Hi Grand Forks!
We’ve got some very exciting things happening at the library in the next couple of weeks, and I’m going to get to that in just a moment – but first, let me just start out by introducing myself.
My name is Avi, and I’m the new library director. Although I’m a second-generation librarian, by the time I entered the library workforce, these public institutions were already well into the process of redefining themselves. I belong to a new generation of librarians – those who believe that libraries have a role to play that starts with our core service (lending out books) but then catapults far beyond that, into community development, participatory learning, etc.
What I mean by all this, is that I’m very interested in the role that the Grand Forks and District Public Library can play in building community resilience. I’m trying to answer questions such as, “How can the library contribute to a thriving Grand Forks economy?” and “What gaps are there in the community that can be filled by library programs and services?”
If you have answers to these questions, come by and we can talk about it – I’m just getting to know the community here and would welcome any feedback.
But I’m getting a bit carried away – let me tell you about what’s happening at the library these days.
• Thursday, Sept. 13 at 6:45 p.m., Grazyna will share tales from her travels: Medicinal Plants of the Amazonian Rain Forest.
• Thursday, Sept. 20 at 6:30 p.m., join us for our first annual Canning Exchange, yes we can! Bring a jar of something you’ve canned and share tips and recipes for preserving nature’s bounty.
• Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 1:30 p.m. at the Christina Lake Living Arts Centre and Thursday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. at Grand Forks, our Library Bookclub will meet to discuss The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. New members are welcome, just swing by the library to pick up your copy of the book and start reading.
• Friday, Sept. 28, Preschool Storytime starts up again. It will take place every Friday from 10:15 to 11 a.m.
And here’s what else has been keeping me busy this past month: buying books!
They’re coming in, everything from Zombies vs. Unicorns to A Hologram for the King to Y to the new Michael Connelly (The Black Box) to The Book of Kale to the entire Kurt Vonnegut collection to Michael Chabon’s Telegraph Avenue to the new Kenneth Oppel (Such Wicked Intent) to The Thinking Beekeeper to every Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl and Judy Blume book ever written.
Come by the library to tell me what you’d like to see on our shelves, on our calendar of events, or just to say “Hi!”