It’s November. Here at the northern tip of Vancouver Island, the days are getting mighty short. It’s not cold — most days still reach 9 or 10 C — but the gray sky and low sun feel like winter. This time last year, everything was happening. I was buzzing with
Continue readingTag: becoming a librarian
wmtc: in which i reflect on many one-year anniversaries of a big life change
It’s November. Here at the northern tip of Vancouver Island, the days are getting mighty short. It’s not cold — most days still reach 9 or 10 C — but the gray sky and low sun feel like winter. This time last year, everything was happening. I was buzzing with
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: awil’gola open house: celebrate first nations communities at the library
On Thursday, October 24, the Port Hardy Library will host Awil’gola Open House, a celebration of local Indigenous cultures. Awil’gola is a Kwak’wala word loosely translated as “in celebration”, “being with one another,” or “all being together”. We will be celebrating beautiful new Cultural Literacy Kits focusing on the Kwakwaka’wakw,
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: computer help in port alice, woss… and everywhere
These days, basic computer skills are as essential as knowing how to boil water. Whether it’s sending an email, using Skype to chat with a grandchild, or taking care of banking, computers have great potential to make our lives easier. Sometimes, computer use is a necessity. When the residents of
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: ahoy there, matey! you can learn how to talk like a pirate – plus lots of fun facts about real pirates – through free apps from your library
Can you talk like a pirate? September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, a bit of fun invented by two friends in 1995 and spread around the globe via the internet. Typical “pirate-speak” are growly phrases like Arrr Matey, Avast Ye Landlubbers, and the ever-popular Shiver Me Timbers.
Continue readingwmtc: picket lines, pupdates, and the 51st parallel: 10 things on my mind
It’s been a while. 1. Mom went home. My mom went home two weeks ago, after spending seven weeks here. I was sad to see her go! We had a great time, and it got better as we went along and settled into a routine. The dogs must especially miss
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: dreaming of streaming… at the library
If you have internet access at home, you are in for a treat. The Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) has several high-quality streamingservices. You can listen to audiobooks, watch movies and documentaries, learn skills – and learn about the world – by streaming or downloading on your own devices. And
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: come play and learn!
We’re celebrating Christmas early here at the Port Hardy Library – and Port McNeill, Port Alice, and Sointula Libraries, too. We’re so excited to unwrap wonderful new supplies for the community to enjoy in our libraries. For children, we have a new selection of wooden puzzles, showing animals, shapes, “things
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: did you know your library is steam-powered?
Your library is STEAM-powered. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. But STEAM is much more than those five subjects. It’s an approach to education and learning. STEAM is a way of looking at the world around us, discovering how things work, and working together to create. STEAM
Continue readingwmtc: three thoughts arising from a focus on the housing crisis
Today I attended a working meeting that included almost all the service providers in the region. These service providers were brought together by the Mount Waddington Health Network to build a coalition that will deal with the housing crisis. I was there mainly to stay informed and to network, and
Continue readingwmtc: indigenous canada: online course from university of alberta
This is a detail from artwork thatwas used throughout the course. Earlier this year, I studied and completed “Indigenous Canada“, a 12-week MOOC offered by the University of Alberta. It’s a general overview of Canadian history from an Indigenous perspective. It was a mostly good experience, along with some issues
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: summer reading club is back
Summer Reading Club is back! Register your child today. Can you believe it’s June already? The days are long, the kids are restless, and summer is in the air. Whether you’re cleaning out the camper, booking a cottage down island, or just wondering how you’re going to keep your children
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: jobs and careers: we’ve got you covered
Jobs and Careers: We’ve Got You Covered Recently I had the pleasure of attending a career fair hosted by the Kwakiutl First Nation. I wasn’t there to convince anyone to become a librarian – although it is an awesome profession! I was telling people about the resources our library has
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: life lessons are found in all kinds of stories
At Your Library: What Should Your Child Read? “All my son wants to read are comics!” “I don’t approve of those zombie or vampire books. Kids should read something more uplifting and educational.” “Do comic books count as reading?” “My daughter reads those ‘world record’ books. I want her to read
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: is your child ready to read?
In our local paper. At Your Library: Is Your Child Ready to Read? Kindergarten is a child’s introduction to school – but your children’s education begins long before they ever set foot in a classroom. At The Library: Is Your Child Ready to Read? Teachers and librarians talk about something
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: column #1
I’m writing a library column for the local newspaper! I’m really excited about it. Everyone reads this free paper, so a column is an amazing opportunity to promote our services. It’s also a fun writing challenge, to strip away the library jargon, appeal to a wide audience, and quickly write
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #30
At the Port Hardy Library, we’ve been hosting visits from the local First Nations school, from the the Gwa’sala-Nakwaxda’xw Nations. (That is pronounced GWA-sala Nak-wah-da.) The children have been absolutely lovely, and although my contact with them is brief, I’m enjoying it so much. It’s especially wonderful to have the tweens
Continue readingwmtc: my first island off the island: a brief stop in sointula
This week I drove down to Port McNeill — about 30 minutes away, and the home of one of my libraries — and took the ferry to Malcolm Island, to visit another of my libraries, in the town of Sointula. I traveled with a co-worker who does programming and support
Continue readingwmtc: home at last: three days between the end of training and the start of work
I am so happy to be home! I got home late Friday night and on Saturday gave myself a full day off from all devices. My last few days of training were very interesting. I went back to Nanaimo for an all-day meeting for professional staff — regular librarians, next-step-up librarians
Continue readingwmtc: week two of training and counting days to go home
It was wonderful to have Allan and Diego with me this weekend. The weather was “cold” — cold for the island, between -2 and +3 C — and wet, and I wasn’t prepared for that, so we didn’t do a lot. We went to Ideal Cafe twice, a famous local
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