Media from the West Grey Public Library
Mayor Eccles presents a congratulatory certificate to West Grey Library Board Chair, Tim Dyck (centre) and Vice-Chair Malcolm Beddoe.
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The West Grey Public Library is receiving a grant from Community Foundation Grey Bruce through a donation from the Eva Leflar Donor Advised Endowed Fund. The funding is earmarked for programs and resources to benefit young children and families.
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TRAVELLING LIBRARIAN HEADS TO THE NATION’S CAPITAL NEXT
August 2, 2017 (Durham) The West Grey Public Library is losing Kendra Hawley to her next adventure. The Children’s and Youth Services librarian has been offered a position in Ottawa, as a “document testing and transcription officer”, starting in late August.
Kendra has been a favourite staff member at the library since she started in 2010, after graduating as a library technician from Algonquin College. The eldest of 6 and homeschooled, Kendra’s family travelled extensively as she was growing up: notably to Haiti and Pennsylvania, before settling on a farm outside Feversham.
Kendra left West Grey for two years in 2014 to set up a university library in Lusaka, Zambia. The books arrived after she did, and Kendra faced the challenge of creating a library from nothing, using only a laptop and a converted shipping container. She returned, according to colleagues, a “stronger, more independent” person. According to Kendra, the “sweet, gentle person [I was} was eaten by lions.”
Kendra’s new adventure involves proofing and formatting books to be transcribed into Braille and other accessible formats and while she is looking forward to the work and to Ottawa, where she can skate on the canals and see vast spring tulip beds, she is finding it difficult to pull up her West Grey roots. She has particularly enjoyed working with young people, getting to know them and helping them develop a love of reading. Fortunately, good friends await her arrival in Ottawa and professionally she is eager to be part of the process of accessibility.
And the future? As Kendra puts it, “A million doors are opening ahead. I just have to choose and right now I’m enjoying the ride.” Kendra’s last day at the Durham branch is August 17th.
August 2, 2017 (Durham) The West Grey Public Library is losing Kendra Hawley to her next adventure. The Children’s and Youth Services librarian has been offered a position in Ottawa, as a “document testing and transcription officer”, starting in late August.
Kendra has been a favourite staff member at the library since she started in 2010, after graduating as a library technician from Algonquin College. The eldest of 6 and homeschooled, Kendra’s family travelled extensively as she was growing up: notably to Haiti and Pennsylvania, before settling on a farm outside Feversham.
Kendra left West Grey for two years in 2014 to set up a university library in Lusaka, Zambia. The books arrived after she did, and Kendra faced the challenge of creating a library from nothing, using only a laptop and a converted shipping container. She returned, according to colleagues, a “stronger, more independent” person. According to Kendra, the “sweet, gentle person [I was} was eaten by lions.”
Kendra’s new adventure involves proofing and formatting books to be transcribed into Braille and other accessible formats and while she is looking forward to the work and to Ottawa, where she can skate on the canals and see vast spring tulip beds, she is finding it difficult to pull up her West Grey roots. She has particularly enjoyed working with young people, getting to know them and helping them develop a love of reading. Fortunately, good friends await her arrival in Ottawa and professionally she is eager to be part of the process of accessibility.
And the future? As Kendra puts it, “A million doors are opening ahead. I just have to choose and right now I’m enjoying the ride.” Kendra’s last day at the Durham branch is August 17th.
Article for Hanover Post
THE WINDING ROAD TO THE LIBRARY
Some young people don’t stray far from home to find their ideal career.
Kayla Eckhardt, Children & Youth Services Librarian at West Grey Library, was born and raised in West Grey (Walkerton, Dundalk, Durham). A precocious early reader and regular visitor to the library in Dundalk
Kayla never considered the library as a career choice because “…I assumed it was one of those 'dream jobs' that aren't practical”. Kayla made a couple of false starts in medicine, graphic design and office administration, but still didn’t see herself in any of these long-term. An ad in the paper for a summer student at the library changed all that. After a summer learning the basics, Kayla decided the mix of logical problem-solving and creative fun was for her. Starting as a distance learning student, she juggled school, a part-time job and the planning of her wedding. She was hired shortly after completing a second summer stint at the library, and returning from her honeymoon.
Kayla moved from Durham Branch librarian to Children and Youth Services librarian and about a year later had a baby boy, then attended her convocation ceremony as graduate, with honours, of Mohawk College’s Library and Information Technology.
Kayla loves small-town living and sees herself as continuing her balancing act as mother and librarian.
THE WINDING ROAD TO THE LIBRARY
Some young people don’t stray far from home to find their ideal career.
Kayla Eckhardt, Children & Youth Services Librarian at West Grey Library, was born and raised in West Grey (Walkerton, Dundalk, Durham). A precocious early reader and regular visitor to the library in Dundalk
Kayla never considered the library as a career choice because “…I assumed it was one of those 'dream jobs' that aren't practical”. Kayla made a couple of false starts in medicine, graphic design and office administration, but still didn’t see herself in any of these long-term. An ad in the paper for a summer student at the library changed all that. After a summer learning the basics, Kayla decided the mix of logical problem-solving and creative fun was for her. Starting as a distance learning student, she juggled school, a part-time job and the planning of her wedding. She was hired shortly after completing a second summer stint at the library, and returning from her honeymoon.
Kayla moved from Durham Branch librarian to Children and Youth Services librarian and about a year later had a baby boy, then attended her convocation ceremony as graduate, with honours, of Mohawk College’s Library and Information Technology.
Kayla loves small-town living and sees herself as continuing her balancing act as mother and librarian.
FROM ICE TO PAPER
West Grey native Annika Dyck came by her love of books naturally, but there was strong competition from the arena.
While her early ambition was to be a Zamboni driver, her dad, Tim, is a bookbinder, so she began making her own books at around six years of age.
The Zamboni thing morphed into a strong interest in skating, as a competitor and later as a coach, but reading was still in the mix. Annika and her sister were homeschooled, which built library visits into their schedule. A family rule about taking out “about” books (non-fiction) as well as picture books and fiction, and Annika’s involvement in library programs and reading clubs, led to a comfort around books and libraries from early childhood.
Annika started as a library volunteer at 14, organizing, shelving and processing books. Her enjoyment of the work and her pleasure in customer service helped her decide to go into library science as a post-secondary program.
Her decision to enter the Library and Information Technician program at Algonquin College in Ottawa has been a positive one for Annika. Unique courses form part of the program, such as Special Collections, where the class spent time in the Applies Museum Studies' labs.
Annika has been on the Dean’s Honour list for all four semesters and this spring she won the Ontario Association of Library Technicians Outstanding Student Award. She is working as a Page with the Ottawa Public Library.
She still finds time to coach skating, but Zamboni driver studies have had to take a back seat.
West Grey native Annika Dyck came by her love of books naturally, but there was strong competition from the arena.
While her early ambition was to be a Zamboni driver, her dad, Tim, is a bookbinder, so she began making her own books at around six years of age.
The Zamboni thing morphed into a strong interest in skating, as a competitor and later as a coach, but reading was still in the mix. Annika and her sister were homeschooled, which built library visits into their schedule. A family rule about taking out “about” books (non-fiction) as well as picture books and fiction, and Annika’s involvement in library programs and reading clubs, led to a comfort around books and libraries from early childhood.
Annika started as a library volunteer at 14, organizing, shelving and processing books. Her enjoyment of the work and her pleasure in customer service helped her decide to go into library science as a post-secondary program.
Her decision to enter the Library and Information Technician program at Algonquin College in Ottawa has been a positive one for Annika. Unique courses form part of the program, such as Special Collections, where the class spent time in the Applies Museum Studies' labs.
Annika has been on the Dean’s Honour list for all four semesters and this spring she won the Ontario Association of Library Technicians Outstanding Student Award. She is working as a Page with the Ottawa Public Library.
She still finds time to coach skating, but Zamboni driver studies have had to take a back seat.
Article for Hanover Post - August 2, 2017
LOCAL HISTORY IN 10 PAGES
We are fortunate to live in. a time when history has jumped out of the printed page and appears before us – in movies, historic interpretation centers, re-enactments and so on. These dramatizations bring us into the time period and help us feel as citizens then felt. But sometimes it’s good to dip into the past in other ways, with artifacts and records of the time.
At the Durham branch of West Grey Public Library, a temporary display on 10 boards conveys a remarkable amount of information, from local dams and small businesses, to celebrations and newspaper ads. From the 1840's to the 1960's, photographs, sketches and newspaper items build a picture of the town’s founding family, the mills and their importance to the area, even a history of the library.
It’s a poignant reminder of times that have disappeared, or are endangered: railways and marching bands, a 5-pound pot roast for 69 cents and ‘family size’ bags of flour and straw hat day. And a reminder of some things better left behind, including a bank ad detailing the advantages of a joint account that “allows the wife” to have a say in the family’s financial affairs.
The smaller details of life lived long ago sometimes reminds us of what we’ve lost – and gained.
The exhibit will remain at the Durham branch until the end of August and then will be on display at the Durham Fall Fair (September long weekend).
For more information, contact your local West Grey, branch: Durham or Elmwood (519-369-2107), Ayton (519-665-2342) or Neustadt (519-799-5830).
LOCAL HISTORY IN 10 PAGES
We are fortunate to live in. a time when history has jumped out of the printed page and appears before us – in movies, historic interpretation centers, re-enactments and so on. These dramatizations bring us into the time period and help us feel as citizens then felt. But sometimes it’s good to dip into the past in other ways, with artifacts and records of the time.
At the Durham branch of West Grey Public Library, a temporary display on 10 boards conveys a remarkable amount of information, from local dams and small businesses, to celebrations and newspaper ads. From the 1840's to the 1960's, photographs, sketches and newspaper items build a picture of the town’s founding family, the mills and their importance to the area, even a history of the library.
It’s a poignant reminder of times that have disappeared, or are endangered: railways and marching bands, a 5-pound pot roast for 69 cents and ‘family size’ bags of flour and straw hat day. And a reminder of some things better left behind, including a bank ad detailing the advantages of a joint account that “allows the wife” to have a say in the family’s financial affairs.
The smaller details of life lived long ago sometimes reminds us of what we’ve lost – and gained.
The exhibit will remain at the Durham branch until the end of August and then will be on display at the Durham Fall Fair (September long weekend).
For more information, contact your local West Grey, branch: Durham or Elmwood (519-369-2107), Ayton (519-665-2342) or Neustadt (519-799-5830).
Article for West Grey Spotlight - April 12, 2017
Going for Power
“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” Robin Williams
I have been fascinated by words all my life. I love the feel of certain words as I say them, the effect they can bring when carefully chosen, the thrill they convey when they are used in exactly the right way and the satisfaction of efficiently using one perfect word instead of four sloppily selected ones.
As a kid, I liked long words, sure, but I also loved onomatopoeia. Graze, sizzle, cuckoo - words created from an associated sound. So expressive. And some words were just delightful to say: slither, fervent, aspersion. So satisfying.
It meant a decent vocabulary pretty early on… and perhaps a little impatience at the pedestrian overuse of words and phrases.
So whenever I come across new words, I feel a little frisson of delight. Today, a patron visited the library and, when asked for her favourite word, promptly replied, “suborbulous”. Turns out it isn’t in any dictionary – but she said her family has used it for years. Means fantastic, awesome. Great word. One of our volunteers went on a Scottish term rampage with me, bringing up great words like “muckle”, which just means big but sounds so much more interesting. Or ‘stoatin’, which means bouncing, as in ‘stoatin off the ground’.
Checking with co-workers, I got a few juicy favourites: ‘sasquatch” and “sesquicentennial” came out pretty quickly. In my family, ‘cozy’ is a favourite. “Gobsmacked” is another favourite, although the librarian bemoaned how rarely she was able to use it. Some favour words from their children’s vocabularies: “stunk’ for skunk and “belbow” for elbow.
Then there are the weird and wonderful words like “absquatulate”, to leave somewhere abruptly. Or one of my absolute favourites, borborygumus, those awful gurgling noises your stomach makes when you’re hungry. How can you not love those words? Satisfying to say, eminently useful. And words derived from
If you check in with experts, like the lexicographers at Oxford, you’ll see such delightful choices include quiffler, quagmire, numpty and penultimate.
And with an estimate of between 250,000 and 750,000 words in the English language, and (as quoted on the website Quora of an Economist study), that most adult vocabularies range from 20,000–35,000 words, there is plenty of “scope for the imagination”, as Anne Shirley has it in Anne of Green Gables… to write, to express ideas, to change the world.
Word nerds, unite!
Going for Power
“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” Robin Williams
I have been fascinated by words all my life. I love the feel of certain words as I say them, the effect they can bring when carefully chosen, the thrill they convey when they are used in exactly the right way and the satisfaction of efficiently using one perfect word instead of four sloppily selected ones.
As a kid, I liked long words, sure, but I also loved onomatopoeia. Graze, sizzle, cuckoo - words created from an associated sound. So expressive. And some words were just delightful to say: slither, fervent, aspersion. So satisfying.
It meant a decent vocabulary pretty early on… and perhaps a little impatience at the pedestrian overuse of words and phrases.
So whenever I come across new words, I feel a little frisson of delight. Today, a patron visited the library and, when asked for her favourite word, promptly replied, “suborbulous”. Turns out it isn’t in any dictionary – but she said her family has used it for years. Means fantastic, awesome. Great word. One of our volunteers went on a Scottish term rampage with me, bringing up great words like “muckle”, which just means big but sounds so much more interesting. Or ‘stoatin’, which means bouncing, as in ‘stoatin off the ground’.
Checking with co-workers, I got a few juicy favourites: ‘sasquatch” and “sesquicentennial” came out pretty quickly. In my family, ‘cozy’ is a favourite. “Gobsmacked” is another favourite, although the librarian bemoaned how rarely she was able to use it. Some favour words from their children’s vocabularies: “stunk’ for skunk and “belbow” for elbow.
Then there are the weird and wonderful words like “absquatulate”, to leave somewhere abruptly. Or one of my absolute favourites, borborygumus, those awful gurgling noises your stomach makes when you’re hungry. How can you not love those words? Satisfying to say, eminently useful. And words derived from
If you check in with experts, like the lexicographers at Oxford, you’ll see such delightful choices include quiffler, quagmire, numpty and penultimate.
And with an estimate of between 250,000 and 750,000 words in the English language, and (as quoted on the website Quora of an Economist study), that most adult vocabularies range from 20,000–35,000 words, there is plenty of “scope for the imagination”, as Anne Shirley has it in Anne of Green Gables… to write, to express ideas, to change the world.
Word nerds, unite!
