to reducing your carbon footprint.
What is a carbon footprint? A carbon footprint is defined as: The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Pick up your footprint card at any branch and start reducing your carbon footprint (every completed card becomes a ballot for monthly prizes and a grand prize in December of an energy efficient Laptop computer). For more information on the city’s Keen on Green initiatives, check out www.keenongreen.ca.
Of course we have books!!! Here is a sampling of titles to help you on your energy conservation and Green living quest.Ready, set, green : eight weeks to modern eco-living from the experts at TreeHugger.com / Graham Hill and Meaghan O’Neill. The time to save the planet is now. Ready! Set! Green! Living green means reversing climate change, but it also means protecting your kids and pets, improving your own health, and saving money. And it doesn’t necessarily demand a radical overhaul of your life, just some simple adjustments, such as switching to healthier cleaning products and driving fewer miles each week. Written by the visionaries at Treehugger.com, the most heavily trafficked site of its kind, Ready, Set, Green is the definitive (and recyclable) guide to modern green living. It offers solutions to make your home, office, car, and vacation more eco-friendly.The Home Energy Diet: how to save money by making your house energy-smart by Paul Scheckel. With rising energy costs, homeowners are beginning to examine the energy efficiency of their own homes, asking questions about where energy comes from and how much it costs, how to choose new appliances and what options exist for renewable energy. The Home Energy Diet answers all these questions and more while helping readers take control of their personal energy use and costs so they can save money, live more comfortably and help the environment. Many of the energy-saving strategies described can make for improved indoor air quality and healthier, more comfortable homes.?
Easy green living : the ultimate guide to simple, eco-friendly choices
for you and your home / Renée Loux. ?We are what we eat, but we also
are what we use to clean our homes, pamper our skin, and decorate our rooms, according to Renée Loux, accomplished raw food chef, award-winning author, and host of Fine Living TV’s Easy Being Green.
In this book, she applies her whole-foods philosophy to home, garden, and beauty routines. Renée Loux demonstrates that being green at home is easy, affordable, and better in every sense of the word. She discusses the daily choices we face that can keep the home, personal care, and beauty routines free of toxins. Whether addressing big-picture topics like renewable energy, or offering simple suggestions for everyday living, this complete lifestyle guide shows that healthier choices don’t mean a radical or complicated life change–it is, after all, easy to be green.?
Visit your public library today and begin Greening your lifestyle!
New Horizons: Identity Theft
According to the American Federal Trade Commission, nine million Americans have their identities stolen every year. John Lenardon, author of Identity Theft Toolkit: How to Recover from and Avoid Identity Theft (available at Waverley Resource Library), says that identity theft “is the fastest growing nonviolent crime in North America today”. Identity theft is when someone uses someone else’s identifying information without permission to commit fraud and other crimes.
E-mail is one way for ID thieves to try to steal information. This has happened to me. I was sent a ’spoof’ or ‘phisher’ email.
According to Ebay.ca (the company that was spoofed in the email I received), spoof emails are deceptive emails claiming to be sent by well-known companies.
The people who send these emails hope that unsuspecting recipients will reply or click a link contained in the email and then provide sensitive personal information (for example, eBay passwords, social insurance numbers, or credit card numbers). I was aware of my Ebay transactions, and the item in the spoof was not something I had ever intended to purchase. By not clicking on anything in the email, by not giving out any information and by contacting Ebay directly, I didn’t lose anything.
Typically, an internet-based company will make contact with its customers through internal methods, not through external email. Ebay, for instance, will send important information to their customers through their website and customer profiles, not hotmail or gmail.
ING Direct, too, has a particular method for clients to enter security information that requires the client to recognize phrases and pictures before accessing personal account information. If I was to receive an email from ING Direct to my hotmail account, I would be very, very dubious.
In the physical world, many retail stores now ask for names, phone numbers, and postal codes every time a customer makes a purchase. Why do they need the information? Lenardon says that “Stores always have a variety of reasons to justify why they need the data, although in most cases, it is only for marketing purposes, not for your protection or benefit.” Unfortunately, this information can be traded, lost, hacked, stolen, or even sold once it’s given away.
To give yourself some protection, ask if the information being requested (by a legitimate store or company) is necessary and what it is going to be used for. Ask what will happen if you say no.
Consider shopping elsewhere. Be aware of your internet and banking transactions, report suspicious activity. Websites warn of using the same password for multiple accounts and encourage users to change passwords often.
Remember: be as careful with your virtual identity as you would with your wallet. Like your wallet or your purse, your very identity can be stolen away by miscreants!
For more information on the subject, check out The Canadian Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Other Fraud by Graham McWaters and Gary Ford, available at Brodie Resource Library. Be careful out there!
Submitted by Chris Waite, Public Services Assistant
Are you living green?
This new trend in living closer to the earth, using fewer resources, recycling, reusing and reducing our carbon footprint on the earth is gaining much popularity. This year, your library is promoting how it too can be a part of living in a more ecologically balanced way. The library is based upon the concept of sharing. Historically, when books were in short supply, they were shared so that many might read what few could own. Today, when we want to use fewer trees for printing, less inks for the environment, and produce less plastic dvds and cds for the landfill, your library is a natural partner. We make materials available to many and encourage the sharing of limited resources. Our Keen on Green campaign promotes borrowing all types of library materials to reduce your impact on the earth. Your participation can aid you in winning great prizes provided by the library and our Keen on Green sponsors. For more tricks and ideas on how to live green, visit your library and borrow these great resources.
My mother would approve of Green for Life by Gillian Deacon.
Becoming an adult during the 30’s and a war bride in the 40’s made her a practical wizard at cleaning and managing a home with simple and safe products. Using newspapers to polish windows cleaned with vinegar and water, or using a clothesline to save electricity and have cleaner, fresher clothes were just par for the course for my New England born mother. I think she would have appreciated the hints on how to host a wedding with less waste, how to purchase furniture and bedding that don?t emit hazardous chemicals into the air, and stain removers that make better use of baking ingredients and less of toxic chemicals.
Are you looking at alternative ways to renovate your home to make it greener? Prescriptions for a Healthy House by Paula Baker-Laporte and Green Remodeling by John D. Wagner can act as guides to improvement.
Baker-Laporte emphasizes the theories of building green. Her book includes 15 essays by the leading building biologists to explain the practical reasons to build and renovate your house to greener standards. Green Remodeling is a more practical hands-on guide. It has many photo essays on simple projects like insulating around double hung windows, laying ceramic tile floors, and installing tankless water heaters.
Many of you, I am sure have heard of Ed Begley. If not, or if you are a fan, pick up Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life. Ed is a confirmed environmentalist who has always tried to live simply.
He promotes everything from composting, to solar electricity and alternative vehicles. His wife Rachelle insists on living in L.A. in style. Their dialogue on these issues makes for humorous and thoughtful reading.Go Green, Live Rich by David Bach is available in audiobook format as well as traditional paperback. Next time you are driving in your car, knitting, or cooking - listen to this great guide to saving money while being ecologically minded. When you travel, shop, have lunch or use green products you not only help the earth but you can save real dollars that can help your family’s bottom line. David Bach has seven consecutive best sellers written for those who wish to get rich. This promises to be yet another big winner.Easy Green Living by Renee Loux is the ultimate in shopping guides. It lists green manufacturers, products and has recipes for products you can make yourself. You are provided with comparative reviews of earth friendly products with multiple company listings for each type of product, it includes ingredients and availability. Before you go to stock up on paper products, soaps, house furnishings, or linens check this book out.
For those who enjoy reading in-depth articles on environmental topics, go to the Thunder Bay Public Library site and look in our Virtual Collection for GreenFile. This EBSCO host product collects articles from consumer magazines and academic journals on all types of ecological topics. Articles on efficient appliances, bamboo house construction, rooftop solar alternatives, and paper recycling make for interesting reading. For those who want a lighter source, begin by borrowing our newest circulating magazine, Green Living. With articles on bicycling and safer makeup, a debate on biofuels, and a good list of green websites, this magazine will be a good starting point.
Take part in our Keen on Green @ your Library campaign and learn more about how to protect our blue planet.Submitted by Roberta Casella, Librarian at Thunder Bay Public Library: www.tbpl.ca
June 2008 issue
Barbara Philp is Head of Adult Services Thunder Bay Public Library
June is Seniors Month and we have a lot happening at the library just for seniors. But then again, we always have something happening at the library!!! Throughout the month we have Seniors internet classes happening both in the afternoon and evening. Learn the basics of using a mouse, using Hotmail, and introduction to internet surfing as well as Searching tips and Tricks. Call 684-6815 for times ? space is limited but we run internet classes all year, so keep your eye out for
future dates. If you just want to practice surfing the net or using
a wordprocessing package, our training lab will be open during the month when no classes are scheduled for self-directed practice times.
Call the Waverley library ? 684-6815 first to ensure availability.
Here are some titles that you may want to check out: Internet for Dummies by John Levine, or Rough Guide to the Internet by Peter Buckley ? ?the ultimate guide for novice and experts alike. Written in plain English?.
As we hear about random attacks on the otherwise quiet streets of Thunder Bay, it makes you think about your own personal safety. Join Detective Constable MacLaurin from the Crimes Against Seniors Unit of the Thunder Bay Police Services as she gives guidance on how to be safe in the community and in your home ? Waverley Auditorium, June 3
at 2 pm, call 684-6814 to register and Mary J.L. Black Auditorium
June 12 at 2 pm, call 475-5906 to register. Here are some titles that may assist you in learning how to protect yourself ? Self-Defense:
Steps to Survival by Katy Mattingly, Fearless: the Complete Personal Safety Guide for Women by Paul Henry Danylewich.
If neither of these events spark your interest, then maybe spending time in or working on your ?outdoor? room is in your future. Have you noticed an increase in the number of advertisements for ?outdoor living?? I sure have! They seem to be moving the living room and the kitchen outdoors with fabulous brick BBQs and big comfy sofas and chairs! You can get firepits and outdoor heaters too! You will want to check out these new titles:
Ortho Start-to-finish: Paths and Walkways,
Better Homes and Gardens Ideas and How-to Outdoor Kitchens Ortho All about Attracting Hummingbirds and Butterflies Ortho All about Garden Ponds and Fountains Ortho All about Waterfalls, Ponds and Streams However you plan to spend your June, make sure you include the library in your plans!
TBSO Symphony Ensemble will be visiting the Waverley Library Auditorium on Wed. Apr 23, at 7 pm. During this presentation the group will provide close to an hour of presentation/performance. They will perform a number of pieces, and will include some discussion of the music, and their instruments. There will be opportunity for questions and interaction of the audience too.
Have you ever wanted to learn to play an instrument? you are never too old to learn. We have books and cds to help learn guitar. Titles such as ‘Essential Acoustic Guitar’ this is an instructional dvd, or ‘Teach yourself Visually Piano’, or try ‘Piano’ by Gillian Shepheard; it comes with a CD. Don’t want to play, but you like to listen, then check out our CD collection. We even have TBSO discs such as ‘Sounds of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra’, ‘Variations on a Memory’ and a video entitled ‘Sights and Sounds of Thunder Bay’ which features the sounds of the TBSO.
If you have computer access you may want to try the NAXOS music library. TBPL subscribes to this music database. It is the internet’s largest source of classical music online with access to jazz and world music as well. You can listen to the NAXOS music library directly from the TBPL website. Go to www.tbpl.ca and click on the Virtual Collection button at the top. Scroll down on the list of all our e-resources and when you see NAXOS, click on the phrase ‘NAXOS MUSIC LIBRARY’.
Just want a good read? Here are some new Large Print titles you will find on our shelves: Whitehorn Woods by Maeve Binchy, Dust: a Richard Jury Mystery by Martha Grimes and Free Fall by Fern Michaels. If you like audiobooks, here are some new audiobook titles: The Appeal by John Grisham, Power Play by Joseph Finder, and Where Angels Go by Debbie Macomber.
However you like to spend your leisure time, be it enjoying music or a good read , make sure you keep the library in your list of choices!
Hope to see you out on April 23rd ? come early to get a good seat.
Come Celebrate Nutrition Month - March - at the library by attending our NFB Food Science Film Series. Members of the local Food Action Network will lead in the post film discussion and let you know about the local food scene. The films are all at 7 pm in the Waverley Auditorium: refreshments served.
Feb. 26 - Beef Inc.
Beef Inc. examines how a handful of companies have come to dominate beef production and distribution in North America. No regard is given to the potential health risks to consumers or the quality of the end product.
Mar. 4 - Genetic Takeover
In just a few short years, genetically modified plants have become part of our daily diet and are already found in 75% of processed foods. This revolution has occurred without consumer awareness and without the knowledge of potential risks to our health and to the environment.
Mar. 18 - A Crack in the Pavement
A Crack in the Pavement is a two-part video set that shows children, teachers and parents how they can work together to ‘green’ their school grounds and make positive changes in their communities.
If you are not into film, then of course we have lots and lots of books. We even have new to the collection ‘eAudiobooks’. What are those you ask? An eAudiobook is like a regular audio book in the sense that you listen to it rather than read it. The e stands for electronic, and means that it is available over the Internet from your Library.
You can search for, check out and download eAudiobooks from your computer and then transfer them to a wide range of portable devices like MP3 players. Enjoy listening to eAudiobooks anywhere, anytime.
For more information please visit our Web site, www.tbpl.ca . Choose Find Books from the top menu, then E-Books from the side.
If you’re not into ‘downloading’, then of course we have lots and lots of regular CD books. Here are two titles that have received a lot of attention lately due to the recent release of the movie; see, we have gone full circle and are back to films!!
Khaled Hosseini’s ‘The Kite Runner ‘ and ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’, are both now available as CDBooks.
Happy viewing and listening, and we hope you can joins us @ Your Library
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H. Klinton vs Obama. How you think who will win elections?
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