A Community Place!

Summer programming is winding down (Whew!), affording us a short break before we rush into fall programming. Now if the weather would only give us a break!

This fall is shaping up to be an exciting one at HPL. New hours, new staff, new programs... It’s going to be a busy time in Libraryland!

On September 1st, the opening hours are changing just a little bit. We will still be open Tuesday through Saturday, but not quite as much. The new schedule looks like this:

Sunday/Monday – Closed
Tuesday – 12 to 7
Wednesday – 10 to 5
Thursday – 12 to 7
Friday – 10 to 7
Saturday – 12 to 4

We’ll also be welcoming a new staff member in September. But I’ll share more about her in another blog!

Events and programming, though, are lining up at the starting gate, eager to make the dash into autumn. Full details on all of our September programs and events can be found at: http://houston.bclibrary.ca/site-files/September%20Events.pdf. But let me just touch on a few of the highlights that are coming up...

Returning programs are Yarn It All!, Community Conversations, NID Matinees and – of course! – Book Club. For those of you who are not familiar with any of these programs, they are open to all community members and are, for the most part, free. Admission to the NID Matinees is by donation, which helps to cover the costs of the movies, the popcorn and the public performance license so we can show them. Yarn It All! meets twice monthly – on the second and fourth Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. – and is open to any and all fibre artists from novice to expert. At Yarn It All! we share, learn and teach each other. Community Conversation is held on the third Tuesday of the month and features a different topic of interest to our community. It’s a place and time to gain awareness, share insights and discuss what is happening in the world and it’s effects on our town. This month we are exploring the 100-mile Diet and planning for the 100-mile Diet Dinner that is coming up in October. Book Club meets on the first Wednesday of every month from September to June. We have an amazing line-up of titles this year. You can see them on our web site at: http://houston.bclibrary.ca/services-programs/programs/book-club. Everyone is welcome!

New to the programming line-up is the Writer’s Guild. Our first meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 14th from 6 to 8 p.m. The theme for the inaugural meeting is “I Am!” and attendees are asked to write a short story or poem to share as a way of introducing themselves. From there, members will be asked what they want from the Guild and how they would like to see it run and organized. We already have tons of ideas, but we definitely want the members to take ownership and have fun.

There are several events on the agenda for September as well!

The Friends of the Library are hosting a Book Sale in the mall on September 24th and 25th. Money raised at the sale will go to support HPL programs and services. If you have some time to spare and are interested in helping out at the sale, please call the library – 250-845-2256. We would really appreciate your assistance!

The Houston Literacy Committee has created the 2010-2011 Community Literacy Action Plan and they will be presenting it to the community at the library on Wednesday, September 8th from 4 to 6 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend. Refreshments will served.

And Pamela Proctor, retired teacher and author of Hounouring the Child: Changing Ways of Teaching will be with us on Thursday, September 23rd from 7 to 9 p.m. Ms. Proctor taught in the Vancouver area for 35 years and in the course of her career, she developed a fresh approach to teaching along with some colleagues. Her Book is on sale at HPL for $20.00. We have a limited number of copies, so don’t delay! Get your copy right away!

It’s a full month with something for everyone in the community!