Friday, August 5, 2011

Ups and Downs!


Alien invasion at the Summer Reading Club!

Wow! It’s August already. Where did the summer go?


Mostly down the drain with the rain, I think.

The Summer Reading Club – Savour Each Word! – is winding to a close with only one more week of programming left. Then we’ll have the wind-up party and then it will be time to send off the summer students, Hannah and Justin, with a celebratory lunch. In a flash, it will be fall and we’ll be gearing up for Book Club, Children’s programming and the NCLF Fall Conference, which will be hosted right here at HPL.



 
I’m looking forward to September with a sense of excited anticipation. Literacy Now has provided funding for a part time programmer at HPL for 10 months. This pilot project entails hiring a dynamic and creative individual to plan and promote events and programs for our patrons and community. I wonder what surprises he/she will have in store for us… Family sleep-overs at the library? Quiz nights? Coffee houses? Contests? Author visits? Local artists’ displays? Who knows? But I’m sure looking forward to some very cool stuff. Watch for our monthly calendars for a complete list of dates, times and events!



As you know, HPL is a member of the North Coast Library Federation, a group of seven public libraries including HPL, Smithers, Hazelton, Terrace, Kitimat, Stewart, Prince Rupert, and the North West Community College libraries. At the helm, guiding us, is a very busy coordinator who manages our funds and organizes things like our annual conferences, shared collections, author readings and other federation events and programs. Without a coordinator, our equally busy directors and library staff members would have to do all this off the sides of our desks.

Until last May, Karen Filipkowski was our coordinator, but an opportunity to take over the directorship of a small library in Ontario took her away from us. She is now far, far away struggling with high heat and humidity, while we flounder in the cool rain.

Never fear! This week we welcomed a new coordinator, Katherine Anderson, aboard!

Kathy is now pulling double duty as both the NCLF coordinator and the IslandLink Library Federation Manager. And, boy, are we glad to have her! Her extensive experience in libraries throughout BC and familiarity with the North Coast region gave her the edge in a stiff competition to fill this vital position. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience that we are certain will be applied with efficiency, creativity and great enthusiasm.

Change is part of library life. Good people coming and going is part of the ups and downs we face as we deliver our programs and services to our communities. So, while we say good-bye to Karen and the summer students and wish them all well in all of their future endeavors, we now welcome Kathy and the soon-to-be-announced Program Coordinator to our midst and look forward to sharing wonderful things with our patrons.

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