Because We Care

Sometimes we all need answers to our health related questions.

These are just a few of the more recent health related titles found at the Callander Public library.

Librarians are information specialists. If we can't find the information you are looking for in our own collection, we have access to almost any book from any Ontario public library through the interlibrary loan system. If needed, we can refer you to other agencies (such as the Cancer Society) which would have their own library of reference materials.

Submitted by Norma, Assistant Librarian

Alison's List of Christmas Favourites

Norma has written so eloquently about our library being the heart of the community, and of our many patrons whom we enjoy coming to visit, not only for library services but also for updates on their lives. We are fortunate to share many things with our patrons!

At this time of year I would like you to note the many seasonal items that the library can offer around the Christmas season. We have books about Christmas cooking and baking, decorating and gift ideas and fiction to help you relax and enjoy the season. My favourite section remains the children’s area where we have over 50 Christmas books to enjoy at this time of year. This section is known as the E section of the library, not E for easy, but E for everybody!

There are some books in our E section that seem more directed to older children and adults.

The House of the Wooden Santas by Kevin Major reads like an advent story, with 24 short “chapters” to the story, each one beautifully illustrated with a carved wooden santa. I liked to read one chapter each night of the advent season.

Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon is the retelling of Christmas 1914 when the German and Allied soldiers participated in an unofficial Christmas truce. Again, this book has beautiful Illustrations and has a CD to accompany the story.

Winter’s Gift by Jane Donovan is a delightful story when read aloud and has great appeal to all ages. It takes practice to be able to read it without “tearing up”, but it is a story about a gift of hope.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski is a story of the widow McDowell and her seven year old son Thomas who ask a gruff J Toomey to carve figures for their Christmas crèche. This is a beautiful old fashioned story written by a librarian who was looking for a real Christmas story.

Silver Packages by Cynthia Rylant tells the story of a Christmas train coming through the Appalachian Mountains each year with gifts for children. This story comes a full circle when one of the recipients of a gift comes back as an adult to this community. As an adult, I found it tear jerking, in a way that children do not!

I cannot write a blog entry about Christmas books without including my all time favourite, The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. This lovely picture book was published in 1985 but is still very popular each year as it has stood the test of time. The expressive language reads like poetry and appeals to me equally as well as the soft illustrations. It is another story that I would describe as a “circle story” and leaves me with the wonder of Christmas. Be sure to have a silver bell on hand if you read it aloud!

Submitted by Alison, Librarian

Kim's Young Adult Read Picks

As a new blogger I find this task rather daunting, not knowing what to write. After careful consideration I have decided to talk about some of the recent young adult books that I have read.

Most recently, I read one of the "I Am Canadian" series, Prisoners of Dieppe by Hugh Brewster. This is a historical fiction book that centers around a young boy who is talked into enlisting for World War II. As we follow the boys through training and into battle, Hugh recounts actual facts of the disastrous assault by the Allies on the shores of Dieppe in August 1942. The loss of over 3300 Canaidan solders and 2000 Canadians being captured as POWs went down in history as a great loss. I thought this was a very powerful book that highlighted the youth of our soldiers and terrible losses taken for our freedom.

Another recent find was Greener Grass, the Famine Years by Caroline Pignat. Winner of the Governor Generals Literacy Award for 2009 this is the first novel in the "Greener Grass" series. This historical fiction is set in 1847 Ireland during the second year of the Potato Famine. We follow the day to day horror that consumed Ireland as our main character Kit tries to help her family survive, with possibly even the cost of her soul. This novel is about the utter devastation that nature can cause on mankind and our struggle to survive.

Last is Bifocal by Deborah Ellies and Eric Walter. This novel was launched in 2007 as a ground breaking Young Adult novel that addresses racism of today. A bright, high school student is arrested on suspicions of terrorism. This causes a domino effect where racial values are questioned by students and parents. The school is torn in half as Muslim students are targeted. The story is told from two view-points on either side of the conflict. I found this novel hard hitting and emotional. It was a real eye opener in how society deals with social differences, and what possible changes we can make in tolerance for all.

Although all these titles are Young Adult Fiction, don't discount them. The stories move quickly with action and feeling.

Written by Kim

Why I Love Working at My Public Library

Okay....I'm kind of taking liberty as the author of the first blog posting in our Callander Public Library blog.

There is so much that happens at our little community library, that I'm sure we won't have trouble finding interesting things to post about on a regular basis. However, since I'm the author of this particular post, I thought I'd first tell you why I love working in my public library.

I guess that I can sum it up by saying that this public library is ALL about COMMUNITY.

Working here, I get to talk to so many interesting people who use the library for different reasons.

The young mom who brings the toddlers in regularly, not just to find books, but to find me...another adult to talk to for 5 minutes!
The summer visitors who come in to use our computer facilities to catch up on emails from home.
The little guy who knows exactly how many TRUCK books we have on our juvenile non-fiction shelves.
The critical care nurse who desperately needs to find a 'HAPPY' story to get her through her 12 hour shifts.
The family that comes to get some DVDs for a rainy day.
The mother who has returned to university and needs a quiet place to do her homework.
The young man who is using the business kiosk to Skype into the Business Centre for help.
The little guy that shows up for Raising Readers in his bathrobe.
The senior couple that want to learn to use their computer software.
The young person who needs to print and fax their resume.

oh, yeah...I almost forgot....
The hundreds of people who find great, current reading materials.

These are just some of the people that make my work at the library enjoyable.

The community is the heart of the library, and the library is the heart of the community.

Welcome to the Callander Public Library's new blog!

Written by Norma, Assistant Librarian