Do you agree with Jordan in The Great Gatsby that “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall?” It always seems like a time of new beginnings, and we have some exciting ones for you at your Library. Staff have been preparing new experiences for you throughout the library system. Some highlights include a new partnership with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra to provide free access to performances and collaborating with the City of Thunder Bay to present the Literary Stage at Art and Culture Under the Lights. We’ve also made improvements to the Northern Nature Trading Space at Mary J. L. Black to allow us to better share the full collection. As we move ahead, you can look forward to more enhancements to your branches!
The collection is at the core of library service, and we have been assessing our materials and how we can reduce your wait times while maintaining materials for all interests. As we move into autumn, the garden tools will be put to bed and return in May 2025. You can look forward to spending your autumn and winter with books, board games, movies, and more! We are consistently adding to our collections so that you’ll never have a dull moment no matter what the weather brings.
Our programming staff have been working hard at creating new opportunities for all ages. Adults can attend a reading by Indigenous author Niigaan Sinclair, safeguard and share memories by scanning that box of old photos from the basement, or refresh their puzzle collection (and show off their skills!) at our puzzle race and swap program.
Our early literacy programming has long followed the Every Child Ready to Read™ practices with a focus on talking, reading, singing, and playing. Look for those same elements to remain the foundation of our programming alongside some refreshed format changes and updates. One of the changes you may notice is crafts leaving our weekly drop-in storytimes. Instead, you’ll now find dedicated crafting programs and other special events with a craft included.
We’ve heard from parents how much they love our Play Days as a free, safe space for their children to explore our book collection and engage with constructive, imaginative, and sensory-focused toys, so we have added more regularly scheduled Play Days occurring weekly. Research shows that unstructured free play is an important part of childhood development and builds imagination while also improving literacy. We have also invested in Toys on Tour, a set of new engaging toys to cycle between branches and spark creative play. Learn more about Toys on Tour in our quarterly newsletter: Connect.
I hope you’ll join us for a new season of growing and playing!
- Ruth Hamlin-Douglas
Head Librarian, Thunder Bay Public Library
A selection of titles across the genres from the Head Librarian's personal reading list.
