This post started as a standard “what i’m reading” post. But as I thought about it, I realized that it touches on several other themes that are important to me: history, Reconciliation, libraries, readers’ advisory… and maybe some others I’m not seeing yet. The Secret Pocket In September, for National
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wmtc: five years on: reflections on the big life change
The Port Hardy skyline Since starting this blog in 2004, I’ve experienced three Big Life Changes. The first, of course, was emigrating to Canada. The second was becoming a librarian. More than a career change, this was a huge shift in lifestyle and identity. The third Big Life Change was
Continue readingwmtc: maya’xala: things i heard in the library, an occasional series # 40
In my ongoing efforts to make the Port Hardy Library a safer workplace, and a more comfortable space for customers, I was invited to a elders’ luncheon at the Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw Nations. Addressing the elders, I tried to convey how we have worked hard to make our library a welcoming space
Continue readingwmtc: "can you see the head?" : things i heard at the library: an occasional series, #39
At the Port Hardy library, we serve many marginalized people. They are poor, street-involved, struggling with the intertwined impacts of intergenerational trauma, mental illness, and addiction. The most common impact we see is alcohol addiction. The reasons are no mystery: alcohol is cheap, legal, and readily available. I have no
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: # 38
I was covering the desk while staff was on break. A customer asked where he could find books on sex. I asked whether this was for a young person or an adult. He said an adult. I asked if was he looking for anything specific, such as safer sex, sexual
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: # 37
I have an update on R, the customer who was the subject of the previous two TIHATL posts: #35, a customer who refuses to be helped, and #36, a customer who needs so much more than a library can provide. As a friend said on Facebook, librarians, like teachers, are
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard (and smelled) at the library: an occasional series: # 36
The subject of this TIHATL is R, the same man I wrote about in the previous TIHATL post. Things have gone from bad to worse. He is pale, unshaven, and unsteady on his feet. And he is incontinent. When he stands up, the seat he’s been sitting on is soaked.
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #35
This TIHATL is a hybrid of two well-trod library tropes: The Customer Who Refuses To Be Helped and Left Behind By Technology. It makes for sad, frustrating interactions and irate customers. R needs to do something on the internet. He hates the library’s computers. He hates Windows 10. He is
Continue readingwmtc: community meetings: what we heard about the library
As I mentioned some weeks ago, our library system is in the midst of the strategic planning process, crafting a roadmap for the next five years. Part of the process is community engagement — hearing directly from library users and local partners about the library’s mission, its place in the
Continue readingwmtc: north island book tour and community meetings: what i’m up to at the library
Inside the Port Hardy Library September and October have been a whirlwind for me at the library. In September, we hosted a locally famous author. Yvonne Maximchuk lives on a remote island in the Broughton Archipelago, and writes about the people who live in these tiny coastal communities. She has
Continue readingwmtc: in which i observe education, job creation, and community building in progress
For the last couple of weeks, it’s been my privilege to witness some exciting progress for our community, plus have a really interesting experience. Literacy first As a librarian and library manager in a remote region, I work closely with the local literacy society, and I sit on its board
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #34
A customer said this. I tell my daughter I love her every day. I told my mother on her death bed, I’m not going to do what you did. I’m going to raise my daughter with love. My mother told me she hated me. She told me I ruined her
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #33
As I sat down to write this, I searched for the last “things i heard at the library” post, to get the number. Amazingly, today’s post turns out to be a follow-up to the previous TIH! That was a surprise! And it makes writing this much easier. July 2020: I just
Continue readingwmtc: so many left behind: the ever-widening digital divide
Last year, while attempting to get a parking pass during our vacation — without a phone, my phone having been fried by an update — I got caught in a circuitous and frustrating encounter with information and technology gaps. About a year later, navigating the brave new world of do-it-yourself airport screening,
Continue readingwmtc: it’s all about respect: why the librarians of vancouver island are taking job action
I have at least five posts in the works, but zero time to write them, because I am once again involved in a job action for library workers. I have refrained from writing about it thus far, but I feel a deep need to capture some of this on wmtc.
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: goodbye for now, see you at the library
Goodbye for Now… See You at the Library This is my final At Your Library column. I’m grateful to Kathy O’Reilly, indefatigable publisher of The Eagle, for giving me this opportunity. When I came to Port Hardy – exactly three years ago – I didn’t know a soul, and now
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: we heart your small or home-based business
Small or Home-Based Business? Your Library Can Help So many people in our North Island communities have been opening new businesses lately! It seems like every edition of The Eagle features at least one story about a new business in one of our towns. Some are “bricks and mortar” businesses
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: build early literacy with storytimes
Build Early Literacy with Storytimes – Every Day in Port Hardy In a year when we desperately needed good news, the Port Hardy branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) had the best news: a huge increase in hours. And one of the best things about those new hours
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: commemorate remembrance day with a good book or three
Celebrate and commemorate Remembrance Day with a good book or three Readers have told me they enjoy the themed booklists I’ve shared. Remembrance Day is an occasion to share another list. The Great War, as it was known at the time, has inspired countless authors, poets, playwrights, and screenwriters. Many
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: halloween is spooktacular at your library
Halloween Is Spooktacular at Your Library Halloween is almost here, and with almost everyone in the North Island vaccinated, be exchanging their everyday masks for spooky ones, making costumes, and trick-or-treating again. Your library is part of the Halloween fun. Haunted Vancouver Island for Kids (author reading) Tweens, teens, and
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