Faith Roebuck Shergold

2019 Community Survey

This summer MPL again conducted a survey at the Library and out in the community. We received 175 responses – thank you all; you’ll help us determine how to best serve our community!

11% of you visit daily! Wow! 52% weekly; 22% monthly. That’s more daily and weekly visitors than last year – we’re glad you’re finding value in coming to your library regularly! What do you do? 70% pick up your holds and check out materials; 40% attend library programs and spend time with your family; 28% love the help you get from Library staff. Lots of you also volunteer or use the public WiFi and computers.

70% of you say we provide excellent customer service (90% excellent or good). 52% say MPL is excellent overall (87% excellent or good).

Other elements of library service people were pleased with were our children’s, teen, and maker programs – we offered more than 700 programs for all ages in 2019, and we’re not finished yet. You were disappointed in the loss of interlibrary loan services due to provincial cuts. They’re back: individuals can now borrow two items at a time, for free from other libraries (we can’t provide services to book clubs, but individuals can request their own book club reads). You appreciated our recent investments in French collections, and other new collections like our Wonderbooks, as well as online resources like Lynda.com online learning. In the year since we opened the MakerPlace on the 2^nd floor, many of you – 6 walk-ins or booked appointments each day, plus program attendees! – have come in to make, create, and learn.

What do you value most about your Library?

“It is vital for self-education and to keep us all connected. It’s for meeting and keeping friends for social and emotional health.”

“I do like how what with the times changing, that is, technology advancing and having its influence on everything, the facility is adapting. Keep it up.”

“It provides endless hours of adventure, allowing me to become lost in other people’s imaginary worlds, at little or no cost to me.”

Celebrate! @ your library

We have lots to help you get in the holiday spirit! Check out Pancakes and Pajamas December 7 (registration required), and family movies will be shown over the winter break. Preschoolers can also celebrate Noon Year’s Eve, with crafts, snacks, and a countdown to noon, on December 30.

Tweens ages 8-13 can prepare gifts for the holidays in our MakerPlace, with our free Christmas Maker programs on November 26, December 4, and December 18. Register in advance to save your place and find out about the great projects. School age kids can also participate in our Raiders of the Lost Locker escape room on January 2 – teams of up to 8 people can register together, or we’ll make up teams for you!

Seniors can join in on our second Seniors’ Crafternoon, making Christmas mugs with our Cricut. We supply all the materials and instruction for $5 / person on December 12. For all ages, we’re having a free gift wrapping party for those last minute gifts, December 23 (you can also create a laser cut gift label for $2!). People ages 12+ looking for adventure can join in on a beginners’ Dungeons and Dragons game on December 30.

We’re thankful to the Huronia Community Foundation for sponsoring our Ukelele Lending program, and you can join in on the fun with free workshops for teens on December 5, and ages 7-12 on January 13. Watch for more sessions for all ages in 2020, or borrow one yourself with a tuner and guidebook for two weeks, when not in use for our workshops.

Don’t miss the Christmas Market! On December 14, 9:30am-3pm, shop local and get your Christmas presents from great local artisans and crafters. There’s also lunch for sale, a Cookie Walk, and a gift basket draw!

Pick up a program guide or visit www.midlandlibrary.com/events/ for all the dates and details.

Love Your Library #OPLW

We’re celebrating Ontario Public Library Week, October 20-26, with lots of events, fine forgiveness, and some special new collections for you to try!

All week long, bring in a non-expired, non-perishable food item to receive $1 off (up to $10) your fines.

We’re launching a library app to keep you connected, and two new lending collections: ukuleles, with tuners and instruction books; and wifi hubs to let you borrow the internet! For our patrons in areas lacking good, consistent internet service, these hubs can be borrowed for 3 weeks and allow unlimited use for up to 15 devices (no roaming). Find out more during Ontario Public Library Week, and on our website.

On Sunday, October 20, we launch our new learning and lending ukulele collection with a special performance at 2pm. This collection was made possible by a grant from the Huronia Community Foundation.

We’re going digital on Monday, October 21! First with a digital storytime at 10:30am, for preschoolers and families, and then with a MakerPlace open house for all ages, from 3:30-5:30pm.

On Tuesday, October 22, seniors can join us in the MakerPlace at 2pm to make their own personalized bookbags ($5 / person). Then we’re having our first Community Concert, with the Sistema Youth Orchestra, the Children’s Community Choir, and Vox Femina, starting at 6:30pm. Join us for free for some beautiful music!

Did you know it’s the 50^th birthday of Eric Carle’s Very Hungry Caterpillar? On Wednesday, October 23, we’re celebrating with a very special Very Hungry Caterpillar Party! Join us at 10:30am with the whole family.

Finally, it’s the return of Brews & Bots! From 6-9pm on Thursday, October 24, come build and battle robots while sampling tasty craft beers. We’re thankful for the support of Ciboulette et Cie and Good Morning Apocalypse! 19+, $15 / person, and proceeds support the MPL MakerPlace. Tickets are available now!

4 Books for Fall

Fall is my favourite season: pumpkin spice lattes, sweater weather and great fall book releases.

Midland Public Library is bursting with great reads this fall. Below are a few recommendations to add to your to-be-read pile.

• The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood: Readers get a deeper look at Gilead and its inner workings, as we learn what happened after the cliffhanger at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale. The Testaments is on all the literary prize lists and is sure to be a favourite with fans of the television series (also at your library).

• Albatross, by Terry Fallis: Adam is a budding writer and expert golfer who doesn’t really like playing golf. Albatross is another great example of Fallis’s brand of outlandish circumstance and charming humour. Meet the author when he visits Midland Public Library, on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $10 for adults, and $5 for seniors and students.

• Love From A to Z, by S.K. Ali: S.K Ali’s Saints and Misfits won Midland Reads 2017. In Love From A to Z, Ali writes a diverse love story of two Muslim teens who learn to recognize and celebrate their differences in a world that encourages conforming to societal norms. We’re thrilled to be a partner in Ali’s visit to Midland this October as a part of Lit On Tour: Midland, presented by the Toronto International Festival of Authors.

• Empire of Wild, by Cherie Dimaline: Joan stumbles into a preacher’s tent in a parking lot and discovers that the charismatic Reverend Wolff is actually Victor, her husband who has been missing for almost a year. Wolff has no memory of Joan or their life together.

I can’t wait to read this modern retelling of the traditional Métis story of the Rogarou. You can hear from Dimaline during Gathering: Festival of First Nation Stories, on Sept. 21, at the Huronia Museum.

Jenn Paquette, Adult and Teen Services Coordinator

Gear up for fall @ MPL!

The great programs at Midland Public Library will make you glad that September is just around the corner!

Ready to “hit the books”? We’re excited to launch our new book-club alternative, BYOB (Bring Your Own Book) Club, where participants share their love of reading by discussing their current reads and swapping book recommendations.  Our Monday afternoon film screenings include Tolkien, a biographical drama about the life of J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. We’re thrilled to participate in some very special events – the Gathering First Nations Literary Festival is on September 19-21, with a concert by Tomson Highway and some amazing authors like Cherie Dimaline, Alicia Elliott, and Jesse Thistle. The Town of Midland’s Night Market is on September 28, and we’re hosting a special author visit and art workshops led by award-winning Canadian author/illustrator Elly MacKay, supported by the Writers’ Union of Canada and the Town of Midland.

Our Tuesday Teen Drop-in has great activities every Tuesday afternoon. Teens can also join our Teen Advisory Group to have their say in the teen library experience and earn community service hours for all meetings. Don’t live in Midland? No problem. All students attending Midland schools are now eligible for a full Midland Public Library membership.

For kids, we have some amazing new storytimes, including the STREAM (science, technology, reading, engineering, art and math) storytime we launched this summer, and special Very Hungry Caterpillar and Halloween storytimes, all on Wednesday mornings this fall.

School-age children can join in on our new monthly Homeschool Club, or build to their hearts’ content in our new LEGO Club drop-in. Tweens (ages 9-13) can register for our first ever Bots & Bytes, a 6-week program in our MakerPlace where they’ll learn how to create and code a robot using Raspberry Pi and Python. Kids ages 6 and up can also register for our STEAM Club and Gadget Inventors to explore their creative sides!

Check out www.midlandlibrary.com/events/ for all the dates and details.

Summer Reading is here!

The TD Summer Reading Club is Canada’s biggest, bilingual summer reading program for children of all ages, all interests and all abilities. The program encourages children to read throughout the summer, inspiring a lifelong love of reading!

This year at MPL, summer readers can read and report on library books they check out for a chance to win prizes.  The TD Summer Reading Club is easy and flexible. All readers need to do is read, report, and repeat, all summer long!

Every summer reader receives stickers and a log book. Readers are asked to note the library books they have read and come into the library to tell library staff for a chance to win weekly prizes.

In conjunction with the TD Summer Reading Club, MPL will also has a full line up of fun, interactive and educational library programming for the entire family!

We have programs every day of the week including: STREAM Storytime Monday morning, Around the World in 60 Minutes Tuesday afternoon, and French Storytime Thursday mornings.

You can catch us at Little Lake Park every Wednesday in July and August at 10:30 am for a Pop-Up Storytime. Story Walks have been planned for July 9 and August 19 at 2:00 pm at Little Lake Park.

Teens looking to read this summer are invited to join our Teen Summer Reading Program. They can visit the main desk to register. Every library book read between June 15 and August 23 is a chance to win – pick up a ballot from the main desk when checking out. We’ll be awarding weekly prize packs, in addition to our grand prize, two passes to Canada’s Wonderland. Check at the library often to discover fun bonus challenges to earn extra ballots. Finally, we’ll celebrate on August 27 with treats and tunes at our Teen Summer Reading wrap party, where we’ll award the grand prize.

Registration for Summer Reading Club is on now! Come into the Library to get started!

Rock the Block!

Faith Roebuck Shergold

Community Engagement Coordinator

We’re rocking the block again this year! Join us on May 31, 4-7 pm, as the Library’s portion of Elizabeth St. will be closed for lots of free family fun! We’ve got a bouncy castle and an obstacle course, fun and games with the Library and lots of great community partners, live music from The Secret Weapons, and barbecue for sale to support the Library. Some characters from favourite TV shows might even make an appearance!

The fun doesn’t end there – we’ve got great spring programs in full swing! New for kids, we’re doing Stretch Storytime, a free drop-in for ages 3+ on Tuesdays at 4 pm. We’ve also added Family Art Hour, a free drop-in on Wednesdays at 4 pm.

Teens also have lots happening at MPL: on top of our regular Teen Tuesdays and Teen Advisory Group, the Formal Wear Exchange is on now. Have previously loved formal wear? Donate it at MPL, where it might find a second life! Our second floor study room will be an exam study hall, with giveaways, snacks, and study hacks, free with your student card, June 13 – June 26, during all open hours.

For adults, get trained on our laser cutter or 3D printer, join our LGBTQ+ Drop-in, or check out one of our genealogy workshops – we’re investigating two of the most popular DNA testing sites at “Who do you think you are?” on June 4 at 6 pm, or June 6 at 2 pm. More information about library programs can always be found at www.midlandlibrary.com/events/.

We were excited to have a great number of responses to our community survey last year, and we hope everyone will be as generous with their time and opinions this year. We’d like to see how we’re doing, and find out about the elements of library service that matter most to you. Print copies of our 2019 Community Survey are available at the Library, or you can do it online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/MPLsurvey2019. Thanks in advance!