Black History Month at St. Thomas Public Library

February is Black History Month and to mark the occasion, the St. Thomas Public Library will be welcoming a renowned expert in the history of the Black experience in Ontario.

Karolyn Smardz Frost, author of I’ve got a home in Glory Land: a lost tale of the Underground Railroad, will be making a presentation in the Carnegie Room of the St. Thomas Public Library on Thursday, February 25 at 7:30 p.m.  Admission is free.

I’ve got a home in Glory Land tells the story of Thornton and Lucie Blackburn, a fugitive slave couple who made a dramatic escape to Canada via the Underground Railroad in the early nineteenth century.  Smardz Frost’s 1985 excavation of the Thornton and Lucie Blackburn site in Toronto began more than twenty years of research which resulted in a critically acclaimed book which won the 2007 Governor General’s Award for nonfiction. The Award’s Jury described I’ve got a home in Glory Land as “a triumphant blend of archaeological and historical research with literary storytelling.”

Toronto-born historian and archaeologist Karolyn Smardz Frost teaches part-time in York University’s history department and is a finalist in TV Ontario’s “Best Lecturer “ competition.   In addition to I’ve got a home in Glory Land, she is a co-editor of Ontario’s African-Canadian heritage, a collection of articles by London historian Fred Landon who died in 1969.   Part of her talk will address aspects of Black History in Elgin County.

Come and learn more about this fascinating part of our history!

- PB

A Nice Quiet Place? Part 2

A Library is such a nice quiet place, isn’t it? In an earlier blog, we talked about some of the wonderful and diverse programs that make the library a lively place. But much of the time, people who come in to the library find what they’re looking for – peace and quiet.

Last week, as I walked in the non-fiction area  – looking for books on fundraising – I found two tables of three young people who may have been college or university students. Each had a lap top, and they talked quietly, working on some sort of project together.  Two others sat at their own tables, each with their laptop, taking advantage of the library’s wireless connectivity. In a study carrel in a corner near the window, an adult wrestled with brain testers behind a sign that said “Quiet, please. Exam in progress.” In another carrel, a middle aged woman a tutored a child in math, a grey head and a tousled blond head close together in concentration.

As I continue my tour into the fiction section, in a pool of sunshine by the windows, every chair is occupied. Some are reading the newspaper, some are leafing through a stack of books, and some are just sitting quietly, having a coffee, and waiting for a friend.

Upstairs, an adult student spread his textbooks, notepaper, pens and calculator along a counter, doing his course work, as he has every day for months.

If quiet means  not busy, then no, we’re not quiet.

-RD

Nice Quiet Place to Work

As Library employees we often hear people say, “It must be so nice to work in a quiet place like a library.”

I’d like to squelch that myth…if possible.

We no longer walk around glaring at people with our finger over our lips saying “Shhhhhh!”

In my 30+ years at St. Thomas Public Library I’ve experienced various and diverse events, not one of which I’d describe as quiet.  The Library has hosted 5 Murder Mystery nights, beginning back in the 1990’s with ‘Murder in the Library’, followed by ‘Murder at Heartthrob High’, ‘Murder at the Saddlebag Saloon’, ‘A Funny Murder Happened on the Way to the Forum’ and ‘Murder at Midnight’. Believe me, things got noisy.

We have also held 4 Trivia Nights, where the building was filled with vociferous competitors, again far from quiet.  The Laughin’ Out Loud program that took place this year speaks for itself.  There have been Open Houses, class visits, galas, book sales, plant sales, concerts….not quiet.

It’s great to work at St. Thomas Public Library because it’s filled with people coming in to enjoy the books, the Internet, preschool classes, programs, movies, newspapers, displays, and yes, when one of our fantastic, fun events isn’t happening, even a quiet place to sit by the window.

- EL

Challenging Times

As we approach the end of 2009 and 2010 is on the horizon, we reflect on the challenges we have had to face in our community this year.  St Thomas Public Library supported its patrons by granting them a “Fine Free Summer”, enabling everyone to take full advantage of the resources it has to offer.  The Library continues “To reach out to meet community needs for information, education and recreation”, living up to our mission statement.

I recall another challenging time back in 1993. Who remembers Rae Days, otherwise known as Social Contract Days?  To fulfill our obligation, the Library was closed to the public from December 20, 1993 until January 2, 1994. To save on heating bills the heat was turned down.

On the morning of January 2, 1994 as the temperature rose in the building, and staff worked diligently to clean up the backlog of materials returned through the book drop, a strange rumbling occurred, similar to that of an earthquake.  One staff member recalls feeling the earth move beneath her feet.  The terra cotta tiles cemented to the concrete floor could not adjust to the sudden temperature change; a crack formed from the front entrance all the way inside to the circulation desk and tiles heaved approximately 12 inches.  On that busy morning, after a 2 week closure, patrons had to be rerouted into the building though back stairs and hallways.  Lost and confused  people showed up in odd places in the Library.  It was such an unusual time, that everything out of the ordinary seemed perfectly normal. Needless to say, we all survived the ordeal.

There are two morals to this story.

1. Even in the most challenging of times, the Library will come through for you.
2. Never close the Library for two weeks at a time…you’ll be sorry.

Reminder: St Thomas Public Library Holiday Closures for 2009

December 24-27, December 31 at 1:00 p.m. and January 1, 2010.

We wish you all the best of the season.

Of Lost Dogs Found and Ailurophobes

Recently I wrote about spiders in the library. There are lots of connections between libraries and animals.  Two of our staff were involved in dog rescue.  Heather, our Children and Teens Librarian, remembers well the day a basket of puppies was left at a library’s back door. Homes were found for all!

 Effie, our Circulation supervisor, recalls her own doggie episode from many years past. One of her colleagues arrived at work tearfully late, explaining that she had been delayed looking for her lost dog, Kelly. That dark and rainy evening after work, as Effie walked home, she met a great big black dog galloping along her street. A dog running loose on her street was a most unusual sight.  Taking a giant leap of faith, she called out “Kelly!” and the dog immediately galloped over to her, tail wagging. Effie brought the grateful dog to her house, and toweled it dry. As the dog slobbered all over the faces of her small children, Effie called her colleague. “Is your dog black with a red collar?” As unlikely as it seems, lost dog found.

Effie also has a story of a fat sleepy skunk in her backyard – but let’s not go there.

Cats too, have a long association with libraries. Many years ago, the library where I worked had a library cat.  Every day for a week, a tiger-striped stray made a determined effort to make the library her home. When a staff member put her out the back door, she’d sneak in the front door with the next patron.  Many times, she’d look at you and open her mouth, but no sound came out, so we called her –appropriately enough – Whisper. She stayed with us for about six months, lazing on a chair in the sunshine at the front of the library, or sprawling across a patron’s open magazine or text book. One day a patron came in with a friend who wasn’t a regular library user. He said to his friend “Isn’t that your cat?” The other man said “Wow, has she ever grown!” So Whisper went home, to the relief of the asthmatics and ailurophobes.

A recent book about a similar cat is about Dewey Readmore, a marmalade stray who won over the hearts of residents in Spencer, Iowa. Found in the library book drop on a cold day, Dewey charmed everyone he met. Vicki Myron, the Library Director who rescued him wrote his story in Dewey : the small-town library cat who touched the world. His story was turned into a bestselling adult book, and now there’s a children’s book as well:  Dewey –There’s a cat in the Library.

Both books are of course available at the library, but there are no puppies, kittens or skunks!

 - RD

Skunk Recipe

We often receive unusual requests at the Library. One such question comes to mind.  Someone phones at 8:00 p.m. and with a nervous voice asks, “How do I get rid of the smell of skunk? My dog and I got sprayed on our walk this evening.”  We’ve got the answer, but I’ll get to that later. 

A couple of weeks ago the weather was balmy and sunny, quite unusual for December.  I had laundered some tablecloths used at the Library Gala on that Saturday evening.  I wanted to hang them out in the wind and sun. I’ve learned from experience, that you always must wipe down the clothesline before hanging up whites.  As I ran the line through my fingers, my peripheral vision detected movement near the fence.  

We’d redone our backyard this summer, and planted many small trees in the newly mulched garden. My husband noticed that a small creature had decided to use some saplings for salad, so he had set up a live trap, in order to bring what we assumed was a pesky squirrel to its “winter home” in the country. 

However, upon inspection, the captured critter was none other than a big healthy sleepy skunk. 

One big healthy sleepy skunk

 I brought news of our visitor to my husband’s attention.  My information was received with a less than enthusiastic response. As one does with most unpleasant tasks, we thought of ways to pass the buck.  “Let’s call animal control”.  Did you know there is a $80.00 fee for skunk evictions?  My husband, not willing to part with the cash, decided to risk a do it yourself attempt. 

After donning armour consisting of old coveralls, tall rubber boots and gloves, he set out on his mission.  The trick is this. You have to approach the skunk without alarming him.  In order to do this, hold a blanket in front of your body as you approach the animal. Then lower the blanket and you won’t get sprayed. It worked. However, Pepe Le Pew had collected a lot of mulch into the cage, probably to create a comfy bed for the night. The door hinge would not remain open.  My brave ingenious husband was forced to retreat, go back to the workshop for wire, and approach the cage for a second try, this time successfully opening the trap. In order to know whether beasty had gone, he decided to remove the blanket as he backed away. 

Our guest was in no hurry to escape. He had made himself a rather cozy home.  I was ready to give up and throw the laundry in the dryer. When I checked one last time, our friend raised his head and looked towards the cage door. He walked over and poked his head out first. Then he ventured out half way. By this time I’d called hubbie who was struggling to get the camera ready.  The skunk’s exodus has been photographed; to prove I didn’t just fabricate this adventure. 

 

 

Back to the recipe to remove skunk spray odour. Here it is. 

Immediate Action 

• 1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
• 1 – 2 teaspoon liquid soap

Wet your pet down and work the mixture through the pet’s hair. Leave it on for three to four minutes and rinse. This will generally need to be repeated several times. Be sure to throw away any excess mixture. Do NOT get any of the mixture in the eyes; as a precaution, place protective ophthalmic ointment in the eyes. 

Note that the above mixture may bleach the hair color temporarily until the animal sheds and new hair grows in. Common antidotes like tomato juice, vinegar, or regular shampoos will not be as effective. 

Note: Do not store in a closed container! 

This recipe can be doubled for bigger breeds. 

Remember, your Library has the answers! 

- EL

Imagine

Imagine entering the library to the mellow melodious sounds of a light jazz duo.  Imagine the circulation counter dressed in crisp white, sky blue and gleaming silver finery, and serving as a bar.

In the fiction section, access to the books is blocked by long tables laden with savouries from the Beanery Restaurant, and sweets from the Dutch Bakery. The menu for the Library’s Fundraising GALA night included assorted hot mini quiches and  puff pastries, chicken satays with a choice of two sauces, a Celebration Cheese tray, and for dessert, mini canoli, mini puff pastry swans, Italian cookies, and petit fours.

In the non-fiction area, many tables display a tempting array of silent auction items, including two autographed Joe Thornton hockey sticks, a handcrafted Santa and a lace table cloth, artwork in various media by local artists, books autographed by local or visiting authors, and a generous assortment of items donated by local businesses.

At the “Donation Station” – in its other life called the “Information desk” – people open their cheque books and donate next to the replica railway along the table top.  Full steam ahead! A great crowd of St. Thomas’ finest philanthropists, businessmen and community supporters compete for the auction items, bringing the total raised by the event to over $6000. An elegantly dressed staff member circulates through the crowd, asking “Red or White?” – the wine supplied by the Quai du Vin local winery.

The speeches were short and passionate, encouraging everyone to support the fundraising campaign to supply the “fixtures, fittings and furnishings” for a revitalized St. Thomas Public Library that will help our community prepare for the economy of the future.

The word for the night was elegant! Imagine! For more pictures of the event, check out the library’s Flickr page.

On Monday morning, the silver snowflakes still dangled from the lights, but the library was open for business as usual. You can contribute to the Imagine fundraising campaign on our website by clicking the “donate now” button. IMAGINE!

- RD

Remembrance Day Memories

The Huize Scherpenzeel where my parents were married in 1940.

My parents were married in a castle. It sounds romantic when I say that. But reality wasn’t at all romantic. The lovely house in Holland where my parents were married had been built in the 13^th century by a wealthy family.

The current members of the family had fled in advance of German occupying troops. Perhaps they fled to the interior of Holland, or perhaps, like members of the Dutch royal family, they fled to the safety of Canada.

By the time my parents were married there in August, 1940, the local municipality had appropriated it for a town hall. The upper floors housed eleven refugee families like my mother’s.

The remains of my family's home and post office

After a bomb leveled the house where they lived, my mother never found a trace of her dowry chest, filled with treasured linens for her upcoming wedding. All she recovered was a charred fork with bent tines in the crater where once the family home and local postoffice had stood.

In introducing the recent Remembrance Day program at the library, Paul Blower, Head of Adult Services, said there are few people who remember the war. Our family does.

Ian Raven, Director of the Elgin Military Museum talked about the homefront here in St. Thomas during the war. No one here understood what as happening, and really wouldn’t until the passage of time allowed us to highlight significant events.

Jeff Booth also spoke at the Remembrance Day program, reading letters home from his book, “Opened by Censors”. As he read from the pristine little hard cover volume, I couldn’t help but imagine the fragile bits of worn paper on which these letters had originally been written, decades ago by firelight, while bombs fell and shells whistled by.

During her lifetime, my mother made many presentations to scout troops, church organizations and women’s groups, sharing her memories. The Remembrance Day program gave us an opportunity to honour the sacrifices, and to continue to be thankful that we live in Canada.

Lest we forget.

 - RD

“Words and Music” Set for November 18

This year’s edition of “Words and Music,” set for the St. Thomas Public Library’s Carnegie Room on Wednesday, November 18, promises to be the best yet.   The program, which combines the words of a talented popular writer and the music of an accomplished assemblage of Toronto jazz musicians, gets under way at 7:30 p.m.  There is no admission charge.

Supplying the words will be best-selling author Joy Fielding whose intelligent, character-driven suspense novels have appeared all over the world in every conceivable language.  There are over twenty novels in all, including Charley’s Web, See Jane Run, and Kiss Mommy Goodbye. 

Cover of Charley's Web by Joy Fielding

The Globe and Mail says, “Fielding is a master of anticipation and knows how to create a labyrinth of tension, never providing an exit until the very last page.”

Cover of Joy Fielding's latest book, Still Life

Her latest book, Still Life, published earlier this year, is told from the point of view of a woman in a coma as a result of being struck by an automobile.  While in hospital, she discovers that although she is unable to see or move she can hear everything and what she hears leads her to a startling realization.   Program goers will be able to purchase autographed copies of her books at this event.

Sharing the bill with Joy, and counterpointing her readings and commentary, will be the Rainbow Gardens Quartet with singer Louise Lemieux.  The Quartet includes Ross Wooldridge on clarinet and saxophone, Michael Davidson on vibes, Cor Klamer on piano and leader Ric Giorgi on string bass. 

Ross Wooldridge is a regular with many jazz aggregations and his critically acclaimed “Tribute to the Benny Goodman Sextet” was featured at a sold out concert presented by Jazz.FM and The Sound of Toronto Jazz series in 2005.  He has been nominated five times in the category of “Clarinettist of the Year” for a Canadian National Jazz Award.  Vibraphonist Michael Davidson is a protégé of the famous Don Thompson and is known for his brilliant work with the “Tribute to Benny Goodman Sextet” and “Hobson’s Choice,” a jazz-folk group.

Cor Klamer has been the regular pianist for the Rainbow Gardens Quartet/Quintet for the last five years.  He has several solo CDs that get airplay in North America and Europe and has worked with such artists as Peter Appleyard.  Ric Giorgi is a long-time leader of music groups of various sizes from full symphony orchestras through to his well known Rainbow Gardens Jazz Orchestra.  Vocalist Louise Lemieux sings with various jazz groups around Toronto, including the Rainbow Gardens Quintet and the Bruce Vogt Trio.  She is currently working on a soon to be released CD.

- PB

Eeek!

There’s a spider living at the library. I know of only one, but it probably has many other relatives I’m not aware of. He – or she – I’m not adequately familiar with spider anatomy to tell the difference – started a web by dropping a long thread from the light fixture in the landing of the stairwell. He dangled to 5 or 6 feet above the floor – the right height  so that most adults would experience ‘spider-in-face’, but I descended the stairs preceded by three savvy little girls.

“There’s a spider here,” one whispered to me conspiratorialy.

A photo of our arachnid arrival...now safely departed

“Eek,” the other two responded, right on cue.

It was just after Hallowe’en, and I wondered if the staff had forgotten to take down the decorations. For a couple of weeks, a huge black spider had inhabited the desk in the Children’s and Teens Department. It had scared even the staff. “Eek”, she had screamed, as its eyes rolled and blinked, and it started vibrating across the smooth desk. That one had been more than 8 inches tall and a foot across.

On the landing, I saw nothing except painted walls and posters of upcoming events. “Where?” I asked, wishing I’d brought my reading glasses.

“There!” one said, and the other two responded “Eek!”

She indicated a spot a foot above her head, and a foot away – apparently a safe distance from a marauding spider.

Indeed, there it hung, a tiny gray spider, smaller than a pea, right in front of my face.

“They say that if you kill a spider,”  I said, grabbing the invisible thread tethering the spider to the overhead light…

“Eek!” they screamed.

“…it’ll  rain,” I finished, talking to the dead air, the sound of three pairs of rain boots echoing down the hallway toward the girls washroom.

So there we stood, the spider and I, on the landing, he swaying gently in the turbulent air left by the departing girls.  Dangling on the end of his leash, I carried him to a safe place where I let him go. I’m not telling you where, because if you step on him, it’ll rain.

-RD