Most people probably don’t think of toilet paper, books, and libraries as going together, but on May 3 some students got to experience all three at a “Science World on the Road” event at the Ashcroft Library exploring forces and motion.
Students were able to take part in some hands-on spinning, flying, and falling activities showing exactly how forces and motion work. One popular demonstration showed the effects of wind power on a roll of toilet paper, resulting in some messy (but clean!) fun.
The Science World event is just one of the many special and regular events taking places at Thompson-Nicola Regional Library (TNRL) branches. From author readings and storytelling to crafts and ukulele sessions, there is always something going at your local library. Remember: all events are free; you just need a valid library card, which is also free.
Are you a crafty person who loves working with textiles of all sorts? Join others in Fibre Fun sessions in Cache Creek (10 a.m. Tuesdays), Clinton (1:30 p.m. Tuesdays), and Ashcroft (3 p.m. Fridays), where you can work on your latest fibre/textile project and chat with others. Do you just want a chance to have a cozy chat? Then stop by the Teatime Chat in Ashcroft, every Tuesday at 11 a.m.
There is Lego Club in Clinton (3:30 p.m. Tuesdays) and Cache Creek (11 a.m. Saturdays) for all children (and their caregivers) who love to build, design, and create together, and Storytime at the Savona Library every Wednesday at 3:30, where children aged 3 to 5 can learn literacy skills through stories, song, fingerplays, and rhymes.
Summer is just around the corner, meaning the annual Summer Reading Club is almost here. With activities, events, and challenges for children, teens, and adults, the Summer Reading Club is a great way to exercise your mind, explore new worlds, and have some fun.
This year’s theme is Colour Your Summer, and each week will bring a new, exciting, and colourful theme. The program kicks off with “Red Carpet”, which takes a dive into music, film, and theatre; you can follow the “Yellow Brick Road” and take a journey through fantasy and other worlds; you can rev your engines in “Indi-GO,” where planes, trains, and automobiles await; and finish up with “Ultra-Violet,” which celebrates art and history. Find out more at your local branch, which will soon have more information.
The TNRL likes to remind people that good things come in small packages, so if you’re in Kamloops be sure to check out the Aberdeen Tiny Library at Aberdeen Mall. It packs a lot into just 352 square feet, and as of May 1 has doubled its opening hours, going from 16 hours four days a week to 32 hours six days a week. It also has a holds locker, where reserved books can be picked up, and a “book vending machine” stocked with enticing titles which can be checked out by any patron with a valid TNRL library card. The holds locker and vending machine are located outside the branch, which is by the food court, and are available to patrons whenever Aberdeen Mall is open.
Libraries are about more than just books. Did you know that you can check out guitars, ukuleles, birder backpacks, a family pass to the BC Wildlife Park, a thermal imaging kit, “bat packs,” and more from TNRL branches? If you can’t make it to a branch, the TNRL offers plenty of online resources, from Ancestry Library (a genealogical resource) to hoopla and Kanopy, which between them offer thousands of digital movies, TV shows, music, and ebooks. NewsHound and British Columbia Historical Newspapers provide online access to 125 years’-worth of newspapers and articles; you can even obtain a library card online.
For more information about everything local libraries have to offer, go to www.tnrl.ca.
