Peterborough Public Library and Bird Friendly Peterborough To Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day May 13

The Peterborough Public Library and Bird Friendly Peterborough will be celebrating World Migratory Bird Day in the FOL Community Room at the library on May 13.

photo courtesy of the peterborough public library.

Local environmental and wildlife groups will be on hand to help you with ideas and projects for making your gardens, yards and buildings more bird-friendly.

Learn about Peterborough's new Bird-Friendly City certification, actions the library is taking, and how you can help make our communities more bird-friendly. This event from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. will also feature door prizes, a live bird demo by a falconry expert, a family-friendly bird origami craft drop-in by library staff and a bird ID scavenger hunt.

“With our Native Plant Garden creating bird habitat in Library Commons, our new Birdwatching Kits, and bird-safe window treatments, the Library is proud to be a part of this Bird-Friendly City,” says Mark Stewart, Library Services Manager.

The Library will be launching its new collection of Birdwatching Kits that will be available to borrow with your library card. The kits have been made possible through generous donations from Peterborough Field Naturalists and Bird Friendly Peterborough. The kits come in a backpack and contain binoculars, bird identification guides and activities for adults and families.

The grand reveal of the Library's bird-safe window decal installation will be at 2 p.m., making it the first City building to do so in collaboration with BFP. Peterborough’s Bird Friendly City certification will be officially presented to Mayor Jeff Leal. City Councillors, City staff, First Nations representatives and BFP funders, along with the general public are invited to celebrate the day.  

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Peterborough Public Library Self-Serving Book Kiosks in The Community

The Peterborough Public Library has self-serving book Kiosks in the Peterborough Sport & Wellness Centre and at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre. 

photo courtesy of the peterborough public library.

Library staff restock the Kiosks weekly with popular adult and children's books. All you need is your library card for the easy to use the Kiosks.

How to check books in and out with your library card:

1. Scan the barcode on the back of your library card.

2. Enter your library PIN (your PIN is usually the last 4 digits of your phone number)

3. The door will unlock for you to open.

4. If you have books to return, place them on the shelves. It doesn’t matter where on the shelves you place them, please make sure they’re standing upright.

5. If you’d like to borrow any books, take them off the shelves and then shut the door.

6. The Kiosk will scan all the books inside. It automatically checks in any books you have returned and checks out any that you’ve removed.

7. Take your receipt.

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Peterborough Public Library Recognized As Legacy Space

The Peterborough Public Library and its funding partners announce they will be the first public library to be recognized as a Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund Legacy Space. 

file photo.

Legacy Spaces are safe, welcoming places where conversations and education about Indigenous history – and our collective journey towards reconciliation – are encouraged and supported. They also serve as symbols and reminders of the important work each of us needs to undertake in responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action.

The library will be celebrating the opening of the Legacy Space on May 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“The Library is a busy community hub dedicated to curiosity, discovery and learning. We’re proud to welcome everyone into the space, to learn about Indigenous history, and take actions toward reconciliation,” says Library CEO Jennifer Jones.  

“United Way Peterborough & District is proud to be partnering in bringing a Legacy Space to our community. Peterborough Public Library is already a place for all community members to learn, and the addition of a Legacy Space provides us with a location to grow in our shared reconciliation journey,” says founding funding partner and United Way CEO Jim Russell.

Marcus Harvey, executive director of the Trent University Faculty Association and founding funding partner on this project, says he values the role that Labour can play in the work of Reconciliation.

“Trent University’s longstanding commitment to Indigenous Knowledges may explain why Trent’s unions would get involved in this project from the outset,” Harvey says. “But this as an exercise in Solidarity that fits beautifully with the broader Labour community’s vision for social justice in Nogojiwanong.”

Follow along as the space is built, plan the launch and develop programs and collections to support their commitment to ReconciliACTION on the Library’s website and social media channels. 

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First Peterborough County Makerspace Opens at Selwyn Public Library In Lakefield

The first Makerspace in Peterborough County opens at the Lakefield branch of the Selwyn Public Library (SPL) with help from the Ontario Trillium Foundation on Friday.

Photo by Felicia Massey.

Makerspace is a place for all ages and skill levels to craft, create, explore technology and share skills using high-tech to no-tech tools.

Appointments must be made to use the space and can be pre-booked on their website.

Everything from vinyl signage to 3D printing can be crafted using equipment such as the Ultimaker S3 or the Cricut.

A $78,200 Resilient Communities Fund grant through the Ontario Trillium Foundation funded the formation of the creative space, transforming SPL’s former Renewed Classics thrift shop into the Makerspace.

“When you look around this room at what has been done, they have taken $79,000 and they have probably added over $200,000 worth of value for the community,” said Dave Smith, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP.

Some renovations completed through the Trillium Resilient Communities grant include new paint/flooring and the conversion of an old vault into a podcasting suite. They were also able to get new furniture and a security system.

“For quite some time the board has received reports about the Makerspace,” said a 20-year SPL board member. “We weren’t really sure what it (Makerspace) was going to be and what it was going to look like but (the staff) have done a tremendous job with $79,000.”

The SPL Makerspace is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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Immaculate Conception School Gains Additional Library Funding From Chapters Fundraiser For

Immaculate Conception School became one of 138 schools in Canada to have its library benefit from proceeds made by the Chapter’s Indigo Love of Reading Foundation’s annual Adopt a School fundraiser.

Photos courtesy of Immaculate Conception School.

The majority of the school’s library budget comes from book fair fundraisers and new purchases have been slim since 2019.

The money will be used to grow the school’s S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) book collection, update their fiction series, create a Maker Space for students and increase the number of books they have by/about BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and) People of Colour) and other under-represented groups.

Donations are being accepted in person at Chapters Peterborough, located at 873 Lansdowne St. between Sept. 12 and Oct. 2.

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Selwyn Public Library is Hosting an Online Auction to Support Library Services

The Selwyn Public Library is holding an online silent auction from Nov. 1- Nov. 12, to raise funds toward the Support Our Library Campaign.

Bridgenorth Branch of Selwyn Public Library. Photo courtesy of Selwyn Public Library.

Fundraising revenues support library services such as virtual collections and resources (eBooks and eAudiobooks), adult and children’s programs, and community outreach initiatives including the home library service, pop-up libraries, and our pollinator garden.

These funds have traditionally been raised through the effort of volunteers at the libraries New-to-You stores, along with annual book sales. However, with the required intermittent closures of these stores and the inability to hold our annual book sales due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the library has been exploring new ways to raise these revenues.

This year's goal is to raise $10,000.

Selwyn Public Library’s Auction will be completely online, allowing participants to bid for items from home.

The auction is made possible through generous donations from community members and local businesses. It will feature a wide variety of interesting items including artwork, gift baskets, unique experiences, and gift certificates.

To view items and to bid, visit www.galabid.com/selwynlibrary

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Peterborough Public Library DeLafosse Branch Will Remain Closed Until Further Notice

The Peterborough Public Library announced that the DelaFosse Branch will remain closed until the structural assessment is complete.

FILE PHOTO COURTESY PETERBOROUGH PUBLIC LIBRARY

Earlier this week it was announced that the Main Library would be returning to pre-COVID hours and that the DelaFosse Branch would be reopening on August 24, 2021. However, a draft report outlining a significant structural concern with the library floors' load distribution and weight-bearing has changed those plans.  

Earlier this summer, the Peterborough Public Library Board discussed the Library's 2020 Service Review results, which looked at the DelaFosse Branch. At that time, a motion was approved for an updated building condition assessment of the DelaFosse be completed.

According to an early draft of this report, the floors in the DelaFosse Branch were constructed to support a weight distribution of 60 pounds per square foot, and the weight of the collection and shelving are currently exceeding that weight restriction.

"Library staff were excited to get back in the building and welcome our members," said Jennifer Jones, Library CEO. "We have been advised that it is a health and safety risk to reopen the facility at this time. The safety of both the community and our staff is paramount, we will be looking at ways to redistribute the weight immediately, but it will not be enough to safely reopen the DelaFosse at this time."

The Library Board will review the full report once it is completed. They will then discuss the next steps and determine when the DelaFosse branch can reopen safely.

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Toronto Architect Patrick Li To Create Artwork For New Square Adjacent To Peterborough Public Library

The City of Peterborough Public Art Program announced Thursday (January 18th) that Toronto-based architect Patrick Li will create the artwork for the new square adjacent to Peterborough Public Library.
 
The project at the corner of Aylmer and Simcoe streets was developed in concert with the Library’s Main Branch renovation and expansion, and is sponsored by LLF Lawyers. The construction of the square adjacent to the library will create a vibrant place for people to gather in the heart of downtown Peterborough.  
 

Rendering courtesy City of Peterborough

The call for proposals to create an artwork for the square received 20 submissions from artists and designers across the province.
 
In his presentation to the selection committee, Patrick Li highlighted the symbolic nature of the sculpture—Your Story—and his desire to create an artwork that feels alive:

“This Sculpture is made by the undulated fin like columns to be reminiscent of a book cover that is twisting in the wind," he said. "This way, there is movement to make the sculpture feel alive. Each person who walks inside will have a chance to experience this fluidity and discover their own journey.”

Rendering courtesy City of Peterborough

The Selection Committee found it a stunning, well-conceived and relevant work that will inspire the community and mirror the architecture of the renovated library. They were impressed by Li’s passion and expressed confidence in his ability to problem solve and work through project details.
 
The expected completion of the square and the artwork is Autumn 2018.

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