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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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

 

 

Ideas for a healthy city

What makes your city a healthy place to live? Social connections, walkability, bike lanes, transit, healthy food options, employment, traffic patterns and parking all contribute to the health of a city and the people who live there.

Waterloo Region welcomes refugees

It’s in the news every day. You’ve been talking about it with family, friends, and neighbours. The refugee crisis has been the topic of conversation for months now, and the Canadian government has revealed details of its plan for 25,000 Syrians to be settled in Canada by the end of February, 2016.

Kindness inspires kindness

   

Last week, we celebrated Random Act of Kindness Day across Waterloo Region.

Here at Central Library, we were surprised with a lovely act of kindness from a local insurance company. Staff members from Lackner McLennan dropped in with a tray of sweet treats for us all to enjoy, and they visited several other community organizations as well. Thanks, Lackner McLennan, for your act of kindness for our staff!

Memories from Sonia Lewis

This week, we say goodbye to Chief Executive Officer Sonia Lewis, who came to lead the team at Kitchener Public Library in August, 2004. Sonia is retiring, and this is her last week with us. She wanted to share this with you: 

My time at Kitchener Public Library is drawing to a close. When I leave at the end of this week, I’ll be taking great memories with me. Let me share a few with you.

• Discovering what makes each of our community libraries unique.
• My first Kidspark and first storytime at the Kitchener Market.
• Breakfast with Margaret Atwood . . . dinner with Nino Ricci.

How can a book club change your life?

Want to feel healthier? Research consistently indicates that social ties are good for your health. So good, in fact, that one study suggests if you don’t currently belong to a group and you join one now, you can cut your your chance of dying in half for the next year.

What else makes you feel happier and healthier? Reading. Research indicates that reading reduces stress, increases memory function, can help prevent Alzheimer’s, and makes you more empathetic.

Here’s an easy way to double your happiness/healthiness quotient in one fell swoop. Join a book club! Kitchener Public Library offers several different book clubs – all are free and new members are always welcome. We’ve got a book club that’s the right size and shape for you: