June is Bike Month

June is National Bike Month and Kitchener Public Library is celebrating by bringing out our beautiful Book Pedaler to parks and community events in downtown Kitchener. Check out where she’ll be in Summer 2019!

Looking for more local biking resources? Check out this list of great places to bike near you and access cycling maps and guides for Waterloo Region. Excited for the ION but still wanna cycle? No problem. Each ION passenger can bring one bike on board LRT trains with them!

Interested in local Aboriginal history? Explore important sites and cultural landmarks on your bike using the Local Indigenous History and Culture Map, co-created by Kitchener Public Library and Archaeological Research Associates, Ltd. (ARA) in 2015.

Check out these great bike-related titles at Kitchener Public Library:

The Urban Cycling Survival Guide by Yvonne Bambrick

The Girls Bicycle Handbook by Caz Nicklin

Lands of Lost Borders by Kate Harris

Building the Cycling City by Melissa Bruntlett

How Cycling Can Save the World by Peter Walker

The Ultimate Bicycle Owner’s Manual by Eben Weiss

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Our Ink, Our Stories exhibit at Kitchener Public Library

Two years ago, Kitchener Public Library teamed up with The Community Edition for a very special project entitled Our Ink, Our Stories. Our Ink, as we’ve come to lovingly refer to it, was a story-telling initiative that shed light on the hidden meanings and personal histories of the tattoos that adorn members of our community. These stories were often told in the subject’s own words, or beautifully related by Meg Harder (a former KPL staff member who was the editorial and creative lead on this project), two successive TCE Editors-in-Chief, Megan Nourse and Beth Bowles, and the fabulous photography of Paige Bush.

To date, we have collected sixty tattoo stories in our blog, with topics covering everything from song lyrics and beloved animals to gender, religion, mental health and lost loved ones. Tattoos are such a personal and unique form of self-expression that they are a great way to quickly understand about a person, and understanding each other is a great way to build community.

We are now closing the chapter on Our Ink, Our Stories but in celebration of its life we have launched an exhibit of print and digital photographs from the project, which are on view until May 30th in the Theatre Lobby of Central Library (85 Queen St N).

Entry way to exhibit with photo of Theresa by Paige Bush

Art work by Meg Harder, with photos of Sam and Will by Megan Nourse

Photos of Taylor, Melissa, Anna, Sarah and Ren

John Waters’ Cry-Baby : a live viewing party at Kitchener Public Library

Photo of John Waters by Greg Gorman

For a director who has built his career and reputation on being the “King of Bad Taste,” John Waters has surprisingly good (or at least interesting) taste in people. In his book Role Models, Waters gives an expansive survey of his influences, from the good (his love of early gay icons Little Richard and Johnny Mathis), the bad (his 25-year friendship with one of the Manson family murderers) and the ugly (his school librarian telling him he would go to hell if he read Tennessee Williams).

Amplifying Local Authors

Writing is often a solitary pursuit, and rejections from publishers, emotionally challenging content and the pressure we put on ourselves to succeed can make it a pretty tough slog at the best of times – throw in those long, dark Canadian winters and you’ve got a recipe for too much whiskey and a tear-stained manuscript. Having a community who shares your interests can really help – not only personally, but professionally and creatively.

Kitchener Public Library aims to serve as an amplifier for the creative communities that already exist within our city, and provide them with resources to connect. Over time KPL has blossomed into a space for writers to gain contacts, skills and audiences. Some of the ways we do this are:

• Writing workshops presented at our libraries – recent workshop facilitators include children’s author Kathy Stinson and singer-songwriter Oh Susanna!
• Events showcasing local authors and their work as part of our 85 Queen series
• The Edna Staebler Writer-In-Residence program
• The Dorothy Shoemaker Literary Awards
• “Local Author” tags in our catalog
• “Read Local” book displays

We hope local authors think of Kitchener Public Library as a place to create, inspire and connect, and that readers come to us when they want to Read Local.

Check out these great titles from local authors

Girl Runner by Carrie Snyder

Nobody Cares by Anne T. Donahue

Out of Line by Tanis MacDonald

The Agony of Bun O’Keefe by Heather Smith

 

 

Remembering Mr. Lynn Matthews

BLOG POST BY MARY CHEVREAU
CEO, Kitchener Public Library

Lynn Matthews, KPL Chief Librarian, at the ceremonies for the opening of the Grace Schmidt Room of Local History in 1984 , with Susan Hoffman.

It is with great sadness that we have learned of the passing of Lynn Matthews. Mr. Matthews, as he was best known to staff, was the Chief Librarian at Kitchener Public Library from 1973 – 1993. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.

Lynn Matthews, 1980

Mr. Matthews was working in the North York Library system when he learned that the position of Chief Librarian was available at Kitchener Public Library. At the time, there was the Main Branch and the location at the Sunnyside Home on Franklin Street. During his career at KPL, he saw many changes, such as the introduction of the Bookmobiles and the addition of the Stanley Park Community Library followed by the Forest Heights Community Library. The Pioneer Park location opened in 1981. It was during his tenure in 1983 when the card catalogue files were replaced by a computer system.

Mr. Matthews did point out in an article in Vista (a local magazine in publication at the time of his retirement), “KPL is more than a massive collection of books. People of all ages have access to video tapes, national, provincial, and international newspapers, periodicals, trade magazines, historical reference materials, 35 mm films, record albums, booking in other languages, and a host of specialized programs for everyone from toddler to senior citizen.” Mr. Matthews retired in October 1993.

On a personal note, I was a trustee of the Kitchener Public Library Board towards the end of Lynn’s career. He was a visionary and ahead of his time in many ways, and was dedicated to making KPL an exceptional library for the community. He left a legacy of strength and innovation from which all future CEOs could build.

NEW: The 85 Green Learning Garden

We’re transforming our decorative garden in the Sheriff John Motz Courtyard at Central Library into a vegetable garden, and we want you to help!

This is the first step in our new initiative, 85 Green, a series of projects that will promote nutritional literacy and sustainable communities, while strengthening social ties.

Please read something other than To Kill a Mockingbird

Throughout the month of February we’ve been featuring books about black history, and books, movies and music created by black artists, on our website and on display in our library locations.

Our February Free Flicks included BlacKKKlansman, Sorry to Bother You, and In the Heat of the Night. And we hosted a dance workshop – thank you to our partners, the Afro-Tribal Dancers!

As the month draws to a close, we want to share some resources to support you in reading, listening to, and supporting black artists all year long, as well as a few books that may help further your thoughts and conversations about race and racism in this community and in this country.